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Chicken Carnitas

This is the most delicious Mexican chicken dish EVER! The chicken is slow roasted in citrus and spices and then carmelized under the broiler. The flavor is insane! @mostdeliciouslife.com
5 from 1 vote
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Course dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican

Equipment

  • 1 Crock Pot *OR cast iron dutch oven

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds chicken thighs skinless and boneless
  • 2½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 large oranges, juiced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 3-4 strips orange peel
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin and cut rings into 1-2 inch strips
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2-3 Tbsp honey

Optional

  • 3 small-med acorn squash

Toppings

  • cilantro
  • roasted pepitas
  • lime wedges

Chipotle Dressing

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1-2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 chipotle pepper, minced
  • 1 Tbsp chipotle sauce from the can with the peppers
  • pinch salt
  • pinch garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° (if using dutch oven).
  • Trim all fat from chicken thighs,
  • Cover bottom of crockpot (or dutch oven) with olive oil.
  • Layer chicken on top of oil.
  • Sprinkle chicken with all the seasoning.
  • Add garlic and orange rinds.
  • Mix together the orange juice, lime juice and chicken broth. Pour over chicken.
  • Stir together distributing all seasonings evenly.
  • Cook in crockpot cook 5-7 hours on low, 4-5 on high. (3 hours in the oven with the dutch oven.)
  • When meat is done, use forks to roughly shred chicken. Use tongs to place shredded chicken onto baking sheet.
  • Turn oven to broil. Drizzle honey over chicken. Broil for about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and pour some of the juices over the meat. Stir and broil again for a couple of minutes. Depending on how much juice is left you can do again. Watch carefully so that the chicken doesn't burn and edges become carmelized.
  • Serving options:
    With tortillas and toppings
    In a Rice bowl with rice, roasted squash, black beans, sauce and toppings.
    In roasted acorn squash with toppings, drizzle with chipotle sauce.

Chipotle Dressing

  • Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl. Adjust the amount of milk as needed.

Roasted Acorn Squash

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Cut a slice off the bottom so it will sit flat.
  • Place on baking sheet. Brush inside of each squash with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Roast for 40-50 minutes until fork tender.

Roasted Squash

    • Cut up butternut and acorn squash into 1-1½ chunks. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, salt & pepper and any favorite seasonings. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 375° for about 15 minutes until fork tender.
    Keyword acorn squash, carnitas, chicken, mexican