Tinga vs Carnitas
Tinga Tacos are chicken, stewed in tomato and chipotle. Carnitas Tacos are pork, confit: simmered for hours in its own lard, then crisped. Both arrive on corn tortillas; the meat and the method are what separate them.
Side by side
The difference is the filling: Tinga uses chicken, Carnitas uses pork.
Which one to order
Tinga usually comes with crema, queso fresco, lettuce, avocado; carnitas with onion, cilantro, salsa verde, lime.
Tinga is associated with Puebla, carnitas with Michoacán.
In the US you will find tinga most in nationwide, and carnitas in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas.
Neither is the better taco in the abstract — they are different dishes that happen to share a tortilla. Order by which method you are in the mood for.
Which is easier to find in the US
Only carnitas is named by venues in this directory (44 of them); the other is usually served without being called out on the sign. These are counts of venues that say so in their name or listing, so both undercount.
Read up on each
Tinga vs Carnitas: common questions
What is the main difference between tinga and carnitas?
Stewed in tomato and chipotle for tinga (chicken), versus confit: simmered for hours in its own lard, then crisped for carnitas (pork). The method is what changes the texture most.
What is on a carnitas taco?
Pork shoulder simmered slowly in its own fat until tender, then crisped, chopped or shredded onto a corn tortilla with white onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and salsa. Sometimes a little pickled onion or a slice of pineapple.
What is the difference between carnitas and asada tacos?
Carnitas is pork, slow-cooked in fat and then crisped. Carne asada is beef (skirt or flank steak) marinated and grilled hot and fast, then chopped. Carnitas is soft and rich; asada is charred and beefy.
How are carnitas traditionally cooked?
In a wide copper pot (cazo) over a flame, the pork submerged in lard with a little milk, orange, bay and salt, cooked low for a couple of hours until it falls apart, then the heat is raised to crisp the outside. It comes from Michoacán.
What does carnitas mean?
"Little meats", a reference to the small pieces the crisped pork is chopped into.
Last updated September 29, 2026. Venue details refresh with each data import.