Chicken Birria Tacos Recipe

5 from 2 votes

These slow cooker chicken birria tacos are made with melt-in-your-mouth shredded chicken inside crispy pan-fried tortillas with melted cheese and a rich and savory birria consomme for dipping. This is a fun and flavorful Tex-Mex dinner the whole family will love.

Prep Time20

Cook Time4

Total Time4 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: people

Calories: 520kcal

Author: The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Chicken Birria

2 pounds chicken thighs
1/2 cup white onion cut into 2" pieces
2 cloves garlic
2 large bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
7 ounces chipotle sauce
1 cup chicken broth

Toppings

3 tablespoons avocado oil
12 6-inch corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup pico de gallo
2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
2 small limes cut into wedges

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cooking the Birria Chicken

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the diced onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano and then sprinkle on the chicken thighs. Top with the chipotle sauce and chicken broth.
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 5 hours—until the chicken is tender and easy to shred.
Once cooked, remove the chicken from the juices and shred the chicken using two forks, set aside. Strain the onions and garlic cloves from the broth and transfer to a bowl.

Assembling the Tacos

Preheat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a thin layer of avocado oil. Dip each corn tortilla into the chipotle chicken broth mixture and place on the griddle. Let the tortilla cook until slightly crispy, then flip over.
Add about 1/4 cup shredded cheese and a few tablespoons of shredded chicken. Fold the taco in half and continue to cook until both sides of the taco are crispy. Remove from the heat and assemble the remaining tacos.
Open the prepared taco and add 1-2 tablespoons of pico de gallo, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a spritz of fresh lime juice. Dip the chicken taco into the remaining chipotle consomme. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Storing leftovers: store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can store any extra sauce separately for the same amount of time.

Freezing: to store for longer, you can freeze the shredded chicken and sauce separately for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.

To reheat: pull your shredded chicken and sauce out of the fridge about 30 minutes-1 hour before you plan to serve and spoon any hardened fat off of the top. Place in a pot or skillet and simmer on low until warmed through.

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