These authentic Chicken Birria Tacos feature juicy shredded chicken smothered in a savory adobo sauce, stuffed in a corn tortilla, and pan-fried with melty cheese oozing out the sides. Below, you'll find step-by-step photos for perfect chicken birria at home. Serve with chopped onions, cilantro, lime wedges, and consommé for dipping!
Table of Contents
What is Birria?
Before we dive into how to get those delicious tacos on the table, what is birria?
What It Is | Birria is a traditional Mexican goat or lamb stew that hails from the culinary roots of the people from Jalisco, Mexico. Like any multi-generational recipe, birria has been influenced by different flavors and cooking styles over the years. Yet, one thing remains the timeless, robust, savory flavor of the rich chile broth (also known as consommé).
What Put It on the Map in the U.S.? | Despite birria tacos' deep-rooted Mexican history, the dish became popular in the early 2000s with the rise of Teddy's Red Tacos in Los Angeles. Teddy Vasquez, owner of the taco-truck-turned-brick-and-mortar joint has built a birria empire with Tijuana-styled beef stew.
Are There Variations? | Because of the long-standing influence of this stew, birria is very versatile. Feel free to sub the goat or lamb with beef/chuck roast, pork butt or in this recipe's case, chicken thighs.
Birria can be used in:
- flautas,
- tacos,
- quesadillas,
- nachos,
- and more!
What are Birria Tacos?
Birria tacos are juicy, shredded birria meat folded inside a corn tortilla dipped in the meat's cooking liquid (consommé). The tortilla is pan-fried until crispy and served with a side of consommé for dipping.
These particular tacos are also called red tacos because the filling inside and the tortilla are stained red from flavorful chile sauce. This sauce is a key ingredient in any birria taco recipe. When cheese is added to the birria taco, it is also referred to as a quesabirria taco.
Why This Recipe Works
The good news when it comes to chicken birria tacos is that of all of the birria meat varieties; this particular one cooks the fastest.
Many traditional, authentic, from-scratch recipes can have an overwhelming number of steps. Ours is easier. We took as much of the grunt work out of this recipe as possible while maintaining true birria flavors you'd find in Mexico--rich, flavorful, balanced, and completely satisfying.
One recommendation from our kitchen to yours: please leave the bottled enchilada sauce on the shelf where it belongs. This homemade adobo sauce takes less than 30 minutes to make, requiring a little more than 10 minutes of prep time. This makes a huge difference when it comes to this dish. In fact, I'm willing to say this sauce is the most important part of birria tacos.
An authentic birria consommé uses real chiles, but this is nothing to be intimidated by!
Chicken Birria Tacos Ingredients
The ingredient list for chicken birria tacos is best broken into the segments in which you will be cooking: adobo sauce, chicken, then tacos. We feel this helps grocery shopping lists as well as the process of assembling the entire dish.
For the Adobo Sauce
- Guajillo + Ancho Chiles | Use a combination of guajillo chiles and ancho chiles. Guajillo chiles are smoky, mildly sweet, and earthy while ancho chiles are sweet and almost raisin-like in flavor. This may sound strange in a savory sauce, but it adds great flavor depth and a welcome bit of sugar to round out all the other flavors.
- Unsalted Chicken Broth
- Roma Tomatoes | Perfect for a balancing act to the spice of chile peppers.
- White Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Bay Leaf | Bay leaf is an essential ingredient to Mexican cuisine used to enhance and deepen flavors of soups, stews, and braised meats like birria, beef barbacoa, and more.
- White Vinegar | This adds acidity and cuts through the savory.
- Seasoning | A blend of Kosher salt, Mexican oregano, ground cloves, and cumin is what you need.
For the Chicken
- Seasoning | The same mix we use for the adobo sauce above -- let's keep that ingredient list simple!
- Chicken Thighs | Grab the bone-in thighs with the skin on. This recipe uses chicken thighs over chicken breast as they do not dry out. It is also important to have the fat content from the skin later on in the recipe.
- Juice of a Lime
For the Tacos
- Oil | Reach for either avocado or canola oil.
- Corn Tortillas | Traditionally, birria tacos are made with corn tortillas. The quality of your corn tortillas is important for this recipe. Reach for a high-quality tortilla.
- Oaxaca or Monterey Jack Cheese | If you want to make quesabirria tacos, you need freshly grated Monterrey Jack cheese. Pulled Oaxaca is also an excellent choice for cheese in a quesabirria taco!
Dried Chile Help
Chiles can be intimidating if you 've never worked with them, but it is truly so easy to put them to use in your kitchen.
Where to Get Them | Some grocery stores may have them in the produce or international section. Mexican grocers will carry them. You can also get from them Amazon.
How to Use Them | The spice is in the seeds, so be sure not to touch your eyes before washing thoroughly. In this recipe, we recommend deseeding your chiles.
If you end up with extra dried chiles, use them to make pozole rojo or our quick guajillo sauce. They are also great for tacos, enchiladas rojas, or as a dip.
How to Make Chicken Birria Tacos (Slow Cooker)
- Sauce | Make the adobo sauce.
- Crockpot | Cook the chicken in a crockpot on low for about 3 hours.
- Shred | Shred the chicken and return it to the crockpot.
- Dip | Dip the tortilla in reserved grease and place in a hot pan.
- Pan Fry | Add cheese and chicken, fold over, and cook until crispy.
Make the Birria Sauce
The first thing to do to prepare chicken birria tacos is make the birria sauce. This chile sauce comes together quickly and easily with simple ingredients.
- Cut away the stems and gently tear them open to prepare the chiles. Knock out any loose seeds, lay the chile flat on your work surface, and use the tip of a small knife to scrape away any remaining seeds.
- Add the deseeded chiles, broth, tomatoes, white onion, garlic, and bay leaf to a saucepan over medium-high heat and allow the broth to reach a boil. Then, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and allow the mixture to cook on the stovetop for about 20 minutes, just until the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and onion are fork tender.
- Next, remove the bay leaf and transfer the remaining contents of the saucepan to either a blender or a food processor. Add in the vinegar, oregano, cloves, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Blend until the adobo sauce is smooth to your liking and set about ¾ cup of the sauce off to the side; you will use the reserved sauce for dipping later.
Prep and Cook the Chicken
You will need 4 to 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The bone and skin of the chicken thighs add a great deal of flavor to the braising sauce and, therefore, your overall dish. Not to mention, that juicy meat ensures succulent poultry perfection encased within your tacos!
- Rub the exterior of your chicken thighs with a seasoning mixture of salt, cumin, pepper, and oregano.
- Add a half cup of sauce to the bottom of your slow cooker, followed by your chicken thighs and the rest of the adobo sauce.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low for about 3 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked and has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
- 4. Once the chicken is ready, skim the fat from the top of the crockpot and transfer it to a shallow bowl or dish to reserve. When it comes time to assemble and cook the tacos, you will use this grease to dip your corn tortillas. Note: this grease gives your chicken birria tacos their red coloring and is considered an essential part of the recipe. Don't skip this step!
Shred Chicken and Return to Sauce
- Remove the chicken thighs from the crockpot and place them on a work surface.
- As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and pull the chicken away from the bone by hand or use two forks to shred it.
- Once all of the chicken is shredded, add it back to the sauce, along with the juice of one lime, and stir.
Dip the Tortillas in the Reserved Grease
- Have ready a large pan, preferably a skillet, over medium heat and drizzle with a scant tablespoon of oil. It is best to use either a nonstick skillet or a seasoned cast iron skillet for making these tacos.
- Once the oil in the pan has come to temperature, dip the corn tortilla in the reserved grease and transfer it directly to the hot pan.
Assemble and Cook Quesabirria Tacos
- Scatter either Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese across the face of the tortilla and add the shredded chicken to half of the tortilla.
- When the cheese melts, fold the tortilla over the chicken and hold it down for about 30 seconds. Then, carefully flip the tortilla and allow it to cook for about two minutes more or until the tacos are crispy to your liking.
Serve chicken birria tacos with a garnish of chopped white onion, cilantro, and birria sauce on the side for dipping!
We also highly recommend whipping up a quick batch of guacamole to accompany your tacos!
Quick Cooking Methods
If you need to knock out the chicken portion of your chicken birria tacos quickly, consider any of these quick cooking methods.
On the Stovetop
Add chicken and adobo sauce to a large saucepan or Dutch oven equipped with a lid. Bring to a mild simmer--about 45 minutes--turn chicken halfway through cooking time.
In the Oven
Add chicken and birria consommé to a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn chicken halfway through bake time. You can also use a braiser or Dutch oven equipped with a lid.
What to Serve with Chicken Tacos
When it comes to sides, the more the merrier. Consider the traditional Mexican side dishes, such as rice, corn salad, beans, pico, and Mexican crema.
Storing and Reheating Birria Tacos
Make-Ahead | Adobo sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. The chicken can be cooked and combined with sauce up to 2 days in advance. And the tacos are best served right away.
Store | Keep assembled tacos in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze | Allow to cool completely before storing. The sauce and birria meat can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze assembled birria chicken tacos, wrap them in parchment paper and place them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or container.
Reheat | We don't recommend the microwave reheating the tacos; they will be soggy. You can air fry at 400°F for about 6 minutes. Or you can heat in a skillet on medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes.
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Chicken Birria Tacos
Ingredients
FOR THE ADOBO SAUCE:
- 5 guajillo chiles, stem and seeds removed
- 3 ancho chiles, stem and seeds removed
- 2 ½ cups unsalted chicken broth
- 4 tomatoes, seeded and cut into quarters
- ½ white onion, cut into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Juice of a lime
FOR THE TACOS:
- Canola or avocado oil for drizzling
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
MAKE THE ADOBO SAUCE:
- Add the chiles, broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bay leaf to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
- Stir occasionally and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the onions and chiles are fork-tender.
- Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the mixture to a blender or a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, and add the sugar, vinegar, salt, oregano, cloves, and cumin.
- Cover, remove the small blender cap or feed tube, cover with a dishtowel, and blend until smooth. Reserve about a ¾ cup of guajillo sauce for dipping.
COOK THE CHICKEN:
- In a small bowl, mix the Kosher salt, cumin, pepper, and oregano.
- Add about a half cup of guajillo sauce to the crockpot and set it aside. Pat the exterior of the chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with the seasoning. Rub all over to adhere and transfer the seasoned meat to the crockpot. Pour the remaining guajillo sauce over the chicken thighs.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook for 3 hours on the low setting.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked through, skim the grease off the top of the cooking liquid and place it in a shallow dish, like a pie plate. Then, transfer the chicken to a work surface, remove the skin, and shred the chicken using two forks. Add it back to the crockpot, along with the juice of fresh lime, and stir.
MAKE THE BIRRIA TACOS:
- Have ready a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil. Once the pan has come to temperature, dip a tortilla in the reserved grease and place it directly in the hot pan.
- Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of cheese across the tortilla and add about a â…“ cup of shredded chicken over half of the tortilla.
- Once the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over the chicken and hold it closed with a spatula for about 30 seconds. Flip the taco and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes more, or until crispy to your liking.
- Once all of the tacos are assembled, serve with guajillo sauce on the side and enjoy!
Nutrition
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