Chicken Barbacoa (Pollo Barbacoa)

What Is Barbacoa?

Barbacoa is an authentic Mexican dish where beef, goat or sheep are steam cooked overnight in an underground pit until very tender and succulent. Once the meat is cooked tender, it’s shredded and then the meat is added back into the rich juices and is used to build tacos, burritos, tamales and enchiladas.

For this recipe, we’re bucking the system and making pollo barbacoa (chicken barbacoa) in the oven.

About Oven Pollo Barbacoa

Pollo barbacoa is actually very straight forward and easy to make. Here’s what you need to know.

• Traditional Mexican Barbacoa benefits from a long slow cook in an underground pit. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have one, so my oven, and my turkey roaster will have to take its place.
• A sheet of tin foil will be used to slow steam cook the meat. You’re basically relying on a well sealed pan to do all of the work.
• Seasoned with your favorite Mexican spices, what’s unique about this recipe is the method of topping the chicken with dried chile pods. Dried chile pods are wonderful when used in any Mexican dish and add earthy rustic drama to the end result.
• Low and Slow: Using a low oven temperature insures fall off the bone flavor-infused chicken that makes one dynamite taco. You end up with Pollo Barbacoa that’s full of flavor and super easy to make.
• Big Batch: Not to mention this recipe will feed your hungry crowd.

This recipe comes from the Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado. A brewery that produces eccentric ales and lagers, with a tasting room that serves up some tasty pub cuisine to compliment. The recipe I found in the cookbook A Bite Of Boulder, cooking at home with Boulder’s best restaurants.

Let’s take a look.

Ingredients for Chicken Barbacoa

• Dried Chile Pods: Guajillo dried chile peppers are commonly found on the Mexican aisle at the grocery store. They are mild with heat, and earthy in flavor. This recipe also calls for hotter chile arboles, a spicier pepper on the heat scale.
• Bay Leaves
• Pickling Spice: Look for pickling spice on the Mexican aisle at your grocery store. It’s a slightly spicier blend than regular pickling spice. But either will work here.
• Lime Juice: Optional. But not optional in my books. Lime is used in many Mexican recipes to brighten flavors.

Ingredient Swaps

• Chicken: Swap out a whole chicken for chicken pieces. Use a combination of chicken thighs, chicken breasts and wings. Just make sure the weight equals about eight pounds of chicken.
• Tortillas: This recipe calls for corn tortillas and would also be great with warmed small flour tortillas to make soft tacos. Or even the hard shell corn tortillas sold on the Mexican aisle at the market.
• Pickling Spice: If you can’t find a bag of the spicier pickling spice on the Mexican food aisle, use a standard pickling spice found on the spice aisle.
• Adobo Sauce: If you don’t have, or simply don’t want to use dried chile pods, substitute in some Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. Use about two – three of the peppers from the can (scraping seeds and veins if you want to remove the heat) and a generous tablespoon of the sauce. It will add a wonderful smoky flavor for pollo barbacoa.

1. Step 1: Cut the chicken in half (or have your butcher do it) by cutting on each side of the back bone. Remove the back bone, and lay each half of the chicken in a turkey roasting pan along with the back bone.
2. Step 2: Sprinkle the dried chile pods, the chopped onion and the spices over the chicken.
3. Step 3: Add enough water or chicken broth to cover the chicken half way. Seal the turkey roaster well with foil and bake 325 degrees for 2 ½ hours.

4. Step 4 and To Finish: Once the chicken is fall off the bone tender, let it cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken using two forks. Scoop about four cups of the broth to include onions and chile pods into a food processor. Process in batches until smooth. Once drained in a collander, mix with the shredded chicken and you’re ready to build those tacos.

Pollo Barbacoa Toppings

To serve barbacoa tacos, place a large bowl of the shredded chicken and a plate of warmed tortillas on the table. You can use corn or flour tortillas. Offer an array of topping so your guests can build their own tacos.

I highly suggest you take the time to make some Mexican Pickled Onions for this recipe. They’re easy and full of flavor. After all, friends don’t let friends eat Mexican food without pickled onions.

• Sliced radishes
• Cubed avocado
• Sour cream
• Mexican Pickled Onions
• Mexican crumbling cheese, such as Cotija
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges for squeezing
• Chile powder for more spice
• Fresh chopped tomatoes
• Your favorite salsa

Storage:

Store any leftover chicken in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Use a microwave to gently reheat. I like to use my 50% power setting so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

Pollo Barbacoa will also freeze well in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.