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–+ servings
Chicken birria tacos arranged on a blue and white platter.

Chicken Birria Tacos

40aprons.com/chicken-birria-tacos/
Crispy, flavorful tacos stuffed with tender seasoned chicken and all your favorite toppings!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 1 hour 20 minutes
Total 1 hour 35 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 6 servings

Equipment

  • Large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid
  • Large wooden spoon
  • Slotted spoon
  • standard blender
  • Fine mesh sieve
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Tongs
  • Cutting board
  • 2 forks
  • Large cast-iron skillet with lid
  • Spatula

Ingredients

For the Chicken Birria

  • 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil (avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc.)
  • 12 guajillo chiles (washed, stems and seeds removed)
  • 6 ancho chiles (washed, stems and seeds removed)
  • 2 large roma tomatoes (approximately 2 ounces each)
  • 1 small yellow onion (quartered)
  • 1 4-inch long Mexican cinnamon stick
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • water (to fill pot)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh garlic (approximately 5 large cloves)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
  • 1 5-pound whole chicken (cut into pieces, or 4-5 pounds chicken pieces)

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil (avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc.; plus more as needed)
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • shredded fresh mozzarella (or Oaxaca cheese)
  • diced onion
  • diced fresh cilantro
  • salsa

Instructions

For the Birria Sauce

  • Place large pot on stovetop over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil to pot and heat until oil is shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add 12 guajillo chiles, 6 ancho chiles, 2 large roma tomatoes, 1 small yellow onion, 1 4-inch long Mexican cinnamon stick, 2 large bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns. Stir ingredients together, then add enough water to fill pot.
  • Bring water to rolling boil, then immediately reduce heat under pot to low. Cover pot with lid and simmer mixture over low heat 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, uncover pot. Remove and discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
  • Using slotted spoon, transfer all remaining solid ingredients from pot to blender.
  • After transferring solid ingredients to blender, add 1 cup of water from pot to blender. Discard any remaining water from pot and set pot aside.
  • Add 4 cups chicken broth, 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, 2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste) to blender.
  • Blend ingredients together on high speed until fully incorporated into completely smooth mixture.
  • Place fine mesh sieve over pot. Pour blended mixture into sieve and gently press mixture through mesh with back of wooden spoon, straining mixture well. Discard any solids caught in strainer.

For the Chicken

  • Place pot of birria sauce on stovetop and increase heat to high. Add pieces of 1 5-pound whole chicken to pot. Stir to incorporate.
  • Bring sauce to boil, then immediately reduce heat under pot to low. Cover pot with lid and simmer mixture 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken pieces reach 160° to 163° Fahrenheit internally.
  • When target temperature range is reached, transfer chicken pieces to cutting board and set aside. Allow chicken to rest 5 minutes, then shred chicken using 2 forks or method of choice. Discard bones.

To Serve

  • Place large skillet (cast-iron preferred) on stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil to skillet and heat pan until oil is shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, quickly dip 1 corn tortilla in birria sauce. Let excess sauce drip off tortilla into pot, then place tortilla in skillet.
  • Pan fry tortilla 1 minute or until bottom of tortilla is golden, gently pressing tortilla against bottom of skillet if needed.
  • When bottom of tortilla is golden, flip tortilla over. Top tortilla with even layer of shredded fresh mozzarella then place lid on skillet and fry tortilla until cheese has melted.
  • Remove lid from skillet and top one half of tortilla with shredded chicken. Continue cooking until bottom of tortilla is browned and crispy, then carefully fold tortilla in half, covering shredded chicken completely.
  • Transfer taco to serving platter. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and chicken until all 12 corn tortillas have been made into tacos.
  • Serve birria tacos immediately with diced onion, diced fresh cilantro, salsa, and plenty of birria sauce for dipping.

Recipe Notes

  • Blender: If your blender is on the small side, you'll need to work in batches to ensure everything is blended well.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 servingCalories: 577calProtein: 41gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 896mgPotassium: 1326mgTotal Carbs: 33gFiber: 13gSugar: 18gNet Carbs: 20gVitamin A: 11562IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 5mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/chicken-birria-tacos/