I have a delicious new recipe for y’all that is going to spice up your Taco Tuesdays! Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw are my favorite at-home chicken taco. They are slow cooked, so easy to make, and extra delicious!
Chicken Tinga is a Mexican dish made with shredded chicken in a sauce made mostly from tomatoes and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It’s so simple to make in a slow cooker. The slaw is super flavorful and cools off the spice of the chicken perfectly. The dressing that goes on the slaw is SO good that we use the leftovers as a dip. Make sure to check the recipe notes for tips on using up the extra meat and dressing because this makes a lot! If you need to feed a crowd, this will be a sure winner!
Your Grocery List
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Yellow onion
- Fresh garlic
- Classic coleslaw mix
- Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (dry packet)
- Mayonnaise
- Buttermilk
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh jalapeno
- Tomatillos
- Fresh lime
- Pantry staples: garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper
How to Make Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw
To make Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw, place chicken breasts in a slow cooker then add garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper, two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, chipotle peppers, diced onion, and lots of fresh garlic. Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Take the chicken out, place on a tray or cutting board, then shred with two forks.
Place the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker with all the cooking juices. Mix around then keep it warm until ready to serve.
Optional: Place fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onion and garlic in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth then pour over chicken. Great option if you don’t like chunks of tomatoes and onions!
To make the slaw, place ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise, buttermilk, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatillos, garlic and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour one cup of the sauce over classic coleslaw and mix to combine. Reserve the extra sauce for garnishing individual tacos.
Serve tacos with the chicken, slaw, avocado and queso fresco or cheese of choice. So good!
This recipe for Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw makes enough to feed 8-10 people. The shredded chicken freezes well or use it for leftovers. It’s also great on nachos!
More Delicious Taco Recipes
Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa
The Best Steak Tacos (TOP BLOG RECIPE!)
Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cilantro Ranch Slaw
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cans (14 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
- 1/2 large yellow or white onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
For the slaw:
- 1 bag (14 oz) classic coleslaw (just the veggies – no dressing)
- 1 packet dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded (use whole if you like spice)
- 2 tomatillos, husked and cut into fourths
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1 lime, juiced
For serving:
- Flour or corn tortillas (we love street taco sized)
- Avocado slices
- Queso fresco or cojita cheese
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper on top.
- Add tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onion and garlic on top of the chicken breasts, cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Optional: Place fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onion and garlic in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth then pour over chicken. (Great option if you don't like chunks of tomatoes and onions!)
- When chicken is cooked and tender, remove and place on a platter or cutting board. Shred with two forks then add back to sauce. Stir to combine and keep warm until ready to serve.
To make slaw:
- In a food processor or blender, add ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise, buttermilk, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic and lime juice. Blend until smooth.
- Place coleslaw in a large bowl, add one cup of the dressing then toss to combine. Reserve extra sauce for garnishing individual tacos (or as a dip).
- To serve place chicken in tortillas, then top with slaw and other garnishes of choice.
This recipe is SO good! My hubby ate 5 tacos and I ate 3. 😳 My 9-year old actually tried the slaw because the dressing was so tasty (he doesn’t do any raw vegetables of any kind for any reason). The slaw dressing would be good on a flip-flop. I live in Texas, so I eat a lot and make a lot of Tex-Mex dishes. This one takes the cake!
Thank you so much for the love!
Everyone needs to make these tacos. They are so easy to make and so yummy! The sauce for the coleslaw is so good and great to dip tortilla chips in. I don’t do very spicy foods and this wasn’t bad at all. I will definitely be making this again!
I am so glad you loved it! Thanks for the comment!