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    🏠Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Healthy Chicken Carnitas

    Aug 27, 2019 · Modified: Dec 26, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 6 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.46 from 11 votes

    Make healthier carnitas but keep the traditional stovetop method using chunks of chicken with citrus and other spices for that deep taste. The crispy chicken carnitas can be shredded and used like traditional pork carnitas.

    chicken carnitas on white plate
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will make this recipe
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Healthy Chicken Carnitas
    • 🐓Ingredients
    • ❓FAQs
    • 📖Carnitas Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    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 carnitas are "little Mexican spiced up pieces of meat," so it fits. 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.

    😊Why you will make this recipe

    • It uses the traditional stovetop method of making carnitas at home.
    • Healthy results with fall-apart tender, crispy chicken carnitas and vegetables with a great traditional citrus taste, all with less than 5 grams of fat.
    • It only needs 10 minutes of prep time and is done in less than an hour.
    • The house will smell wonderful.
    • Shred the crispy chicken carnitas and make delicious soft tacos or other uses.
    • The vegetables will pick up all the remaining flavor in the pan, making them a co-star of this recipe.

    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.

    👨‍🍳How to Make Healthy Chicken Carnitas

    1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
    2. Trim and cut skinless boneless chicken breast (or thighs) into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes.
    3. Mix the chicken with kosher salt, paprika, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well to coat.
    4. Add the chicken to the hot oil and occasionally stir until browning well—about 7 minutes. You do not need to cook entirely, just brown.
    5. Mince jalapeno and cloves of garlic. Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook for two more minutes.
    6. Add chicken broth and the juice of an orange, and a lime.
    7. Bring to 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.
    8. While the chicken is reducing, clean and slice red pepper, green pepper, and a large onion.
    9. When the pan is almost dry, move the chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
    10. Add the veggies to the pan over medium-high heat. 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. Cook until tender (about 7-8 minutes).
    11. Serve hot with tortillas and toppings or in many other ways.

    🐓Ingredients

    • Chicken—skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs
    • Seasonings—paprika, cumin
    • Aromatics—garlic and onion
    • Citrus—fresh orange and lime. But lime juice and orange juice can be used.
    • Chicken broth
    • Vegetables—red and green pepper
    • Pantry ingredients—vegetable oil, salt, black pepper

    ❓FAQs

    Can I use a cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe?

    Yes, but only if it is enamel coated. Raw cast iron should not be used to cook acidy products like citrus in this recipe. Some of the metal will go into the dish.

    How to serve chicken carnitas?

    Shred the crispy chicken carnitas with a fork. Serve with flour or corn tortillas, a fresh salad, or in burritos, quesadillas, or carnitas bowls.

    Top with traditional taco toppings: cheddar or Mexican cheeses, diced tomatoes, slices of jalapeno or green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and many more.

    Side dishes: Corn chips with salsa, refried beans, guacamole, or Mexican rice.

    How to store leftover chicken carnitas?

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

    📖Carnitas Recipes

    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. A heavy pan, like an enamel coated Dutch oven, is recommended.

    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 the chicken is cooking, mince 1 jalapeno and 2 cloves of garlic.

    adding chopped veggies to chicken

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

    adding orange to chicken

    Add one 14 oz can of chicken broth and the juice of 1 orange and 1 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 and the chicken is getting crispy edges, move it to a plate and tent it with foil.

    cooking vegetables in a dirty pot

    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 a tortilla with toppings

    Serve hot on tortillas with toppings or use in many other ways.

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    📝Recipe

    chicken carnitas on white plate

    Healthy Chicken Carnitas

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Make healthier carnitas but keep the traditional stovetop method using chunks of chicken with citrus and other spices for that great deep taste. The crispy chicken carnitas can be shredded and used like traditional pork carnitas.
    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
    • tortillas and toppings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. A heavy pan, like an enamel-coated Dutch oven, is recommended.
      ingredients for Chicken Carnitas
    • Trim and cut about 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast (or thighs) into 1 to `1 ½ inch cubes.
      trimmed chicken on red board
    • Mix the chicken with kosher salt, paprika, cumin, and pepper—stir well to coat.
      mixing chicken with spice in bowl
    • 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.
      adding chicken to pan
    • While the chicken is cooking, mince 1 jalapeno and 2 cloves of garlic.
      chopped jalapeno on a black board
    • After the chicken is browned well (about 7 minutes), add the jalapeno and garlic and cook for two more minutes.
      adding chopped veggies to chicken
    • Add one 14 oz can of chicken broth and the juice of 1 orange and 1 lime.
      adding orange to chicken
    • 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.
      carnitas in pot boiling
    • While the chicken is reducing, clean and slice one red pepper, one green pepper, and a large onion. When the pan is almost dry and the chicken is getting crispy edges, move it to a plate and tent it with foil.
      browning chicken in Dutch oven
    • 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.
      cooking vegetables in a dirty pot
    • If needed, add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth for moisture—lots of great flavors here.
      bowl full of cooked veggies
    • Serve hot on tortillas with toppings or use in many other ways.
      chicken carnitas on a tortilla with toppings
    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.

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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.
    6. Store leftovers airtight in the refrigerator for 3 days.

    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

    Nutrition Facts
    Healthy Chicken Carnitas
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 179 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 73mg24%
    Sodium 149mg6%
    Potassium 588mg17%
    Carbohydrates 7g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 26g52%
    Vitamin A 734IU15%
    Vitamin C 47mg57%
    Calcium 25mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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 dog head shot with toy

    More Mexican Recipes

    • Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • Chicken Fajita Quesadillas—Quick and Easy
    • Pork Tenderloin Carnitas
    • Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole—Easy and Quick

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    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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