Best Chicken Birria Tacos Recipe Easy For 2024

Before starting…

First, prepare your chicken. I like to buy packages of pre-shredded rotisserie chicken at Costco. If you want to save some money, buy a whole rotisserie chicken and shred it yourself, saving the breast and thigh meat. Break it up using two forks or toss it in your stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to break up the chicken.

Dried Guajillo Chiles – Dried chilies, like this one and chile de arbol, are usually found in the Hispanic section of most large grocery stores or in an end cap near the spices. They add a rich, sweet, and slightly fruity flavor to this Chicken birria tacos recipe easy.

Arbol Chili – These little chiles are spicy! In fact, they are about 6 times hotter than jalapeños. I like to use 5-6 of these for a medium spicy biriya or 8-10 for a spicy biriya. Feel free to adjust how many arbol chiles are added for your preferred spice level. Vegetable oil – or another neutral-flavored oil, such as canola oil or avocado oil. Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – You can find these canned in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. For this recipe, you’ll use a whole can of chili and sauce. It will also spice up the recipe, so if you’re sensitive to spice, I recommend omitting the arbol chiles and subbing the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for the delicious flavor they add to this Chicken birria tacos recipe easy.

Crushed tomatoes

Apple Cider Vinegar (or White Distilled Vinegar) – I used both to make this Chicken birria tacos recipe easy and honestly I like both for different reasons. If you want a more acidic, vinegar-forward flavor, go with white distilled vinegar. If you want a more fruity, tangy flavor, go with apple cider vinegar.

Salt + black pepper – season biriya.

Mexican Oregano – While there is a difference between Mexican oregano and traditional oregano, if you don’t have Mexican oregano on hand, you can use them interchangeably in this recipe. Mexican oregano is a bit stronger in flavor, but their shared peppery flavor means you can use either one and end up with the same flavor.

Smoked Paprika – I recommend using smoked paprika in this recipe because the smoky flavor goes so well with the chili. They have more flavor than chicken breasts, making for an incredibly flavorful chicken biriya. You can use bone-in chicken thighs, but you’ll want to remove the skin. While not as flavorful as chicken thighs, they pick up so much flavor from the peppers and spices in this recipe that it’s still delicious.

Chicken Stock – Since this is the main ingredient in the broth used to cook the chicken, I recommend buying or making a high-quality chicken stock. I recommend stock for this recipe because it has a richer, deeper flavor than chicken broth. I found this custom culinary chicken base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego, and I am absolutely obsessed with it. You can order directly online with a $5 shipping charge. It’s a bit expensive for chicken bouillon, but oh my, the taste is so good. (Not sponsored, just obsessed!)

Cinnamon stick + bay leaf – Let these ingredients simmer in the biriya broth to add more flavor to the dish.

For the tacos:

Corn Tortillas – For this recipe, you’ll want fresh, thick corn tortillas that can be dipped into the consomme without falling apart. Thin tortillas will not work for this recipe. And older tortillas, which aren’t as fresh, are also more likely to fall apart.

Oaxaca Cheese – This semisoft Mexican cheese melts perfectly into this quesadilla taco. If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese at your local grocery store, I recommend using Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese instead.

Instructions

Rehydrate the chiles. When the water boils, add the dry chiles and make sure they are submerged in the water.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles. After the chiles have soaked for 15 minutes, remove the cup of water they soaked in and set it aside. Remove the chiles from the water. Cut the stalks of each pepper into small pieces and remove the seeds.

Chop onion in a large pan. In a large pan, chop the onion and garlic.

Cook onion and garlic. Before adding the fresh onions and garlic to the sauce, you’ll want to soften them by cooking them in vegetable oil on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Blend the dried chilies with the tomatoes and vinegar. Puree the chili tomato sauce in a blender.

Prepare the sauce. Add a whole can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to a blender. Add a crushed tomato and apple cider vinegar to the blender. Place the rehydrated chiles in the blender along with the cooked onion and garlic. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, smoked paprika, cloves, and cumin to the reserved cup of pepper-soaked water.

Chicken thighs in a pan

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs Covered in Tomato Chili Sauce

Chili tomato sauce topped with bay leaves and cinnamon sticks in a slow cooker

Shred the chicken thighs. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken thighs to a slow cooker. Transfer the seared chicken thighs to a large slow cooker or crock pot. Add the sauce from the blender.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and a cinnamon stick. Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker and stir to combine everything. Add bay leaves and a cinnamon stick.

Use tongs to remove chicken thighs from the liquid. Shred them on a cutting board. Depending on how you are going to serve the Chicken birria tacos recipe easy, you can either add the chicken back into the broth or keep it separate. Check out the section below for all the ways you can serve Chicken birria tacos recipe easy.

Dip the tortillas in the sauce.

Tortilla skillet topped with shredded chicken and cheese.

Tortillas folded over chicken and cheese in a skillet.

Chicken biriya tacos on a plate.

How to Make Chicken Biriya Tacos

Coat skillet with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil.

Dip a corn tortilla from Chicken birria tacos recipe easy into the consomme (broth).

Add tortillas to a hot skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, then flip.

Top the biriya with the shredded Oaxaca cheese, then fold the tortilla over the chicken and cheese.

Cook for 30-60 seconds or until the cheese melts into the tacos.

Remove tacos from skillet and repeat, making as many Chicken birria tacos recipe easy as desired. Optionally top with chopped red onion and chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with more Chicken birria tacos recipe easy broth on the side for dipping.

Other ways to serve biriya.

The broth in which the chicken is cooked is called consommé and makes a delicious base for ramen or chilaquiles. Chicken birria tacos recipe easy is perfect for making incredibly flavorful tacos, burritos, or nachos! Try using ready-made Chicken birria tacos recipe easy to make any (or all!) of these dishes.

Just bring the biriya broth to a boil, add instant ramen noodles, then add some shredded Chicken birria tacos recipe easy and serve with toppings like sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, and onions. Take this biriya ramen recipe and simply replace the beef biriya with Chicken birria tacos recipe easy.

Chilaquiles – I used our famous Chilaquiles Rojos recipe, but instead of enchilada sauce, I used biriya sauce to soak the thick tortilla chips to make biriya chilaquiles. I stir in some shredded chicken biriya and top the chilaquiles with cream, cotija cheese, cilantro, and chopped onion. It was an incredible breakfast that I can’t wait to repeat!

Quesadillas – I made quesadillas with chicken biriya that were similar to quesa biriya tacos, but instead of dipping the tortillas in the broth, I served it on the side for dipping. To make them at home, place a corn tortilla in a hot, greased skillet. Add about 1/4 cup shredded chicken biriya, then top with shredded Oaxaca cheese or Monterey Jack cheese. Place another corn tortilla on top and cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve with hot biriya broth on the side for dipping.

Tacos – In Mexico, it’s common to serve biriya in a bowl with warm tortillas on the side. You can dip the tortillas in the soup, or you can use the chicken pieces from the soup.

Bowl – Replace carne asada with chicken biriya in this carne asada bowl to make a delicious biriya bowl.

Burritos – Add sliced chicken biriya to the center of a large tortilla with your favorite burrito fillings such as black beans, cilantro lime rice, or fajita vegetables. Top with shredded cheese (Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack), then roll up the burrito. Serve burritos with biriya broth for dipping.

• If the pot does not have a lid, cover it tightly with foil before placing it in the oven.
• You can make this recipe ahead of time. After braising the chicken thighs at 350°F for 2 hours, simply allow the oven to preheat and leave the biriya covered in the oven for up to 4 hours.
• If all the chicken thighs don’t fit in the bottom of the pot you’re using, you can tear them into two batches.
• You can braise the Chicken birria tacos recipe easy on the stove instead of the oven if you want. Just cover the pot, set the stove temperature to medium-low heat, and let the chicken simmer in the liquid for 2 hours.
• Storage and reheating
• Store leftover biriya in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To reheat the chicken biriya in the braising liquid, place a pot on the stove over medium heat.
• If reheating chicken without liquid, I recommend wrapping the shredded chicken in foil.

Instructions

• Rehydrate dried chilies.
• Turn off heat, add guajillo chiles and arbol chiles to hot water, cover, and soak for 15 minutes.
• After soaking guajillo and arbol chilies, remove from water and keep aside one cup of chili soaking water.
• Cut off the stems of the peppers, open them into pieces, and remove the seeds.
• Prepare the sauce.
• Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Transfer onion and garlic to a blender.
• Add a whole can of chipotle peppers, a whole can of crushed tomatoes, and apple cider vinegar to the adobo sauce in a blender.
• Add salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cloves, and cumin to the blender.
• Add the soaked chilies and chili paste to the blender. Blend until smooth.
• Shred the chicken.
• Heat a large skillet on the stove over high heat.
• Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes.
• Transfer seared chicken thighs to a large slow cooker or crock pot.
• Cook biriya slowly.