The Best Mexican Chicken Recipes

Chicken is the most widely used protein in modern Mexican cooking. Versatile, economical and able to absorb the intense flavours of chillies and spices, chicken is completely transformed in the hands of Mexican cuisine. Where a griddled chicken is "fine", a chicken in chipotle salsa or doused in mole is a transcendental experience.

1. Chicken Tinga

Chicken tinga is shredded chicken cooked in a tomato salsa with smoky chipotle and onion. It is spicy, smoky and addictive. It is served on tostadas, in tacos or as a filling for any antojito.

Secret: Chipotle in adobo is the key. Start with just one and add to taste. One chipotle gives a mild flavour, two gives medium heat, three is for the brave.

Preparation (30 min): Boil 2 breasts with garlic and onion for 20 min. Shred. In another pan, fry julienned onion, add crushed tomato and blended chipotles in adobo. Cook for 5 min, add the shredded chicken, mix and let it absorb the flavours for 5 min more.

Serve in: Tostadas (the classic way: tostada + tinga + crema + cheese + lettuce + avocado), tacos, burritos, tortas or as an empanada filling.

Batch cooking: Make a big batch and freeze in portions. It thaws in a pan in 5 min. Perfect for quick weeknight dinners. Read our freezing guide.

2. Chicken in Chipotle Cream

Chicken breasts bathed in a creamy chipotle salsa. It is probably the most popular Mexican chicken recipe outside Mexico because the smoky-creamy flavour is universally irresistible.

Preparation (25 min): Cut the breasts into strips, sauté until golden. Remove. In the same pan, blend 2-3 chipotles in adobo with 200ml of single cream (cooking cream), pour into the pan, let it reduce for 5 min, return the chicken and cook for 5 min more.

Serve with: Red rice to soak up the leftover salsa. It is a magical combination.

In Spain: Chipotles in adobo in Carrefour or Latin shops (3€). Cooking cream in any supermarket. Total: ~3€/person.

3. Green Chicken Enchiladas

Green enchiladas are tortillas filled with shredded chicken, rolled up and bathed in green tomatillo salsa, with crema and queso fresco on top. They are the definition of Mexican comfort food.

Key technique: Pass the tortillas briefly through hot oil (5 sec) before filling - this prevents them from breaking and lets them absorb the salsa evenly. Fill, roll, place in a baking dish, douse with green salsa, crema and cheese. Bake for 15 min at 180°C.

Trick: You can assemble the enchiladas uncooked the day before and bake them the next day. Perfect for weeknight dinners.

4. Mole with Chicken

Mole poblano with chicken is the most festive dish in Mexico. Chocolate, chillies, nuts, spices... 20+ ingredients that create a flavour like nothing else.

Quick version: Use mole paste (Doña María or La Costeña, Latin shops 3-5€). Dilute with chicken broth, cook for 20 min stirring. Cook thighs or breasts in the mole for 15 min. Serve with rice and toasted sesame seeds on top.

When to make it: Birthdays, Christmas, Day of the Dead, or any important celebration. Mole is a party dish.

5. Chicken in Green Salsa

Chicken cooked in tomatillo salsa with serrano chilli. Simpler than enchiladas (no rolling tortillas) and with a fresh, herbal flavour that everyone loves.

Preparation: Boil tomatillos with serrano chilli for 5 min, blend with coriander. Brown chicken thighs in a pan, pour in the salsa, cover and cook for 20 min over low heat. The chicken becomes tender in the salsa and absorbs all the flavour.

Serve with: White rice and warm tortillas to wipe the salsa off the plate (essential).

6. Shredded Chicken Tacos

Shredded chicken is the most versatile protein in Mexican cooking. It can be used in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, sopes, tortas...

Perfect method for shredding: Boil 1kg of breast with 1/4 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper for 20-25 min. Shred with 2 forks while hot (it shreds more easily). Store with a little broth so it does not dry out.

Storage: 4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Having shredded chicken ready is every Mexican mum's trick for quick dinners.

7. Chicken Flautas

Tortillas rolled tightly with shredded chicken and fried until crispy. They are served with crema, grated cheese, lettuce and salsa. They are like tacos dorados but longer and crispier.

Technique: Use corn tortillas, fill with shredded chicken, roll tightly (use a cocktail stick to close if necessary) and fry in hot oil for 3-4 min, turning. Drain on absorbent paper.

Oven version: Brush with oil and bake at 200°C for 15-18 min. Less crispy but lighter.

8. Caldo Tlalpeño

Chicken broth with chickpeas, chipotle chilli, epazote and vegetables. It is a complete soup-as-a-meal, comforting in winter and with a smoky touch that makes it unique.

Ingredients: Chicken broth, cooked chickpeas (tinned works), shredded chicken, chipotle in adobo (1/2 chilli for mild), carrot, courgette, epazote or coriander.

Trick: Serve with diced avocado, lime and tortillas cut into strips. The fresh toppings contrast with the hot broth and create the complete experience.

General Techniques for Mexican Chicken

• Thighs vs breasts: Thighs are juicier for cooking in salsa (they do not dry out). Breasts are better for shredding. In Mexico both are used.
• Marinades: Lime + garlic + salt is the basic marinade. Achiote + orange for al pastor. Chipotle + yoghurt for a smoky version. At least 30 min, ideally 2+ hours.
• Shred hot: Chicken shreds much more easily fresh out of the broth. Do not wait for it to cool.
• Save the broth: The broth from cooking chicken is liquid gold. Use it for rice, salsas, soups. Freeze what you do not use.

Where to Buy Chicken in Spain

• Mercadona: Breasts (~7€/kg), thighs (~4€/kg). Good quality, good price.
• Lidl: Frequent offers on chicken. The thighs are especially good value.
• Butcher's: Thighs on the bone (more flavour for broths), chicken pieces for stewing. They are usually cheaper than in the supermarket.

Chicken is your best ally for cooking Mexican during the week: it is quick, cheap and absorbs any flavour. Explore all our chicken recipes and transform your dinners.

Mexican Meal Prep with Chicken: Weekly Plan

Shredded chicken is the perfect base for a weekly Mexican meal prep. With 2 hours on Sunday, you can have dinners sorted for the whole week:

Sunday: The Big Prep

1. Boil 2kg of breast with onion, garlic, salt and pepper (25-30 min). Reserve the broth. Shred all the chicken while hot.
2. Divide into 4 portions of 500g and prepare each one differently:

• Portion 1 - Tinga: Sauté with tomato and chipotle. Store in a tub for Monday and Tuesday.
• Portion 2 - Chicken in chipotle cream: Make the creamy salsa, mix with the chicken. For Wednesday.
• Portion 3 - Simple with lime and salt: Just season with lime, garlic powder and salt. Versatile for Thursday (tacos, salad, quesadillas).
• Portion 4 - Freeze in broth: For the following week, with a little broth so it does not dry out.

Total cost: 2kg of breast in Mercadona ~14€ + ingredients for salsas ~5€ = 19€ for 8-10 dinners (less than 2€/dinner). Impossible to match with delivery or ready meals.

Quick Dinners from Monday to Friday (10-15 min)

• Monday: Tinga tostadas - toast tortillas in a pan, add tinga, crema, cheese and lettuce. 10 minutes.
• Tuesday: Tinga burritos - a large wheat tortilla + tinga + reheated rice + tinned beans + cheese. 12 minutes.
• Wednesday: Chipotle chicken with rice - heat in a pan, boil rice (or use Sunday's if you prepared it). 15 minutes.
• Thursday: Chicken quesadillas - tortilla + cheese + seasoned chicken in a pan 3 min/side. With express guacamole (1 avocado + lime + salt). 10 minutes.
• Friday: Night off or takeaway. You have earned it.

Chicken Cuts: Which to Use for Each Recipe

In Mexico, the whole chicken is used much more than in Spain, where the breast dominates. Each cut has its ideal recipe:

• Boneless breast: Shredding (tinga, enchiladas, tacos), strips in a pan (fajitas, chipotle chicken). Quick to cook, neutral flavour that absorbs salsas. The most versatile cut but the one that dries out most easily - do not overcook it.
• Thighs on the bone: Long stews (mole, chicken in green salsa, broths). The bone adds flavour and the natural fat keeps the meat juicy during long cooking. In Spain they are cheaper than the breast (3-4€/kg vs 7€/kg) and they are the preferred cut in traditional Mexican cooking.
• Boneless thighs: A premium alternative for tacos and quick stews. Juicier than the breast, quicker than thighs on the bone. Mercadona sells them at about 6€/kg.
• Whole chicken: For broths (caldo tlalpeño, consommé) a whole chicken or half a chicken gives the best result. At the butcher's, a whole chicken costs 4-6€ and is enough for broth + shredded meat for 2-3 meals.
• Wings: For marinating with chilli salsa and baking. Marinated in achiote and orange for 2 hours, baked at 200°C for 35-40 min with a honey and chipotle glaze in the last 10 minutes. Ideal for football night.

Salsas That Transform Chicken

Chicken is a blank canvas. These salsas turn it into completely different dishes:

• Chipotle salsa: Smoky, spicy, with depth. Blend 2-3 chipotles in adobo + 200ml of crushed tomato + garlic. Versatile with any cut.
• Raw green salsa: Fresh, herbal, vibrant. Blend raw tomatillos + serrano chilli + coriander + onion + garlic. Perfect for griddled or shredded chicken.
• Red adobo: Earthy, complex, traditional. Soak guajillo and ancho chillies in hot water for 20 min, blend with garlic, cumin, oregano and a little vinegar. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. It is the base of chicken tacos al pastor and red enchiladas.
• Peanut salsa: Creamy, sweet, with chilli. Blend toasted peanuts + guajillo chilli + garlic + onion + tomato. It is an "express mole" that is made in 15 minutes and has a surprising depth of flavour. Perfect for impressing without complicating things.
• Green mole (pipián): Pumpkin seeds + tomatillo + poblano chilli + coriander + lettuce. It is lighter than mole poblano and has a lovely green colour. Pumpkin seeds are found in Mercadona (nuts section, 2€/200g).

Common Mistakes When Cooking Mexican Chicken

• Dry chicken: Mistake number one. The breast overcooks in 2-3 minutes. Use a thermometer (75°C internal is the exact point) or switch to thighs, which are more forgiving of overcooking.
• Not toasting the spices: Before making a salsa, toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side. Toasting wakes up the essential oils and multiplies the flavour. It is a 1-minute step that makes all the difference.
• Watery salsa: If the salsa comes out very liquid, let it reduce over medium heat without a lid for 10-15 minutes. The concentration intensifies the flavour and improves the texture.
• Not seasoning the chicken first: Even if it is going to be bathed in salsa, the chicken needs its own salt. Salt it before cooking - the salsa complements, it does not replace.
• Using cold chicken from the tub: When reheating shredded chicken, add a tablespoon of broth or water and heat covered. It rehydrates and tastes freshly made.

Chicken in Mexican cooking proves that a simple ingredient, treated with the right techniques and salsas, can become something extraordinary. With a kilo of chicken and the right chillies from any Latin shop in Spain, you have material for a whole week of dinners that have nothing to envy of a restaurant.