I’ve been watching old Top Chef episodes, and I’m completely obsessed with the show. In season 1, there’s a challenge where the contestants had to fuse Latin food with a randomly assigned cuisine…I suddenly got an Idea!💡 Chicken TINGA Masala 🙂

This recipe takes the essence of classic chicken tinga and spikes it up with Indian ingredients and a masala gravy. I promise you it bears no resemblance to that British Indian dish we won’t mention…

I highly recommend Spices, Inc., an online spice shop, to order your dried peppers. They had so much more heat and quality than I expected!

You can also easily make this a vegan recipe by replacing the shredded chicken with root veggies like parsnips, turnips, or rutabaga. Simply pressure cook them or bake them, then shred them by pulling two forks across veggies. You’ll get a similar-ish texture to poached chicken and it’ll soak up the sauce really well. This recipe uses all boneless chicken breast, as part of our efforts to eat lower cholesterol foods.

If you live in a town like mine, and you struggle to find a decent Indian store nearby, here’s my quick garam masala recipe:

Dry roast the following whole spices individually until they are fragrant, then grind them all together:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/4 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 black cardamom seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorn

Makes enough for 10-12 small tacos or 6 full servings of tinga, 30 min prep, 30-40 min cooking, 60-70 min total

For masala gravy and tinga:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1-2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and left whole
• 1 inch ginger, peeled
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (3-4 small tomatoes or 2 medium to large tomatoes)
• 3 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 tsp garam masala

For tacos:

• 2 rainbow carrots, shredded
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 small red radishes, shredded
• 1 cup yogurt
• Corn tortillas, as many tacos as you can handle 😉
• Cotija cheese, crumbled
• Lime wedges
• Salt to taste

Soak the peppers in enough warm water to cover them. While the peppers are soaking, begin poaching the chicken: place the chicken breast, onion, and ginger in a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover all the solids. Over medium heat bring the pot to a gentle boil then immediately lower the heat and cover. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked and very tender. Strain the solids and save the poaching liquid for later use. (I cooked beans and rice in it the next day and it was awesome!) Set the chicken aside to rest and cool. Set the onion and ginger aside to use in the tomato gravy.

While the chicken is cooking, add all the adobo sauce ingredients except the salt to a blender, including the peppers. Use enough of the soaking liquid to allow for blending. If you need more liquid, use some of the poaching water. Taste the sauce and add salt as needed. Initially, salt will enhance the flavor of the spice; too much salt will overpower it.

While the chicken is cooling, chop the onion and mince the ginger. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot or deep skillet (I opt for the dutch oven). Tilt the pot back and forth to see if the oil runs smooth like water across the bottom of the pan. At this point, add the cumin seeds; when they become fragrant, lower the heat and add the fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds can become very bitter if they are burnt or overcooked, so be careful not to let them get too dark.

Add the onions and ginger. Stir and cook until the onions are translucent, the raw scent of the ginger has passed, and the whole pot smells fragrant. Add the tomatoes and garam masala, stir well, and lower the heat. You can cover the pot at this point and leave it alone until the the oil starts to pull away from the sauce; you may see it pool up on the surface.

By this point, the chicken should be well rested and ready to shred. You can use two forks, the paddle function on a stand mixer, or a hand mixer to shred the chicken finely. Add your desired amount of adobo sauce to the tomato masala gravy, and up to a cup of the poaching liquid if needed (depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes). Add the shredded chicken, stir well, and let the sauce reduce over low heat. Keep tasting and stirring occasionally as it reduces, and remove from heat when it tastes ready. Stir in the kasuri methi. Add additional salt as needed.

Time to make the tacos!

Make a quick raita by mixing the radish and yogurt together, and season with salt to taste. Add water if needed to get a creamy but not too runny consistency.

Instead of leaving the carrots raw, prepare a South Indian carrot salad to bring the fusion elements together. Heat the sesame oil in a small pan or a tempering pot. When the oil is shimmery, add the mustard seeds; keep a small lid nearby in case they start popping out of the pan. When the seeds start spluttering, add the coriander seeds. The popping should quickly die down; at this point, remove the pan from heat, and pour the hot oil and spices over the shredded carrots and toss them quickly. Squeeze a lime wedge over it.

With all your fixins prepared, heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over low to medium heat until they are soft and flexible, but not crispy. Bring everything to the table and assemble tacos as you go! Use some additional adobo as hot sauce if you like.