Chicken Birria Tacos

Three birria tacos with shredded meat and melted cheese, garnished with fresh cilantro, served on a white plate with a side of dipping sauce.

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These Chicken Birria Tacos take the rich, chile soaked flavor of birria and use chicken instead of beef, so they cook in a fraction of the time. Crispy fried tortillas hold melted cheese and tender shredded chicken, dipped in the same deep red sauce used to cook it. Serve hot, with extra sauce on the side for dipping.

Course Main Dish Recipes

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 50

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 293kcal

Author Robin @ All Ways Delicious

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.

Notes

1. Use chicken thighs for the richest, juiciest filling, or a mix of drumsticks and breast if that is what you have on hand.

2. Remove the chile seeds for a milder sauce, or add a chile de árbol or chipotle for more heat.

3. Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge until you are ready to cook the chicken.

4. Oaxaca cheese and mozzarella both melt well here, while cheddar adds a sharper flavor.

5. Frying the tortillas in a mix of butter and oil gives the best flavor and the crispiest edges.

6. Both the sauce and the shredded chicken freeze well for up to 2 months.

Nutrition