Chicken Birria Recipes

BIRRIA DE POLLO (CHICKEN BIRRIA)

Steps:

• Add chicken broth to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high. Remove from heat and add dried chiles. Cover and let sit until chiles have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add 3 of the onion quarters, reserving the last quarter for later use, and garlic to pan. Cook, flipping once, until charred, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat (do not wipe out the pot), and transfer onion and garlic to a blender. Add chicken broth, chiles, tomatoes, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cloves. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
• Season chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil in to the large pot; heat over medium-high. Add chicken; cook, flipping once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Pour blended chile mixture over meat chicken and top with bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium-low until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop remaining onion quarter. Set aside.
• Uncover pot, discard bay leaf, and remove chicken from chile mixture and shred. Divide shredded chicken evenly among 6 bowls, and ladle in the soup over chicken in bowls. Top with reserved chopped onion, tortilla strips, if desired, cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

CHICKEN BIRRIA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the dried chiles and 1 cup of the broth, and bring to a boil, stirring to submerge the chiles. Remove from heat and let stand for 3 minutes. In a blender, combine the chiles and the liquid, the tomatoes and their juices, vinegar and garlic, then season with salt and pepper, and purée until smooth.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add half to the pot. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, oregano, cumin, cloves and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 2 cups broth and the puréed sauce (carefully, as it may splatter), scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add chicken (and any accumulated juices), and bring to a boil. Simmer briskly over medium, partially covered, until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
• Divide birria among 4 bowls, and top with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and rice, if using.

BIRRIA DE POLLO (CHICKEN BIRRIA) TACOS

Steps:

• Add chicken broth to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high. Remove from heat and add dried chiles. Cover and let sit until chiles have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add 3 of the onion quarters, reserving the last quarter for later use, and garlic to pan. Cook, flipping once, until charred, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat (do not wipe out the pot), and transfer onion and garlic to a blender. Add chicken broth, chiles, tomatoes, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cloves. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
• Season chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil in to the large pot; heat over medium-high. Add chicken; cook, flipping once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Pour blended chile mixture over meat chicken and top with bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium-low until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop remaining onion quarter. Set aside.
• Uncover pot, discard bay leaf, and remove chicken from chile mixture and shred. Transfer shredded chicken to a large bowl and top with 1 cup of the chile mixture; leave remaining mixture in the Dutch oven pot over medium-low.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, quickly dip tortilla into sauce until well coated. Transfer to skillet and top with 1/4 cup of the chicken. Repeat process with as many tortillas as will fit on in skillet. Cook until tortillas are golden brown and beginning to crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold tortillas in half and transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining sauce, meat chicken and tortillas.
• Divide tacos evenly among 6 plates. Top with reserved chopped onion and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.