Instant Pot Chicken Birria

Serves about 8 to 10

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

Chiles and base

• 4 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small white onion, quartered
• 2 Roma tomatoes (or 1 cup canned)
• 1 to 2 cups chicken broth or water
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Aromatics (your upgrades)

• 1 small cinnamon stick or 1/4 tsp ground
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf

Steps

1. Prep and soften chiles

Toast guajillo and ancho in a dry pan 30 to 60 seconds per side. Toast tomatoes 5 minutes moving occasionally Move them to a bowl and cover with hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Blend the sauce

Drain the chiles. Blend the following until very smooth:

• softened chiles
• chipotles in adobo
• garlic
• onion
• tomatoes
• salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika

1 cup broth Add more broth as needed until pourable. Taste for salt and acidity.

3. Strain the sauce

Pour blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Press with a spoon until only skins and pulp remain. This step gives you the deep color and silky texture.

4. Pressure cook

Place chicken thighs in the Instant Pot. Add strained sauce. Add cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf. If the sauce seems thick, add a splash of broth so the chicken is mostly covered. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.

5. Shred and finish

Remove the chicken and shred. Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Simmer the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. Return shredded chicken to the pot and mix so it soaks up the sauce.

Party setup

For birria with chips, keep the chicken a bit wetter. Add broth if needed. Serve with tortilla chips, lime, cilantro and onion.