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- 1
Soak the Chiles
Remove the stems from the guajillo and pasilla chiles. Place them in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups of hot water. Let them soak for 30 minutes until soft and pliable. (Pro tip: toast the chiles in a dry cast-iron pan for 1-2 minutes before soaking — it wakes up all the smoky oils and takes the flavor up a notch.)
- 2
Blend the Chile Sauce
Add half the onion (quartered), the tomato, garlic cloves, chicken bouillon, peppercorns, dried thyme, Mexican oregano, and cumin seeds to a blender. Add the soaked chiles along with their soaking liquid. Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any skins or seeds. You want a silky, deep-red sauce.
- 3
Marinate the Chicken
Place the chicken in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot. Season all over with salt and black pepper. Add the bay leaves and the remaining onion half. Pour in the strained chile sauce plus 2 cups of cold water. Stir to coat everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours — overnight is even better if you can swing it.
- 4
Simmer Until Falling Apart
Set the Dutch oven over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until the chicken is completely tender and starting to fall apart. Your kitchen is going to smell incredible.
- 5
Reduce the Consommé
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Discard the onion halves and bay leaves. Crank the heat back up and simmer the cooking liquid uncovered for about 30 minutes until it reduces by half into a rich, concentrated consommé. This is your dipping sauce — treat it right.
- 6
Shred the Chicken
While the consommé reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken. Once the sauce is ready, return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir it in. Let it simmer briefly to reheat and soak up all that flavor.
- 7
Sauce and Griddle the Tortillas
Heat a cast-iron skillet, comal, or griddle over medium heat. Working one at a time, dip each corn tortilla into the pot, fully coating it in the red consommé. Place the sauced tortilla on the hot griddle and sprinkle with shredded Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella or Monterey Jack). Cook until the cheese melts and the edges of the tortilla get golden and crispy. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- 8
Fill, Fold, and Dip
Top each griddled tortilla with a generous scoop of shredded chicken birria. Fold in half like a taco. Serve immediately with chopped white onion, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges — plus a cup of the hot consommé on the side for dipping. Don't skip the dip. That's the whole move.
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Chicken Birria Tacos
Created by: TacoEveryDay
Ingredients
- 8 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried pasilla chiles
- 4 cup water
- 1 white onion
- 1 plum tomato
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
- 8 whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 lb boneless skinless chicken
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 20 corn tortillas
- Oaxaca cheese
Instructions
- Soak the ChilesRemove the stems from the guajillo and pasilla chiles. Place them in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups of hot water. Let them soak for 30 minutes until soft and pliable. (Pro tip: toast the chiles in a dry cast-iron pan for 1-2 minutes before soaking — it wakes up all the smoky oils and takes the flavor up a notch.)
- Blend the Chile SauceAdd half the onion (quartered), the tomato, garlic cloves, chicken bouillon, peppercorns, dried thyme, Mexican oregano, and cumin seeds to a blender. Add the soaked chiles along with their soaking liquid. Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any skins or seeds. You want a silky, deep-red sauce.
- Marinate the ChickenPlace the chicken in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot. Season all over with salt and black pepper. Add the bay leaves and the remaining onion half. Pour in the strained chile sauce plus 2 cups of cold water. Stir to coat everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours — overnight is even better if you can swing it.
- Simmer Until Falling ApartSet the Dutch oven over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until the chicken is completely tender and starting to fall apart. Your kitchen is going to smell incredible.
- Reduce the ConsomméRemove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Discard the onion halves and bay leaves. Crank the heat back up and simmer the cooking liquid uncovered for about 30 minutes until it reduces by half into a rich, concentrated consommé. This is your dipping sauce — treat it right.
- Shred the ChickenWhile the consommé reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken. Once the sauce is ready, return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir it in. Let it simmer briefly to reheat and soak up all that flavor.
- Sauce and Griddle the TortillasHeat a cast-iron skillet, comal, or griddle over medium heat. Working one at a time, dip each corn tortilla into the pot, fully coating it in the red consommé. Place the sauced tortilla on the hot griddle and sprinkle with shredded Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella or Monterey Jack). Cook until the cheese melts and the edges of the tortilla get golden and crispy. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Fill, Fold, and DipTop each griddled tortilla with a generous scoop of shredded chicken birria. Fold in half like a taco. Serve immediately with chopped white onion, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges — plus a cup of the hot consommé on the side for dipping. Don't skip the dip. That's the whole move.