Chicken Birria
Make THE BEST Chicken Birria with juicy, tender, slow cooked chicken and a rich flavorful broth, made with chiles, tomatoes and vinegar. This authentic, flavorful recipe can be served as a soup or stew, or made into chicken birria tacos with consommé for dipping. It’s an incredibly versatile Mexican recipe that’s hearty, spicy and bursting with flavor!
Ingredients
Chicken Birria
- 12 dried guajillo chiles
- 8 dried arbol chiles, add more to make it spicier, omit these chiles for less spice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cups chicken stock, or broth
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
For Tacos
- 30 thick corn tortillas
- 2 pounds oaxaca cheese, or monterey jack cheese (shredded)
Instructions
Rehydrate the dried chiles.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Turn off the heat, add the guajillo chiles and arbol chiles to the hot water, cover and soak for 15 minutes.
- After you’ve soaked the guajillo and arbol chilies, remove them from the water, and set aside one cup of the chili soaking water.
- Cut off the stem of the chiles, slice them open and remove the seeds.
Prepare the sauce.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender.
- Add the entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the entire can of crushed tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar to the blender.
- Add the salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cloves and cumin to the blender.
- Add the soaked chiles and cup of chili soaking water to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Sear the chicken.
- Heat a large skillet on the stove over high heat.
- Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, then add them to the skillet and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the seared chicken thighs to a large slow cooker, or Crock Pot.
Slow cook the birria.
- Pour the sauce from the blender into the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken stock, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
Shred the chicken.
- After the cook time, remove the lid from the slow cooker. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, and discard them.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken thighs from the liquid and place them on a cutting board.
- Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the chicken.
Make chicken birria tacos.
- Heat a large skillet, or cast iron griddle, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Coat the skillet with cooking spray, or brush the skillet with vegetable oil.
- Dip a corn tortilla in the consomé (broth) from the birria, making sure it’s covered on both sides.
- Add the tortilla to the hot skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, then flip.
- Add ¼ cup shredded chicken birria to one side of the tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons of shredded oaxaca cheese, then fold the tortilla over the chicken and cheese.
- Cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the cheese melts in the tacos.
- Remove the chicken birria taco from the skillet and repeat, making as many tacos as you’d like.
- Optionally serve topped with diced onions and fresh cilantro, with lime wedges, and warm consomé in a small bowl on the side for dipping.
Notes
- The birria can also be served more traditionally as a soup or stew, instead of making it into tacos. If serving traditional chicken birria stew, after shredding the chicken, add it back to the broth and use a ladle to serve the stew in bowls, topped with cilantro and onions.
- The nutritional information provided is for just the chicken birria, and does not include the tortillas or cheese to make the tacos.
- This recipe has a medium spice level. To make it more spicy, add more arbol chiles. For a mild spice, omit the arbol chiles.
- Store leftover birria in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To make the chicken birria in the oven, refer to the full instructions in the blog post above.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 293kcal (15%)Carbohydrates 13g (4%)Protein 39g (78%)Fat 9g (14%)Saturated Fat 2g (10%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 175mg (58%)Sodium 1121mg (47%)Potassium 829mg (24%)Fiber 3g (12%)Sugar 6g (7%)Vitamin A 1800mg (36%)Vitamin C 9mg (11%)Calcium 62mg (6%)Iron 3mg (17%)
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