Chicken Tinga (with fresh tomatoes, not canned)

My daughter craves this, and has loved saucy Mexi chicken since she was little. This recipe originally came from a noted Mexican restaurant in SF, and I have made it several times, but tonight was extra special. 

We made it with fresh Early Girl tomatoes and it was fantastic! So much better than the original recipe that calls for canned chopped tomatoes. I'll never do that again. 

We had the good luck to stay at a friend's house in Napa last week and returned with several big, beautiful fresh summer tomatoes, so when I realized I didn't have the proper canned tomatoes, I decided to take the chance with fresh. Glad I did. It was a game-changer. 

We served it on tiny street-taco sized corn tortillas, cooked in a hot cast-iron skillet to melt grated jack cheese, black beans, topped with avocados, sour cream and very simple cabbage/cilantro/lime/juice/mayo slaw. And Tapatio hot sauce. 

So instead of thinking Italian with all those garden tomatoes your kind friends give you, think this and invite them over for Tinga Tacos. 

Chicken Tinga for tacos or tostadas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  - poached and shredded (instructions in one of my first posts way back...) or shredded rotisserie chicken (not as good)

2 tbsps oil

1/2 onion, sliced thin

2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

2 medium very ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped - save all juice and seeds, you'll add it all

2 tsp kosher salt (necessary)

Couple of slices of jalapeño, optional

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Add 2 tablespoons oil and the sliced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the minced/pressed garlic to the onions. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and their juices, salt and the sliced jalapeño. Simmer vigorously about 10 minutes, until the liquid had reduced slightly. 

Season to taste with additional salt. The tinga should be slightly saucy but not overly wet; if it looks thin, simmer it a bit longer to reduce the liquid. Stir in the shredded chicken and cilantro and warm gently.

Serve in tacos, on tostadas, or nachos with sliced limes and sour cream.