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Chicken Birria Quesadilla

Birria is a traditional Mexican dish made by slow-cooking meat, usually beef or goat, in a rich, flavorful broth with a mix of dried chiles and spices. It’s typically served as a stew or used as a filling for tacos, with the broth often served on the side for dipping. For this recipe, we’re opting for a quicker, simpler version by using chicken instead of beef or goat, which cooks faster while still absorbing the bold, aromatic flavors. By simplifying the cooking process, we can enjoy the delicious, spicy essence of birria in a fraction of the time, making it perfect for a weeknight meal.

Components of chicken birria

Birria: a blend of dried guajillo chillies, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, onions, garlic and spices come together to create this rich broth.

Chicken: Thighs or breast? both work but chicken thighs are superior if you want ultra tender fall apart chicken that stays moist.

Cheese: Traditionally a Mexican cheese like Oaxaca would be used in birria but it may not be easily accessible at your local grocery store so in this recipe I simply use mozzarella.

Tortilla: Use a corn tortilla for that authentic taco vibe but flour tortilla might be more accessible and easy to work with. I like to use the slightly larger than taco size to make mini quesadillas.

White onion & lime juice: The necessary ingredients for a fresh, tangy contrast to the intense savoury flavours of birria.

Chicken breast vs. thigh?

For this recipe, I prefer to use chicken thighs since they have a bit more fat compared to chicken breast. Fat will lend to that beautiful layer of oil that sits on top of the consommé. The tortillas get dipped in this oil and ultimately this fat is what crisps up the outside shell of the taco/quesadilla. If you really prefer to use chicken breast, I would suggest adding an extra 1-2 tbsp of ghee when searing your ingredients for the consommé or simply add that ghee to the pan when you are frying your tortillas.

Reheating & leftovers

Keep the chicken and birria consommé separately stored. This way you can control how much chicken vs birria liquid to use when making more tacos with them later. You can even reuse that same birria liquid to simmer more chicken later or turn it into a soup.

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Ratings 5 from 3 votes
Description

These chicken birria quesadillas feature tender, slow-cooked chicken in a spicy hearty birria broth, made with a shorter list of peppers than traditional birria but delivers that same burst of flavours. Tender birria chicken is paired with melty cheese on a crispy tortilla. Served with a side of consommé for dipping to elevate the experience.

Ingredients
    Chicken Birria
  • 1-2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 yellow onions (small)
  • 1 tomato (small)
  • 3-4 guajillo chilis
  • 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1.5 tsp oregano
  • 1.5 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/4 cup water (If needed to blend)
  • 4-5 cups water
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar
    • Other Ingredients
  • Tortillas (small)
  • White onion
  • Limes
  • Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. 1
    Remove the stem and some or all the seeds from the guajillo chillis depending on the preferred spice level.
  2. 2
    Bring a small pot of water to boil. Take off the heat and add in the dried chills, cover with a lid and allow to soften for 5-10 minutes.
  3. 3
    For the birria mixture, in a blender, add roughly chopped yellow onion and tomato, whole peeled garlic cloves, the softened chillis, a can of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, spices and water. Blend until smooth.
  4. 4
    Add some oil to a pot/dutch oven on medium high heat and sear chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes on each side until slightly golden.
  5. 5
    Place a strainer on top of the pot and pour the birria mixture on top using a spatula in circular motions to squeeze all the liquid through. You can pour in 1 cup of the required water over the strainer to help this process. Once youve got all the liquid in the pot and you should be left with a paste like crumbs in the strainer, simply discard that.
  6. 6
    Pour in the remaining cups of water along with a chicken bouillon cube, salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks.
  7. 7
    Bring this to a boil, cover with a lid then reduce to heat to medium/medium-low heat and keep on a gentle simmer for 45 minutes.
  8. 8
    Remove the chicken from the broth once tender and shred with your hands or using a fork. Pour 2-3 ladles of the birria broth over the shredded chicken. Make sure to scoop the birria broth from the bottom because we want to save the fat on top for dipping our tortillas.
  9. 9

    Get a large pan on medium/medium- high heat and heat for 2-4 minutes. Dunk tortillas into the top layer of fat sitting on the birria broth then lay the tortilla in the heated pan. If you used chicken breast and have little to no fat on top of the broth, use a little ghee or neutral cooking oil in the pan to fry the tortilla to help it get crispy.

  10. 10
    Add a layer of shredded mozzarella, the birria chicken and fold over. Optionally add another small ladle of the birria fat on top of the quesadilla. Once the tortilla is crispy to your liking, remove from the pan.
  11. 11
    Use the remaining broth for the dipping consome. You may include diced white onions and cilantro in the broth if preferred.
  12. 12
    Once ready to eat, add diced white onions and a squeeze of lime juice in the birria quesadilla.
Read it online: https://nutrient-matters.com/recipe/chicken-birria-quesadilla/