Chicken Birria Tacos are rich, spicy, and a little messy, with crispy, cheesy edges and a bowl of deep red sauce on the side for dipping. Inside, the shredded chicken turns soft and richly flavored from sitting in that chile sauce, and the tortilla fries up crisp around a pocket of melted cheese. I love how each bite gives you crunch, melted cheese, and saucy chicken all at once.
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Birria traditionally starts with beef or goat, slow cooked for hours until it falls apart into a deeply flavored stew. This chicken version borrows that same chile and spice base but gets there much faster, since chicken breaks down and shreds in a fraction of the time. I still use the same dried chiles, the same warm spices, and the same method of blending the braising liquid into a thick sauce. While you lose cooking time — the whole thing takes only about an hour to make — you don’t lose a drop of flavor.
Dipping the tortilla in the sauce before it hits the skillet is what gives these tacos their color and their flavor. That little extra step turns a regular taco into a quesabirria-style taco, with a deep red crust around the edges of every bite. I always make extra sauce on purpose, because dipping your crispy taco into a small bowl of it is half the point. Leftover chicken and sauce keep well in the fridge or freezer, so this is one of those dishes that gets better as a make-ahead meal.
These tacos are also great for feeding a crowd, since you can shred the chicken and prep the sauce well before anyone shows up. Set out warm tortillas, a bowl of cheese, and the shredded chicken, and let people build their own quesabirria tacos at the stove or on the griddle. I like to keep a small pot of sauce warm on the side the whole time, so nobody runs out of dipping liquid. It turns dinner into something a little more hands-on, which makes it more fun.
Ingredient Notes
I use a mix of ancho chiles and guajillo chiles for an earthy, slightly fruity sauce with only moderate heat. If you want more spice, add a chile de árbol or a chipotle to the blender.
Chicken thighs give you a richer, juicier filling than chicken breasts, but a mix works fine if that is what you have on hand. Just be sure to cook bone-in pieces until they shred easily.
The apple cider vinegar adds brightness and a little tang to balance the richness of the sauce. White vinegar or fresh lime juice both work as a substitute if that is what you have.
Oaxaca cheese melts the way real quesabirria calls for, but mozzarella makes an easy stand-in. Cheddar adds a sharper flavor if that is more your style.
How to Make Chicken Birria Tacos
he ingredient list looks long, but most of it is just chiles and spices that all end up in the blender together. Here’s the rundown: sauté the onion and garlic, then add the chiles, tomatoes, and half the spices and simmer everything until soft. Blend that mixture into a smooth sauce, rub the chicken with the remaining spices, then cook the chicken right in the sauce, either in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop, until it shreds easily. Shred the chicken, toss it with the sauce, then fry tortillas dipped in that same sauce with cheese and chicken folded inside until the outside turns crisp and golden.
What To Serve With It
A simple plate of Guacamole and lime wedges turns these into a full meal without much extra work. Mexican Pickled Onions and Pickled Jalapeños add the tangy crunch these rich tacos want, and a spoonful of Mango Habanero Salsa or Salsa Macha brings heat that cuts right through the cheese. On the side, Elote rounds out the meal with something smoky and a little messy in the best way.
Chicken Birria Tacos
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken thighs or a mix of drumsticks and breast
- 5 dried chiles 2 ancho chiles and 3 guajillo chiles
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons oil vegetable, avocado, olive etc
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
For the Tacos
- Mini corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheese Oaxaca, mozzarella, or cheddar
- Pico de gallo for serving (optional)
- Sour cream for serving (optional)
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Cut the stems off the dried chiles and remove the seeds, if you want a milder sauce. Add the chiles to the skillet with the tomatoes, half of the spices, half of the salt, and the bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the apple cider vinegar and half of the chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes and chiles are very soft.
- While the sauce simmers, rub the chicken with the remaining salt and spices.
- Remove the bay leaves and transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender.
- Blend until smooth, adding the remaining broth a little at a time until the sauce is thick but still pourable.
- Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the Instant Pot. Add the chicken and turn it to coat it in the sauce.
- Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes. To cook on the stovetop instead, put the chicken and sauce in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, cover, and simmer gently for 40 to 50 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, pull the meat off the bones, and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce.
- Toss the chicken with the sauce until every piece is coated and juicy, adding more sauce if it looks dry.
- Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip a tortilla lightly in the sauce and lay it in the skillet. Sprinkle cheese over half of the tortilla, add about 3 tablespoons of the chicken filling, then top with a little more cheese.
- Fold the tortilla in half and press down gently with a spatula. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the tortilla is golden and crisp and the cheese has melted. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Serve the tacos hot, with extra sauce on the side for dipping. Top with onion, cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream, and lime wedges, as you like.
