This New Kroger Find Makes Taco Tuesday So Much Better

I usually make my taco fixings from scratch. I even wrote a book on the topic! Before a recent beach trip, I found myself shopping for shortcut dinner wins. Our rental cottage had a bare-bones kitchen. I picked up a jar of Kroger's Private Selection Mexican Inspired Tinga Cooking Sauce. 

I simmered the sauce with some pulled rotisserie chicken and built some seriously delicious tacos with almost no effort. What started as a vacation dinner hack has become a weekly favorite in our house. 

Why I Love Kroger’s Private Selection Tinga Cooking Sauce

Tinga de pollo is a dish from the state of Puebla, Mexico, that combines tangy tomato and chipotle pepper sauce with poached and pulled chicken. It's most commonly served on tostadas, but it's also a popular taco filling and can be served as a standalone stew alongside beans and rice. 

Traditional tinga sauce needs a long simmer to meld onions, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, and smoky chipotle peppers. In other words, it takes more time and effort than I can spare on a weeknight. That's where this tinga sauce comes in. 

I've learned the hard way that not all "simmer sauces" are winners—most are either watery and bland or just taste artificial. Private Selection's Tinga Sauce is neither.

It's a thick, deep red puree with chunks of tomato and a smoky-tangy flavor and a nice background of heat. No extra herbs or spices needed.

How I Use Private Selection Tinga Sauce 

The label suggests cooking chicken with a whole jar of sauce in a slow cooker or electric pressure cooker. For four servings, I use 1 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs or breasts, along with a jar of tinga sauce, and cook it on low for four hours.

The meat comes out incredibly tender and can be easily pulled apart with two forks. The word "tinga" is from the native Nahuatl word for "tear." For an even easier option, I warm the sauce in a skillet and stir in torn rotisserie chicken.

Once the meat is heated through, I pile it on top of tostadas covered in shredded lettuce and sour cream, spoon it over sheet tray nachos, or tuck the saucy chicken into tacos with shredded cabbage and avocado slices.  

I also made a very nice beef and bean chili using the tinga sauce instead of tomato sauce with excellent results. I'm also thinking about baking some cod in the tangy, smoky sauce for a Veracruz-style fish dinner.

Now that I've found this flavor-packed gem, I plan to put it to work in all kinds of ways.

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