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Authentic Birria de Pollo for a Rich, Flavorful Meal

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The world of Mexican cuisine is vast and wonderful, but few dishes hold the communal, comforting power of birria. While the more widely known version often features goat or beef, a deeply flavorful birria de pollo, or chicken birria, offers the same rich, smoky depth with a lighter texture and quicker cooking time. This is not just a meal; it is an experience rooted in tradition.

Ingredients

Scale

3 ounces (85 grams) dried Guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1.5 ounces (43 grams) dried Pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 ounce (28 grams) dried Chile de Árbol, stemmed (adjust for spice preference)

3 cups (710 milliliters) chicken broth, plus more for simmering

1 cup (240 milliliters) water

1/4 cup (60 milliliters) distilled white vinegar

3 pounds (1.36 kilograms) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks recommended)

1 tablespoon olive oil or rendered lard

1 large white onion, roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled

4 Roma tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare and Soak the Chiles: Bring a small pot of water to a boil, remove from heat, and add the stemmed and seeded chiles. Submerge them and allow them to soak for thirty minutes until they are soft and pliable. Drain the chiles, reserving one cup of the soaking liquid.

2. Sauté Aromatics: Heat the olive oil or lard in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped white onion and sauté until softened, about five minutes. Add the garlic cloves and halved tomatoes, cooking for another four to five minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.

3. Create the Chile Paste: Transfer the softened chiles, the sautéed aromatics, one cup of the reserved soaking liquid, the three cups of chicken broth, and the white vinegar to a blender. Add all the ground spices. Blend on high until completely smooth, then strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

4. Brown the Chicken: Return the large pot to medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces generously. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down first, until a deep golden-brown crust forms—about six to eight minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.

5. Simmer the Birria: Pour the strained chile sauce into the pot. Return the browned chicken to the pot, nesting the pieces into the sauce. Add the bay leaves and enough extra chicken broth or water to barely cover the chicken.

6. Slow Cook: Bring the liquid back to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot tightly, and let the birria cook slowly for one hour and thirty minutes to two hours. The chicken should be fall-apart tender.

7. Rest and Shred: Remove the chicken and let it rest. Discard the bay leaves and skim any excess fat from the broth (consommé). Shred the chicken meat, discarding skin and bones.

8. Final Assembly: Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Adjust the seasoning of the broth with more salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Notes

For truly authentic flavor, briefly toast your cumin seeds, black peppercorns, and cloves in a dry skillet until fragrant before grinding them.

Always use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks; the bones and skin add essential gelatin and richness to the final consommé.

The chile base can be blended, strained, and refrigerated for up to four days before cooking the chicken.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.flavourrecipe.com/birria-de-pollo/