Slow cooker chicken carnitas
Orange and lime chicken slow-cooked until it shreds, then broiled until the edges go crisp, for 4 days of tacos.
- 400 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $2.56 a serving
- 500 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 3 lb boneless chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 18 corn tortillas
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
- ½ white onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup salsa verde (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 500 calories, 50 g protein, 43 g carbs and 14 g fat, and costs about $2.56 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No yellow onions? Red onions work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper together, rub it all over the chicken, and put the chicken in the slow cooker.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Scatter the onion and garlic over and pour the orange and lime juice on top.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
Timer: 300 min
Dolly’s tip: It’s safe at 165°F. The long cook is what makes it fall apart.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
the chicken right in the pot with two forks and let it soak in the juices for 10 minutes.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Timer: 10 min
Heat the with a rack about 6 inches below it. Spread the chicken on a and with the oil and ½ cup of the juices from the pot.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
4 to 6 minutes, until the edges are and . and broil 2 to 3 minutes more.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Stay by the oven. The edges go from crisp to burnt in under a minute.Warm the tortillas in a dry over medium, about 30 seconds per side.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Pile the chicken into the tortillas and top with cilantro, onion and salsa verde.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
