Yellow Chicken Tinga

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients
For the Chicken:
10 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 medium Peri & Sons Farms garlic cloves, peeled
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

For the Yellow Sauce:
3 Roma tomatoes
3 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1 to 2 jalapeños, depending on your preferred spice level
3 chile güeritos (güero peppers), stems removed
1 Peri & Sons Farms garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons neutral oil

For the Tinga:
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 medium Peri & Sons Farms white onion, thinly sliced into half moons
Shredded chicken

For Serving (Optional):
Tostadas
Shredded lettuce
Crumbled queso fresco
Mexican crema

Directions
In a large pot, combine the water, kosher salt, garlic cloves, and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.
Transfer the chicken to a plate, reserving the broth in the pot. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin, then shred the meat.

Break the chicken bones into a few pieces and return them, along with the skin, to the reserved broth. Simmer for an additional 40 minutes to deepen the flavor of the broth. Strain and reserve 1½ cups for the sauce.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the chile güeritos and jalapeños and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes and cook until tender. Add the tomatillos during the last 2 minutes of cooking, then turn off the heat to prevent them from becoming bitter.

Remove the tomatoes from the cooking water and peel away the skins. Transfer the peeled tomatoes, cooked chiles, and tomatillos to a blender. Add the raw garlic clove, cumin, black pepper, kosher salt, 1½ cups of the reserved chicken broth, and 1½ cups water. Blend until completely smooth.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Carefully pour in the blended sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam changes from pale to orange and the sauce slightly deepens in color, about 8 minutes.
Heat ¼ cup of oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced white onion and cook until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the shredded chicken and stir to combine with the onions.

Pour the cooked yellow sauce over the chicken and stir until evenly coated.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

Serve warm on tostadas or in tacos. Top with shredded lettuce, queso fresco, and Mexican crema, if desired.

Notes:
• Simmering the chicken bones and skin after shredding the meat creates a more flavorful broth for the sauce.
• Use one jalapeño for a milder tinga or two for extra heat.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

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