Carnitas? Made with chicken??
Yep, they’re a thing. And a few weeks ago, I decided to make them my new thing.
To be sure, carnitas are traditionally made with pork, which I’ve enjoyed cooking for years and years with my little “shortcut” method by simmering pork in the crock pot and then crisping it them up the broiler before serving. And it’s always delicious! But recently, I’ve randomly been wondering (as my little food blogger’s mind tends to wander) about what carnitas would taste like when made with different meats, since the word carnitas does literally translate to mean “little meats”, and not just pork. ;)
So a few weeks ago, I decided to try out a carnitas recipe using some boneless skinless chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, and bring it along to a taco night with friends for taste-testing. I was a little worried that the lean chicken wouldn’t end up being quite as flavorful as less-lean pork tends to be. But sure enough, after hours of simmering in that yummy broth, then spending a few minutes under the broiler and getting a good toss in the leftover juices from the slow cooker, the results were in.
Chicken can be made into some seriously good carnitas!
The other good news about this recipe? It’s seriously easy to make.
Just toss all of your ingredients in a slow cooker. (And if you happen to not drink alcohol, as some commenters asked about in my pork carnitas recipe, hakuna matata — you can just sub in some chicken broth with maybe an extra squeeze of fresh orange juice.) Give them a little toss to mix everything up. And then let the chicken cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until it’s nice and tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Shred it to the size you would like. (And don’t worry about all of those extra juices — we’ll use them later!) Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets).
Spread the chicken out in an even layer, then pop it under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the tops of the chicken are nice and browned and crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, drizzle the chicken evenly with about 1/2 cup of the remaining broth, and then turn it with a pair of tongs so that some of the less-crispy bits are on top. Repeat by broiling again, then drizzling/tossing again, then one more broil, one more drizzle/toss…
…and a big sheet of delicious carnitas will be yours to enjoy. Oh, and also be sure to drizzle these with however much fresh lime juice you’d like. I recommend going big on the lime juice (as in, I think I used the juice from 2-3 large limes for this one), but go with however much of that tart flavor you like. :)
Feel free to serve them up in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, soups, salads…whatever sounds good to you!
Or if you aren’t going to serve it right away, this recipe also makes great leftovers and freezes for up to 3 months.
So if you happen to not eat pork, or are just looking for a way to use up some leftover chicken, I highly recommend giving them a try. Carnitas of all kinds FTW! :)
Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 1 bottle beer (or chicken stock, if you do not like to cook with alcohol)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2-4 fresh limes
Instructions
- Add the chicken, beer, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Gently toss to combine.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Once the chicken is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and grease one large baking sheet with cooking spray. Use a fork to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, spreading the chicken in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker. (Don’t discard the juices, we’re going to use them later!)
- Place one sheet under the broiler, 2 racks down from the very top, and broil for about 5-6 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken begin browning and crisping up. Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/2 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the chicken, and then give it a good toss with some tongs so that the chicken is evenly coated with the juices. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/2 cup of broth over the crispy chicken. Broil for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove sheet from the oven, and toss chicken with the remaining broth. Then drizzle with however much fresh lime juice you’d like (I love a ton of lime flavor!), and toss once more to combine.
- Serve immediately in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! This chicken can also be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post contains affiliate links.
I made this a while back and they are amazing. Great in w tortilla with some sour cream and fresh cilantro. Then for the leftovers I made a chicken and cheese quesadilla and it’s awesome. I will say that 4-5pounds of chicken is way overkill I used 3 large breasts (maybe 2lbs) and followed the recipe and it worked out great.
Thanks for sharing, Karlie — we’re happy you enjoyed them!
Can you cook this in a pressure cooker instead of a slower cooker ? Wondering about the time difference.
Thanks
Hi there! We haven’t tried this in a pressure cooker, so we unfortunately aren’t sure.
I have this recipe cooking away as I type this :) This is our first time making it and we do not have a broiler. What would you recommend doing instead after the chicken has cooked to get the edges crisp? Bake for x amount of time at x degrees? Thanks in advance!!! Excited for dinner tonight!!!
Hi Alicia! We’re sorry for our delayed reply! Unfortunately we’ve only tried the broiler method for getting these crispy. You could try baking them a bit longer at a higher temp, but we’re honestly afraid the meat would start to dry out.
One of the best crockpot meals EVER! We have taco night every week and I wanted something different so I tried this. It was so easy and so delicious! It tastes even better the next day. I am making it this week for my Taco Friday Game Night. Thank you for this deliciousness!
Thank you so much, Sha — we’re happy to hear you enjoyed these! :)
Hi,
How big of a beer are you using or how much chicken stock are you using?
Hi there! 12 ounces of either (or a mix). We hope you enjoy!
Is this really 4 to 5 pounds of chicken breast? Or is it 4 – 5 breasts? For my family of 3, I typically cook a pound of so of chicken breast for dinner. 4-5 pounds would be close to $20 in my area.
Hi Beth! Yes, 4-5 lbs of chicken breasts. We hope you and your family enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was great! We all loved the crispy edges! Super easy to make and feeds a crowd! Thank you for another great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed these, Tiffany! :)
I made this last night and have to say, it was SO GOOD! I used tortilla chips instead of shells with this so it was more like a nacho style dinner, but there’s plenty leftover to experiment with! Had it this morning with an over-easy egg on top, sour cream and salsa verde. Heavenly! I will say, it was really really spicy though. I like spicy and do well with it, but it even was a little too spicy for me so maybe next time I’ll halve the chipotle amount that goes in. Overall, a winner and a new recipe in my rotation!
Thanks for sharing with us, Kirstie — we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed these! We’re sorry you found them a bit too spicy (definitely feel free to cut back on the chipotle powder next time). :)
I am trying these today!!! Just a quick question what if you decide to use both the stock and the beer? Would you recommend that?if so how much of each?
Awesome! Yes, if you wanted to use the stock and the beer, we’d just do half and half. We hope you enjoy these! :)
This meat is tasty and versatile. One batch stretched to traditional tacos, pumpkin enchiladas, black bean & chicken bowls, and finally chicken chili mac. Will make this again.
Thanks, Laura — we’re glad you enjoyed it!