Chicken Birria Tacos

Chicken Birria Tacos

Crispy chicken tacos served with a tasty chicken birra sauce for dipping!

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ingredients

For the chicken birria:

• 2 dried guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 1 dried ancho chili, stem and seeds removed
• 1 dried chipotle chili, stem and seeds removed
• 1 cup water, just boiled
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 pounds chicken thighs/drumsticks/legs (bone in, skin on)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

For the tacos:

• 12 small corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, sliced

directions

For the chicken birria:

1. Soak the dried chiles in the just boiled water until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, paprika and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, breaking the tomatoes apart as they simmer.
5. Add the soaked chilies to the sauce, and puree in a food processor, or blender, or using a stick blender, optionally adding enough of the water that the chiles soaked to puree smoothly.
6. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until the skin is golden brown on both sides, about 7-10 minutes per side, before setting the chicken aside.
7. Add the pureed chili sauce to the pan that the chicken was cooked in, mix in the broth, oregano, and bay leaves.
8. Add the chicken, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is falling apart tender, about 45-60 minutes.
9. Mix in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Skim the fat/grease off of the top of the sauce and set aside for the tacos.
11. If making tacos, remove the meat from the bones, shred and mix in some of the birria sauce.

For the tacos:

12. Heat fat/grease and/or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
13. Working in batches, add the tortillas, sprinkle on the cheese and chicken birria, and cook until the cheese starts to melt before folding the tortillas over to form tacos.
14. Cook until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
15. When all of the tacos have been cooked, serve garnished with onion and cilantro with a side of lime pieces for squeezing along with a bowl of the birria sauce to dip the tacos in!

Nutrition Facts: Calories 488, Fat 30g (Saturated 10g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 97mg, Sodium 861mg, Carbs 52g (Fiber 10g, Sugars 8g), Protein 31g

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