CHICKEN TINGA

Chicken Tinga image

Yield makes 15 tacos

Number Of Ingredients 18

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1 poblano chile, oil-roasted, peeled, cored, and seeded (page 154)
1 sweet red bell pepper, oil-roasted, peeled, cored, and seeded (page 154)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon red jalapeño chile powder (page 151)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
12 ounces jalapeño-chicken sausage
1 large white onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
15 cloves garlic, dry-roasted (page 158) and mashed
3/4 cup chipotle puree (page 153)
12 ounces spicy vegetable juice
12 ounces tomatoes, blackened (page 164) and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
15 (5 1/2-inch) crispy yellow corn tortilla shells (page 17)
Garnish: Iceberg Lettuce Garnish (page 144) or chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

Cut the prepared poblano chile and bell pepper into 1/4-inch-thick strips (rajas); set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the chicken strips with the chile powder, salt, and black pepper and let marinate for 20 minutes.
Toward the end of the marinating time, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken strips and sauté until just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from its casings, crumble it, and add it to the skillet along with the poblano chile strips, red bell pepper strips, and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sausage begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add the garlic, chipotle puree, juice, tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, and brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has cooked down, about 6 minutes. The mixture should be moist but not wet.
Remove from the heat and serve immediately, or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
For crispy tacos, divide the lettuce slaw then the filling equally between the crispy shells, top with salsa and garnish, and arrange in a taco holder. Or, lean the filled shells in a row, propped upright, on a platter. Eat right away. To build your own, spoon some slaw and filling in a crispy shell, top with salsa and garnish, and eat right away.