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    🏠Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Chicken Carnitas

    Aug 27, 2019 | Last Updated Apr 6, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.46 from 11 votes

    Do a much healthier version of carnitas. This low-fat chicken version is packed with flavor and spicy goodness. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.

    chicken carnitas on white plate

    Table of Contents
    • 🐓The Chicken
    • The Citrus
    • The Veggies
    • 📖Carnitas Options
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

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    Introduction

    Chicken Carnitas AKA Carnitas de Pollo, just the name will get some people going. After all, carnitas are pieces of fatty pork cooked in more fat...right?

    But to me, carnitas are "little Mexican spiced up pieces of meat" so it fits, for me. With an infusion of great citrus flavor, you'll love this healthier version of carnitas. All in less than an hour with less than 5 grams of fat.

    Based on my own Healthier Pork Carnitas with Pork Tenderloin, you can have a great Mexican meal on the table in less than an hour.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    This may be a little generous, but I loved the citrus taste and the fall-apart chicken. I did put it in my top picks.

    🐓The Chicken

    I used skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into generous chunks. You can use chicken thighs with only a little increase in the fat. You do not want to do anything with skin or bone.

    Other meats can be used similarly, but this is a chicken recipe. The pork tenderloin carnitas recipe is very nice.

    The Citrus

    I call for a lime and an orange in this recipe. The citrus is common in carnitas recipes, and the chicken picks up those flavors very well.

    The Veggies

    It is not only the chicken that makes this a five but the veggies. Cooked in the same pan, you get all the great spices and citrus taste in your meal.

    Pick the additional veggies you like, but a couple of peppers in contrasting colors and an onion do very nicely.

    📖Carnitas Options

    Easy Oven Carnitas

    Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

    Healthier Pork Carnitas with Pork Tenderloin

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Fat Recipes, Mexican Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    ingredients for Chicken Carnitas

    Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

    trimmed chicken on red board

    Trim and cut about 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast (or thighs) into 1 to `1 ½ inch cubes.

    mixing chicken with spice in bowl

    Mix the chicken with kosher salt, paprika, cumin, and pepper. Stir well to coat.

    adding chicken to pan

    Add the chicken to the hot oil and occasionally stir until browning well — about 7 minutes. You do not need to cook completely, just brown.

    chop jalapeno pepper

    While chicken is cooking, mince one jalapeno and two cloves of garlic.

    adding chopped veggies to chicken

    After chicken is browned well (about 7 minutes) add the jalapeno and garlic and cook two more minutes.

    adding orange to chicken

    Add one 14 oz can chicken broth and the juice of one orange and one lime.

    canritas in pot boiling

    Adjust the temperature to get a firm boil. Do not cover and do not stir. Just let it reduce to almost nothing — about 20 minutes. Your house will smell wonderful.

    browning chicken in Dutch oven

    While the chicken is reducing, clean and slice one red pepper, one green pepper, and a large onion. When the pan is almost dry, move the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

    Cook the serving veggies

    Add the veggies to the pan over medium-high heat and cook until tender (about 7-8 minutes). Stir frequently and scrape some of the fond off the bottom of the pan.

    bowl full of cooked veggies

    If needed, add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth for moisture. Lots of great flavors here.

    chicken carnitas on tortilla_
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    📖Recipe

    chicken carnitas on white plate

    Chicken Carnitas AKA Carnitas de Pollo

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Do a much healthier version of carnitas. This low-fat chicken version is packed with flavor and spicy goodness. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.46 from 11 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts - or thighs
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 jalapeno
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 14 oz chicken broth
    • 1 orange - juice only
    • 1 lime - juice only
    • 1 green pepper
    • 1 red pepper
    • 1 onion - large

    Instructions

    • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
    • Trim and cut about 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast (or thighs) into 1 to `1 ½ inch cubes.
    • Mix the chicken with one teaspoon kosher salt, one teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir well to coat.
    • Add the chicken to the hot oil and occasionally stir until browning well. About 7 minutes. You do not need to cook completely just brown.
    • While chicken is cooking, mince one jalapeno and two cloves of garlic.
    • After chicken is browned well (about 7 minutes) add the jalapeno and garlic and cook two more minutes
    • Add a 14 oz can chicken broth and the juice of one orange and one lime.
    • Adjust the temperature to get a firm boil. Do not cover and do not stir. Just let it reduce to almost nothing. About 20 minutes. Your house will smell wonderful.
    • While the chicken is reducing, clean and slice one red pepper, one green pepper, and a large onion.
    • When the pan is almost dry, move the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
    • Add the veggies to the pan over medium-high heat and cook until tender (about 7-8 minutes). Stir frequently and scrape some of the fond off the bottom of the pan. If needed add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth for moisture.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. Use skinless chicken breasts or thighs if you wish.
    2. Please do not skip the orange and lime.
    3. When cooking the peppers and onion, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan frequently.
    4. Cut the jalapeno if you want but it is not a very hot dish and it adds some nice taste.
    5. Nutrition is for everything listed in the ingredients but not for tortillas or toppings.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 179 kcal (9%) | Carbohydrates : 7 g (2%) | Protein : 26 g (52%) | Fat : 5 g (8%) | Saturated Fat : 2 g (10%) | Cholesterol : 73 mg (24%) | Sodium : 149 mg (6%) | Potassium : 588 mg (17%) | Fiber : 2 g (8%) | Sugar : 3 g (3%) | Vitamin A : 734 IU (15%) | Vitamin C : 47 mg (57%) | Calcium : 25 mg (3%) | Iron : 1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main dish
    Cuisine : Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published October 19, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Lilly with Puppy
    « Easy Chicken Stir Fry
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gloria

      September 04, 2019 at 11:14 am

      I read your comment about cutting out the jalapeno. Can I replace it with something else?
      We don't care for "too" spicy in our house, but I would like to try this recipe. I love your dog
      pictures and enjoy your recipes!
      Thank you
      Gloria

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        September 04, 2019 at 12:20 pm

        Hi Gloria,
        Welcome to the blog.
        If you want just a little, you can cut it out and use a pinch (1/8 tsp or less) of cayenne pepper. Or just use half the jalapeno.
        Molly and Lilly say thanks.
        Dan

    2. John Miller

      January 18, 2016 at 12:16 am

      Not quite like carnitas but very good. Definitely a keeper recipe

      Reply
    3. Karina

      March 26, 2014 at 8:51 pm

      I just found your blog through ZipList. I love your recipes! I have made two of them (Chicken Carnitas and the Southwest Pork Tenderloin Chili) and both have turned out delicious. One thing that I found while making the Chicken Carnitas is that it took forever for the sauce to be reduced to almost nothing. I doubled the recipe and I let it boil for about 1 hour! Nevertheless, the dish turned out amazing. Next time i will add less broth. This recipe is a keeper. Keep up the good job.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 26, 2014 at 9:20 pm

        For doubling, I would only do one can of broth but double everything else next time.
        Thanks for the note.
        DrDan

    4. Chris

      October 24, 2013 at 1:40 pm

      Never thought of trying it with chicken before, nice idea.

      Reply

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