Eleven ingredients and an hour and twenty-five minutes, most of it a gentle simmer.
There is no consommé bowl with these. What the braise produces goes into the tortillas rather than beside them.
Why This Recipe Works
- Softening the dried guajillos first is what lets them blend smooth.
- A gentle simmer takes thighs to shreddable without toughening them.
- Returning the shredded chicken to a little sauce keeps it moist in the taco.
- Dipping the tortilla in chilli fat is what gives the red-tinged crisp edge.
- Folding while the cheese melts seals the taco closed.
Ingredient Notes
- Dried guajillo chiles
- Two, seeded and softened before blending. They are the entire colour and most of the flavour of the sauce.
- Oaxaca or Monterey Jack
- A cup and a half. A white melting cheese, and a component the title never names.
- Chicken thighs
- A pound and a half, simmered gently to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and tender enough to shred.
- White onion, coriander and lime
- A third of a cup each and one lime in wedges. All three are visible on the finished plate and none is in the title.
How to Make It
Guajillos blended with broth and spices
Blend softened guajillo chiles with broth, garlic, cumin, and oregano.
Chicken simmered to 165°F, then shredded
Simmer the chicken gently in the chile sauce until 165°F and tender enough to shred; shred and return to a little sauce.
Tortillas dipped in the chilli fat, then griddled
Spoon a thin layer of chile fat or sauce onto each tortilla and griddle until red-tinged and crisp at the edges.
Filled and folded until the cheese melts
Fill with chicken and cheese and fold until the cheese melts.
Onion, coriander, lime wedges
Finish with onion and coriander and serve with lime wedges.
No consommé, and birria-style rather than traditional
Do not serve a consommé bowl and describe the tacos as birria-style rather than traditional birria.
The Chile Sauce Does Three Different Jobs
Two dried chiles and a cup of broth make everything that matters in this recipe. That single sauce cooks the chicken, moistens it after shredding, and then coats the tortillas - and the thing it is NOT used for is the one most associated with these tacos.
Stage 1 of 5
The sauce - softened chiles, blended
Steps 1–1 of 6
2 dried GUAJILLO chiles, SEEDED AND SOFTENED, blended with 1 cup chicken broth, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Softening first is what makes this work - a dry chile will not break down in a blender and leaves the sauce gritty. Guajillo is a mild fruity chile rather than a hot one, which is why two whole chiles give colour and depth without making the tacos fierce.
- Guajillos blended with broth and spicesBlend softened guajillo chiles with broth, garlic, cumin, and oregano.
Stage 2 of 5
Job one - it COOKS the chicken
Steps 2–2 of 6
1 1/2 lb of boneless thighs SIMMERED GENTLY in the chile sauce UNTIL 165F AND TENDER ENOUGH TO SHRED. Gently is the instruction: a hard boil tightens thigh meat and pushes it further from shreddable, not closer. 165F is the safe temperature, and as with any braise the texture endpoint arrives after it.
- Chicken simmered to 165°F, then shreddedSimmer the chicken gently in the chile sauce until 165°F and tender enough to shred; shred and return to a little sauce.
Stage 3 of 5
Job two - it KEEPS the chicken moist
Steps 2–2 of 6
Shredded and RETURNED TO A LITTLE SAUCE. Not all of it - just enough to stop the meat drying out between shredding and filling. Drenched chicken makes a soggy taco; dry shredded chicken is the more common failure.
- Chicken simmered to 165°F, then shreddedSimmer the chicken gently in the chile sauce until 165°F and tender enough to shred; shred and return to a little sauce.
Stage 4 of 5
Job three - it COLOURS the tortilla
Steps 3–3 of 6
A THIN LAYER of the chile fat or sauce spooned onto each of the 8 corn tortillas before griddling, UNTIL RED-TINGED AND CRISP AT THE EDGES. This is the step that gives these tacos their look. THIN is the whole technique - a heavy coating fries the tortilla and turns it greasy rather than crisping the edge.
- Tortillas dipped in the chilli fat, then griddledSpoon a thin layer of chile fat or sauce onto each tortilla and griddle until red-tinged and crisp at the edges.
Stage 5 of 5
Filled, folded, and the one job the sauce does NOT do
Steps 4–6 of 6
1 1/2 cups of OAXACA or MONTEREY JACK with the chicken, FOLDED UNTIL THE CHEESE MELTS - the melt is what seals the taco shut. Then 1/3 cup chopped white onion, 1/3 cup coriander and LIME WEDGES, three components the title names none of. And step 6: DO NOT SERVE A CONSOMME BOWL. Birria tacos conventionally arrive with one for dipping, and these deliberately do not. They are BIRRIA-STYLE, made with chicken where birria is conventionally goat or beef.
- Filled and folded until the cheese meltsFill with chicken and cheese and fold until the cheese melts.
- Onion, coriander, lime wedgesFinish with onion and coriander and serve with lime wedges.
- No consommé, and birria-style rather than traditionalDo not serve a consommé bowl and describe the tacos as birria-style rather than traditional birria.
Success Tips
- Soften the guajillos properly or the blended sauce stays gritty.
- Keep the simmer gentle; a hard boil tightens thigh meat instead of loosening it.
- Use only a thin layer of chilli fat on the tortilla — too much and it fries rather than crisps.
Serving Ideas
Eight tacos on white plates, tortillas crisp and red-tinged at the edges, filled with shredded chilli chicken and melted white cheese, finished with chopped onion and coriander, with lime wedges beside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the consommé for dipping?
There is none with these. Step 6 rules a consommé bowl out — the chilli sauce goes into the tacos and onto the tortillas instead.
Is this traditional birria?
No. Birria is conventionally a goat or beef preparation and this is chicken. These are birria-style tacos and the recipe makes no claim of tradition or region.
How do the tortillas get red and crisp?
A thin layer of the chilli fat or sauce is spooned onto each one before it goes on the griddle.
