Chicken Birria Quesatacos

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Birria Quesatacos are juicy shredded chicken thighs with gooey cheese, piled into corn tortillas then fried to a golden crisp. This delicious taco meal is served with a side of rich, savory consomé for dipping.

Course Mexican Inspired

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword birria, birria tacos, chicken, quesatacos

Cook Time 45

Total Time 45

Servings tacos

Calories 559kcal

Author Tamara J.

Equipment

StarPack Basics Silicone Kitchen Tongs (9-Inch & 12-Inch) - Stainless Steel with Non-Stick Silicone Tips, High Heat Resistant to 480°F, For Cooking, Serving, Grill, BBQ & Salad (Teal Blue)
Dried Arbol Chiles Peppers 4 Oz, Great For Mexican Recipes, Salsas, Mole, Meats, Chilis, Stews, Soups, And Tamales - Medium to High Heat, Packaged In Resealable Bag By Ole Rico
Dried Guajillo Chiles Peppers 4 Oz, Great For Mexican Food, Salsa Medium, Salsa Verde, Mole Sauce, Chili, Stews, Soups, And Tamales - Mild To Medium Heat, Packaged In Resealable Bag By Ole Rico
Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer (IP-DUO60), Stainless Steel/Black
Cast Iron Skillet with Lid - 12"-Inch Frying Pan + Glass Lid + Heat-Resistant Handle Cover - Pre-Seasoned Oven Safe Cookware - Indoor/Outdoor Use - Grill, BBQ, Camping Fire, Stovetop, Induction Safe
imarku Chef Knife - Pro Kitchen Knife 8 Inch Chef's Knives High Carbon German Stainless Steel Sharp Paring Knife with Ergonomic Handle

Ingredients

6 Chicken thighs boneless skinless
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
tablespoons Garlic powder1
1 tablespoon Onion powder
½ tablespoon Oregano
½ tablespoon Ground cumin
½ tablespoon Adobo seasoning or seasoning salt
2 Chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups Water
1 whole Onion roughly chopped

CONSOMÉ INGREDIENTS

7 dried Guajillo chiles
2 Limes juiced
4 dried Arbol chiles
3 Roma tomatoes
2 whole Cloves
2 cloves Garlic
2 Bay leaves
2 Limes juiced

Build the Tacos

20 Corn tortillas
4 cups Monterrey jack cheese shredded
Shredded chicken from recipe above
2 cups Consomé
1 cup Vegetable oil 1 tablespoon used at a time

Topping

Cilantro chopped
Onions diced
Lime wedges

Instructions

COOKING THE CHICKEN

Season the chicken liberally with all of the seasonings (except chicken bouillon cubes). Ensure that it is rubbed into the chicken until coated evenly.
Place the Instant Pot on sauté mode, and add the vegetable oil directly into the pot. Place the chicken in one single layer to sear on each side for 3 minutes.
Cover the chicken with water, add the chicken bouillon cubes and chopped onion. Place the Instant Pot on "meat" mode and set the timer to 20 minutes.
After it has cooked, open the pot and shred the chicken using two forks. Or place on a cutting board and chop it up. Set the chicken aside

PREPARING THE CONSOMÉ (while chicken cooks)

Cut or tear the guajillo and ancho peppers down the middle to remove and discard the seeds and stems.
Place the chiles, tomatoes, cloves, bay leaves, and all of the other seasonings and spices into a stockpot and cover with about 3-4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Using tongs or a fines strainer, carefully remove the bay leaves and cloves from the water mixture (save the water to use later). Add the peppers (and tomatoes if they didn’t dissolve), into a blender with about 1 cup of the cooking water.
Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is completely pulverized.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the chile mixture into another pot by pushing it around the strainer with a spoon.
Use the liquid the chiles were boiled in to pour into the fine mesh strainer (a little at a time), and continue pushing it through with a spoon. This is to ensure all of the flavors are extracted from the chile mixture.
Squeeze the lime juice into the consomé mixture, and heat over medium on the stove top while preparing the birria quesatacos.

PREPARING THE CHICKEN BIRRIA QUESO TACOS

Add 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Dip the corn tortilla into the consomé, then place it flat into the oil in the skillet. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of chicken, and shredded cheese onto one side of the tortilla.
Fold the other side over to form a taco shape. Fry each side of the taco for 2-3 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and crispy and cheese is melted.
Remove the tacos and place on a paper towel or baking rack to drain excess grease. Repeat this process until all of the tacos are made.
Serve with onion, cilantro, lime wedges, and a bowl of consomé to dip the tacos in.

Notes

Chicken can be cooked on the stove top in a pot instead of using an Instant Pot. Follow all of the instructions above, but cook an extra 10 minutes to ensure it is cooked through.

Nutrition