Can I use goat or beef instead of chicken in this recipe?

I have tested and developed this recipe specifically for chicken. While you could replace it with goat or beef, the cooking times will vary greatly and the flavor might need adjustment. Therefore, I would recommend finding a recipe that is tailored to those meats instead.

Can I use chicken on bone?

Yes, you can use chicken on bone instead of boneless chicken, and add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time when cooking the chicken inside the sauce (low heat, covered). Remove the bones when you shred the chicken.

Why are my sliders soft or soggy?

The chicken birria filling has a lot of sauce in it, which can cause the slider bread to become soggy. To avoid this, make sure you add very little sauce when adding the chicken filling inside the sliders, and keep the sauce to serve on the side as a dip for the sliders. Also, do not over stuff the sliders with chicken!

Can I turn these sliders into tacos?

Yes, you can make easy chicken birria tacos instead of sliders with this recipe. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce and place them on a pan over medium-high heat. Add shredded chicken, garnish and cheese on one half and fold into a taco. Cook on medium-high heat on both sides until crispy, and serve with extra birria sauce on the side!

Can I prepare these chicken birria sliders in advance?

I do not recommend making these sliders in advance. The chicken filling has a lot of moisture in it and can cause the bread to become soggy. You can prepare the chicken birria stew / filling ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, then assemble and bake the sliders right before serving.

Easy Chicken Birria Sliders

Description

Easy and delicious sliders filled with spicy, aromatic and flavorful chicken birria and cheese, and served with extra birria sauce on the side

Ingredients

Chicken:

500-600g boneless chicken, thighs preferred
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Chicken birria:

4 tbsp oil
1 1/2 yellow onions, quartered
3 tomatoes, quartered
8 garlic cloves, peeled
8 dried red chilies *see notes
2 bay leaves
2-3 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2-4 chicken bouillon cubes **see notes
4 cups of water
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Chicken from above

Assembly:

24 sliders; I used King's Hawaiian rolls
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
1-2 tbsp butter to brush on sliders, melted

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Instructions

Chicken:

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat
Coat the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Add to the pot and cook for ~2-3 minutes per side just until the chicken starts to brown. Remove from the pot and set aside

Chicken birria:

Add the oil to the same pot that the chicken was browned in. Add all the ingredients for the chicken birria, except the salt and chicken
Cook and stir on medium heat for ~10 minutes until the veggies start to soften. Then remove the 2 bay leaves
Transfer all the ingredients into a blender, and add 1 cup water. Blend until very smooth
Transfer back into the pot, and add ~3 more cups of water and stir. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to bubble and reduce. The sauce should become redder in color. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as needed
Add the chicken that you browned earlier to the sauce. Cover and cook on the lowest heat setting for ~20 minutes, then turn off the heat
Carefully remove the chicken from the sauce and shred it with a fork or shredder. Then add it back to the sauce. I recommend removing about two-thirds of the sauce to keep for serving before adding back the shredded chicken

Assembly:

Lightly toast the sliders by cutting them into half and baking at 350F for ~6-8 minutes. When you remove the sliders from the oven, increase the temperature to 375F
Place the bottom half of the sliders onto a baking sheet. First add the shredded chicken birria. Squeeze out any excess sauce before adding the chicken to the sliders, because the sauce can cause the bread to become soggy
Sprinkle over the onion and cilantro, then add the shredded cheese. Top off with the other half of the sliders and gently press down
Brush the sliders with melted butter, and then bake in the preheated oven for ~7-8 minutes until the cheese has melted
Serve the sliders hot, with the birria sauce on the side to dip them in.

Video Tutorial:

Notes

*You can use any dried red chilis you have easy access to, but I like to use a mixture of guajillo and arbol. If you are sensitive to spice, you can reduce the number of chilis or deseed them
**Chicken bouillon cubes are used in this recipe to add a deeper chicken flavor without using boneless chicken, and to make the recipe easier. However, note that different chicken cubes have varying levels of salt. Start with no added salt so you can taste and add more as needed

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 8 min
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican