Chicken Tinga

I recently came across a dish called Tinga at our new favorite Mexican restaurant here in San Antonio.  A little research (okay, a chance encounter with the Homesick Texan blog) revealed that this is a traditional dish of Puebla, Mexico.  I love chipotles and I find they add a smokiness that makes everything taste like it has been cooking for hours.  The version I had at La Fonda on Main was a delicious slow-cooked pork dish, but I decided to lighten it up a bit (and cut down the cooking time) by using chicken thighs and turkey chorizo.  The result is a spicy, thick stew that would delicious over rice or sopped up with freshly cooked tortillas.  I love this ready-to-cook variety:

Chicken Tinga
Serves 6

6 chicken thighs
1 lb turkey chorizo
1 small yellow onion
4 roma tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
4 chipotle peppers in adobo
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
12 tortillas
cilantro
avocado and/or queso fresco
limes

1. Remove skin and excess fat from chicken thighs.
2. Cook turkey chorizo in a deep pot for a few minutes until cooked through.  If you can't find turkey chorizo, you may want to remove some of the rendered fat.
3. In a blender, combine onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, herbs, and salt with 1/2 cup of water.
4. Stir tomato mixture into chorizo and add chicken thighs.  Simmer 30 minutes uncovered or until thighs are cooked through.
5. Remove chicken thighs and turn up the heat on the sauce to reduce.
6. Taste sauce for seasoning.  Shred the chicken and return to sauce.
7. Serve on warm tortillas with avocado, lime and cilantro.