Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Tinga de Pollo
308 kcal a serving, against 481 for the traditional version. That is 173 kcal off, or 36%, with 36.8g of protein. Serves 6. 65 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Chicken thighs slowly braised in a rich, oily sauce. The base relies on a large quantity of crumbled chorizo fried in vegetable oil, creating a heavy, deep red fat. Onions, garlic, fresh tomatoes and smoked dried chillies are cooked down in this fat before the chicken goes back in to braise until it falls apart.
What changed, and what each change costs
250g of chorizo reduced to 50g
Chorizo is essentially a fat delivery system spiced with paprika and garlic. It tastes incredible, but it drives the fat content through the roof. Dropping the volume to 50g turns it from a main ingredient into a background seasoning.
What it costs you. You lose the intensely rich mouthfeel that coats your tongue when you eat a traditional tinga. The dish feels much cleaner, but it lacks that undeniable, heavy comfort you get from a plate swimming in spiced pork fat.
60g of vegetable oil cut to 10g
Frying the chorizo and onions in a huge pool of oil just compounds the fat problem. Using a tiny amount of oil forces the chorizo to render its own fat to cook the onions.
What it costs you. You have to watch the pan like a hawk. With less fat lubricating the frying pan, the onions are far more likely to catch and burn. Active stirring is the first requirement here, so you can't just walk away and let it sizzle.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 481 | 308 |
| Protein | 41.3g | 36.8g |
| Fat | 28.5g | 11.8g |
| Saturated fat | 6.9g | 2.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.1g | 12.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 8.6g | 12g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Mexican prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This is a brilliant, sharp plate of food that hits the classic Mexican flavour notes without the staggering volume of grease. You end up with a vibrant, meaty dinner that you can eat on a Tuesday night. The version that's a heavy tavern snack is still out there and still better. You'll miss the thick layer of spicy fat pooling on your plate, but the chicken is perfectly tender and the tomato sauce packs a massive punch.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback