Easy Shredded Chicken Birria Tacos Recipe

This Easy Shredded Chicken Birria Tacos recipe comes together start to finish in a dutch oven, for a super flavorful birria sauce and tender shredded chicken, all in under 2 hours! Add some melty oaxaca cheese, fresh cilantro and onion for the ultimate fried, crispy chicken taco!

JUMP TO RECIPE

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Easy and delicious Easy Shredded Chicken Birria Tacos

These easy chicken tacos (aka quesabirria tacos) are a uniquely delicious Mexican dish that will take your typical taco Tuesday to the next level!

This Chicken Birria Tacos Recipe comes together in just about 2 hours, with a savory and complex birria sauce, and shredded, tender chicken thighs. Build delicious tacos with melty oaxaca cheese, fresh cilantro leaves and onion, and fry the sauced tortillas for the ultimate cheesy, dip-able fried taco treat!

These tacos are a great weeknight or weekend dinner, and are also great for parties and gatherings for an out of the box taco everyone will love!

Ingredients

To make these quick and easy Shredded Chicken Birria Tacos, you will need:

• Neutral oil, such as canola, for browning the chicken and frying the tacos.
• 2-3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Using bone-in, skin-on chicken helps keep the meat moist, as well as flavors the sauce.
• A small red onion, finely diced. You could also use white or Spanish onion.
• 5 cloves garlic (whole, peeled).
• Fresh grated ginger.
• Tomato paste, for added depth and richness.
• Ground cumin, dried oregano, and ground coriander.
• Chicken stock. I use low sodium.
• Fire roasted crushed tomatoes. You could also used diced tomatoes.
• Dried chilies: Chili de Arbol, Guallio chilis and Ancho chilis. If you don't love things spicy, you can remove the seeds. You can find these in most grocery stores, or on Amazon!
• Apple cider vinegar. I always opt for organic, as i feel it has a better flavor profile.
• A cinnamon stick and a bay leaf. You'll pull these out after cooking, and before blending the sauce.
• Oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella cheese), fresh cilantro, diced white onion, and corn tortillas (I love Vista Hermosa) for the tacos.

How to make Chicken Birria Tacos

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dry chicken thighs well with paper towels, and season well on all sides with salt and pepper. 
3. Add oil to a large dutch oven, and heat over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes until oil just starts to smoke. 
4. Add chicken skin side down and brown on both sides, 5-6 minutes a side. Work in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Remove to a plate and set aside.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Remove all but 2 tablespoon fat/oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot. 
6. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. 
7. Add tomato paste and stir well to combine. 
8. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until color deepens. 
9. Add cumin, oregano, and coriander. Stir to combine, and cook 30 seconds, until just fragrant. 
10. Add chicken stock little by little, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. 
11. Add canned tomatoes, dried chilis, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Stir to combine. 
12. Add chicken and accumulated juices back to the pot. 
13. Cover, and transfer to preheated oven or 1 hour.  
14. Remove chicken from pot. Discard skin and bones, and shred chicken meat. 
15. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick from pot. 
16. Immersion blend sauce until smooth, or transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. 
17. Toss shredded chicken with 1-2 cups sauce.
18. Dip tortillas into consome, and lay flat in frying pan with a bit of avocado oil or neutral oil over medium-high heat.
19. To one half of the tortilla, add cheese, then chicken, and top with diced onions and cilantro leaves.
20. Fry 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then flip other side to make a half moon.
21. Flip over, and fry 2-3 minutes more.
22. Serve hot with fresh lime wedges and additional consome. 

What is Birria?

Birria is a traditional Mexican stewed dish, using dried chili peppers, goat meat (most traditionally), and seasonings, such as cinnamon, oregano, and bay leaf. Now that the dish has grown in popularity in the US, you’ll find many variations of the dish- most popularly beef birria, as well as chicken birria. 

This stewed and complex dish is perfect for tacos, but is also great served over rice, or simply with warm tortillas and taco fixings!

Tools for the perfect Chicken Birria

• A large dutch oven, for both browning the chicken, and cooking the sauce/birria.
• An immersion blender, for pureeing the Birria sauce right in the pot, or a high powered blender.
• A large nonstick frying pan, for frying the Chicken Birria Tacos.
• A rimmed baking sheet and a couple forks, for shredding the cooked chicken thighs.
• A sharp knife and cutting board for easy veggie prep.
• Paper towels, for thoroughly drying the chicken thighs.
• A ladle or large spoon, for easily tossing the chicken with some of the blended sauce.
• A set of tongs, for easily dipping the tortillas in the cosome prior to frying.
• Small serving bowls, for easy dipping.

Serving the Chicken Birria Tacos

Once your chicken is shredded and your sauce is pureed, you can fry the tacos with plenty of melty cheese, fresh cilantro, and diced onion. Serve the tacos hot and crispy with a side of birria consome (sauce).

These tacos can be customized to your tastes, too! Here are some great add-ons:

• Fresh Pico de Gallo.
• Pickled Jalapenos, or fresh jalapenos.
• Sour cream.
• Pickled red onions.
• Hot sauce.
• Sliced avocado.
• Fresh lime.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you are not a fan of corn tortillas, you can use flour tortillas.
• Having a hard time finding dried chilis? You can sub the Chili de Arbol and Ancho chilis for a few canned Chilis in a Adobo sauce. I would not recommend omitting or substituting the guajillo peppers.
• Instead of crushed tomatoes, you can also used diced tomatoes.
• Like your Birria sauce a bit thinner? Add more chicken stock!

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken or sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the sauce and chicken in separate freezer safe bags for up to 2 months. I recommend separating the sauce and chicken so the chicken doesn't become stringy when storing.

What to do with leftover Birria

You can refrigerate any leftover chicken and birria sauce, and use it to make more tacos. I prefer to fry the tacos fresh for the best flavor and texture. You can also use the leftovers to make delicious quesadillas, enchiladas, or nachos!

Can you make Birria in the Crockpot?

Yes! While you'll need to do a bit of prep work prior, you can defintely make this Chicken Birria in your slow cooker.

To make in the Crockpot:

• Brown the chicken and cook the aromatics, then transfer the sauce mixture and chicken to a slow cooker. 
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

See my Crockpot Beef Birria Tacos recipe here!

More delicious taco recipes

If you love this Easy Shredded Chicken Birria Tacos Recipe, you'll love these great tacos, too!

• Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Crockpot Beef Birria Tacos
• Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos
• Baja Shrimp Tacos with Honey Lime Slaw and Spicy Baja Cream Sauce
• Easy Chorizo Breakfast Tacos

© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.