Chicken Tinga Sopes

Tender shredded chicken coated in a thick, smoky tomato sauce. Served on a thick corn base that is crispy on the outside and soft inside, with hand-pinched edges.

• Prep time: 40 min
• Cook time: 45 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 738
• Protein: 40 g
• Carbs: 76 g
• Fat: 31 g

Ingredients

• 500 g White chicken ( whole )
• 300 g Corn flour ( masa harina type )
• 4 piece Round tomato ( ripe )
• 2 piece Yellow onion ( finely sliced )
• 2 piece Garlic ( peeled cloves )
• 3 tbsp Sunflower oil
• 100 ml Cream ( thick )
• 100 g Fresh cheese ( crumbled )
• 0.5 piece Butterhead lettuce ( shredded )
• 2 pinch Gray sea salt
• 2 piece Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce ( chopped )

Instructions

1. Poaching the chicken

   Place the chicken in simmering salted water. Cook until the center is done but the meat remains supple. Remove and shred with a fork while still warm.

2. Reducing the sauce

   Blend tomatoes with garlic and chipotle. In a pan, sauté sliced onions in oil until translucent. Pour in the sauce and reduce over medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon.

3. Cooking the Tinga

   Add the shredded chicken to the sauce. Mix well so every piece of meat is soaked in flavor. Simmer until almost no liquid remains at the bottom of the pan.

4. Preparing the dough

   Mix corn flour with water and a pinch of salt. Knead until the dough is supple and no longer sticks to your fingers. Form 8 golf-ball-sized rounds.

5. Shaping and cooking sopes

   Flatten balls into 1 cm thick discs. Cook in a hot dry pan for 2 minutes per side. As soon as they come out, pinch the edges with your fingers to create a small rim.

6. Final assembly

   Brown the bottom of the sopes in a bit of oil. Fill generously with the chicken tinga. Top with a dollop of cream, crumbled fresh cheese, and finely shredded lettuce.

Chef's tips

• Pinch the edges of the sopes as soon as they leave the pan, otherwise the dough hardens and cracks.
• Tinga is better if left to rest for 15 minutes: the meat finishes absorbing the sauce's juices.

Storage

Store Tinga and sopes separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat sopes in a pan to restore their crispiness.