Let me introduce you to my new favorite way to eat chicken – crispy chicken carnitas from your pressure cooker. Bear with me while I’m having this moment of carnitas insanity, and if it’s not too much to ask, have this moment with me, won’t you? It all starts with crispy shredded chicken that we’ve pressure cooked, then shredded and broiled for a hot second, so the chicken gets nice and crispy on the outside but stays tender and juicy on the inside. We then tuck it into warm, white corn tortillas and move on to the topping possibilities. There’s just something about simple toppings that do it with these. Diced onions and chopped cilantro are really all this needs. And chipotle sauce. Because sauce makes the world a better place! And while we’re on the topic of tacos, may I just add that friends don’t count chicken carnitas tacos. As in, if you were to come over for dinner tonight, in no way would I judge the number of warm homemade flour tortillas you stuffed full of these chicken carnitas and then proceeded to consume in one sitting. No ma’am. Friends don’t count tacos. Friends make sure there are plenty of tortillas around for you to load up with chicken, sauce, toppings, and repeat. Heck, you can even turn them into carnitas nachos with a little guacamole action. Please and thank you. It’s a little outrageous how simple these are to make, and the possibilities are endless. Having a big batch of these chicken carnitas in the fridge or freezer is perfect for quick meals throughout the week. I’m so over the moon about these right now; can you tell?
Crispy chicken carnitas (1 min):
Ingredients for chicken carnitas:
Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts. I prefer to use chicken breasts because I prefer white meat, but my dark meat lovers would undoubtedly enjoy this more with dark meat.Seasonings: You’ll need quite a few seasonings from your spice drawer! Grab some ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper. These spices give the carnitas so much flavor. You’ll also need a sprinkle of garlic powder if you’re making the chipotle sauce.Citrus: You’ll need orange zest and orange juice as well as some lime juice for the chicken marinade. We’ll cook the chicken carnitas in a mixture of citrus and chicken broth to give it the most flavor.Chicken broth: You’ll need 1/4 cup chicken broth to cook the chicken in the pressure cooker. The combination of orange, lime, and chicken stock gives the carnitas a delicious flavor.Onions: adding a quartered onion to the pot provides more flavor. The onions cook in the liquid and break down in a soft texture as they pressure cook.Chipotle peppers: we’ll need a couple of chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce. These add a smoky flavor to the chicken. You will also need a bit more if you’re going to make the spicy chipotle sauce for bowls or tacos.Bay leaf: Grab a dried bay leaf; we’ll toss this in with the other ingredients for the chicken.Oil: We’ll sear the chicken in the oil before pressure cooking it. Use avocado oil or any other you usually use in your kitchen.Cilantro: Add a handful of cilantro as the chicken cooks. This just adds additional flavor to the dish.Mayonnaise: If you’re making the chipotle sauce for tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas or nachos!
Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
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Mexican Street Corn Chicken TacosBlackened Shrimp Tacos with Smashed AvocadosGotta Have ‘Em Ancho Chicken Street TacosMarinated Mojo Steak Tacos with GuacamoleBig Batch Homemade Taco Seasoning
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nutritional facts for 1/8th of the recipe and is only for the meat.
Leftover chipotle peppers/adobo sauce can be kept in a zip-top bag in the freezer!
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