This birria de pollo is thick, substantial, somewhat smokey, and simply mouthwatering. It has a rich, complex flavor. Jalisco is where the stew known as birria was first created. Traditionally, goat, lamb, or beef are used to make it.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 dried de árbol chile, stemmed and seeded (Optional)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 1 medium white onion, quartered, divided
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup crispy tortilla strips (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
- 6 lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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Reviews
I made this recipe this evening. I think squeezing the lime juice on top made it extra special. I did put mine over rice, used some medium cheddar cheese as a topping with the onion. I did not use much of the soupy liquid because I unfortunately am not a big fan of the clove taste. Next time I will likely leave out the cloves. But I still give this four stars and I do like the recipe. I recommend it. And by the way, it was an excellent suggestion to strain the mixture from the blender before it goes onto the chicken to cook. I will make this again.
Very good. I served it over rice.
Delicious! We added fresh avocados to the condiments, definitely a keeper.
Scrumptious fall/winter evening supper. I served over a little rice; yum!
Family loved it! Tips & notes: 1. The recipe as spec’d is too large for a standard mixer. You’ll have to mix sauce in two batches 2. Yes, you have to run soup through a fine strainer. I was sceptical, since you leave so much “sludge” behind; I wasn’t sure what the final consistency was supposed to be. But the soup after straining still has plenty of body. I recommend serving with Avocado spears as well! 3. I didn’t have dried guajillo peppers, so I used 6 California/Aneheim peppers, and added a fresh poblano and Jalepeno pepper. Turned out great, and made it just a *tiny* bit spicy. But still quite mild.