Street FoodEasy

Tinga Quesadillas

Name: Tinga Quesadillas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 500 ml Vegetable oil for frying; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 Sliced white onion; 3 Chillies Chipotle in adobo; 4 Tomatoes; 500 g Corn dough; 300 g Cooked and shredded chicken breast; 200 g Oaxaca cheese deshebrado; 1 tsp Salt

4.0(1 rating)

35 min (20 prep + 15 cook) Easy 8 servings Ciudad de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 22 Jun 2026

Fried quesadillas filled with chicken tinga and cheese.

About this recipe

Corn dough quesadillas filled with chipotle chicken tinga and Oaxaca cheese, fried until golden. A quintessential Mexico City street food.

History & Origin

Tinga quesadillas are the perfect combination of two pillars of Mexican cookery: the corn dough quesadilla and Pueblan chicken tinga. In Mexico City, quesadillas are fresh dough creations filled with an infinite variety of stews. Chicken tinga, a Pueblan dish of shredded chicken in tomato and chipotle sauce, became one of the most popular fillings in the capital's markets. The magic lies in the contrast: the crispy outer shell, the melted Oaxaca cheese stretching in strings, and the juicy tinga with its smoky chipotle touch. The eternal debate over whether a quesadilla must contain cheese originated in these market stalls.

Estimated cost

£17.67

Total cost

£2.21

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

280

Calories

16g

Protein

26g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

480mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Prepare the tinga: blend the tomatoes with the garlic and the chipotles. Sauté the onion slice in oil, add the sauce and cook 10 minutes. Add the pollo shredded and salt. Cook 5 minutes more.
2
Divide the dough into 8 bolitas. Aplana each a formando a disc of 15 cm of diameter.
3
Place a portion of tinga and Oaxaca cheese in a half of each disc. Fold formando half luna and presiona the bordes for sellar.
4
Heat plenty of oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat.
5
Fry thes quesadillas for tandas, 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy.
💡 No the apiles; fry máximo 2-3 a the vez.
6
Drain on papel absorbente. Serve with cream, lettuce and green sauce.

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Edmond Bojalil

Founder, Recetas Mexas

Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 1000+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for home kitchens worldwide. Based in Madrid since 2018.