Mexican

Rick Stein's leftover turkey tinga tacos

Name: Rick Stein's leftover turkey tinga tacos recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /mexican
Ingredients: 3-80.00 ml chilli, to taste; 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered (or about 250g tinned chopped tomatoes); 1 tsp dried oregano; 100ml chicken stock; 40.00 ml olive or sunflower oil; 1 onion, sliced; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; About 400g leftover turkey meat, shredded; 12-16 corn tortillas; 1/2 crisp lettuce, shredded; 150ml sour cream; 150g Lancashire or feta cheese, crumbled; 1 red onion, chopped; Handful of chopped coriander; 1-2 avocados, sliced; 5-6 radishes, sliced; 1-2 limes, cut into wedges

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by Rick Stein

Chef, author, TV presenter

Nov 24, 2025

"One of the best things about Christmas is cooking and sharing food with family and friends. But anyone who has cooked over Christmas knows it's a bit of a marathon, particularly the leftover turkey. It’s lovely, but after a few days, you fancy something different, maybe that doesn’t taste too much of Christmas lunch – that's why my leftover turkey tinga tacos are so special.

“The real pleasure of a Mexican tinga is the chipotles en adobo – chipotle chillies cooked with tomatoes. So obsessed did I become with these after my trip to Mexico that I have about 11 small tins on the shelf in my garage, attesting to my panic that I wouldn’t be able to find them easily in the UK, so I bought lots. They’re well out of date and yes, you’ve guessed it – I’m still using them. The chicken tinga was my favourite recipe from my book The Road to Mexico, and I’ve adapted it here to use leftover turkey and corn tortillas.” Rick Stein

This is an edited extract from Rick Stein’s Christmas by Rick Stein, Penguin Books.

3-4 tbs chipotles in adobo, to taste
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered (or about 250g tinned chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp dried oregano
100ml chicken stock
2 tbs olive or sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
About 400g leftover turkey meat, shredded
12-16 corn tortillas

Topping ideas

1/2 crisp lettuce, shredded
150ml sour cream
150g Lancashire or feta cheese, crumbled
1 red onion, chopped
Handful of chopped coriander
1-2 avocados, sliced
5-6 radishes, sliced
1-2 limes, cut into wedges

Method

1.

Put the chipotles in adobo, tomatoes and oregano in a blender with the stock and 1 tsp fine salt. Whiz until smooth, then set aside. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and fry the sliced onion and garlic over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. Turn the heat to high for a minute, then tip in the tomato and chilli mixture. Cook for 5-10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce, then add the turkey meat. Taste for seasoning, add freshly ground black pepper and a little more fine salt if required.
2.

Serve with warm tortillas (warmed in a low oven wrapped in foil for 5 minutes or unwrapped in the microwave for 30 seconds) and your choice of toppings.

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