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Crispy Chicken carnitas are made in the instant pot or pressure cooker, so they’re quick and easy! We crisp them up in the broiler and serve them wrapped in tortillas, served as burritos, or in rice bowls. They are perfect to meal prep and enjoy for the week!
Let me introduce you to my new favorite way to eat chicken – crispy chicken carnitas from your pressure cooker.
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. 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. 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 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.
Having a big batch of these chicken carnitas in the fridge or freezer is perfect for quick meals throughout the week.
I made this divine recipe for my family tonight, and it is one of the most scrumptious and perfect meals I’ve ever made. It’s fresh, tasty, and tangy and you can eat it forever and never feel like you’re sinning. My kids and wife absolutely raved about it and rated it one of their favorite meals ever. This one is a keeper!
Crispy chicken carnitas (1 min):
Ingredients for chicken carnitas:
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts. I use breasts because I prefer white meat, but 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 ¼ 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 then 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; then 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. Then, finish the tacos by sprinkling with a little cilantro too!
- Mayonnaise: If you’re making the chipotle sauce for tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas or nachos!
Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
- Make the seasoning mix. Start by combining the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the chicken breasts, taking care to season both sides.
- Sear the chicken. Heat a swish of oil in the instant pot. Then add the chicken breast and sear on both sides. This helps the spices bloom in the hot oil and allows the chicken to develop a light crust on the outside. Remove the chicken thighs or breasts to a plate.
- Sear the aromatics. Add the onions and garlic to the instant pot and give it a quick saute to help release the flavor of the onion and the garlic cloves.
- Pressure cook. Then add the chicken back into the pressure cooker along with chipotle peppers and some of that adobo sauce, a bay leaf, a handful of cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth mixture. Place the lid and start the pressure cooker. Once done, turn the knob for a quick pressure release.
- Shred the chicken once it’s cool enough to handle. Do this in a kitchen aid mixer or you can use two forks and shred it. Save the liquid, we’ll use it before broiling the chicken.
- Broil. Spread the shredded chicken out onto a sheet pan and drizzle a little oil over the chicken so that the broiler makes the outside of the chicken carnitas extra crispy. It’ll go into the oven for a total of 10 minutes; make sure to stop halfway and give it a toss with tongs. Finally, sprinkle with a little cilantro when it’s hot out of the oven!
FAQs about this recipe
Typically carnitas are made with pork, aka pork carnitas. But considering not everyone eats pork, chicken is a decent substitute when you want to enjoy carnitas!
There are a number of ways to server chicken carnitas. You can make burrito bowls, serve them over tortilla chips for homemade carnitas nachos, in corn or flour tortillas, or if you’re looking for low carb high protein options, make sweet potato boats loaded with shredded chicken. Serve topped with salsas or anything else you like!
Though I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker, I feel you could easily sear the chicken in a skillet, then transfer to a slow cooker and let it look low and slow for 3-4 hours or until the chicken is easily shreddable with two forks.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Smashed Avocados
- Gotta Have ‘Em Ancho Chicken Street Tacos
- Marinated Mojo Steak Tacos with Guacamole
- Big Batch Homemade Taco Seasoning
Crispy Chicken Carnitas (Pressure Cooker)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder such as ancho or chipotle
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano preferably Mexican oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup orange juice plus the zest of 1 orange
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 5 cloves garlic pressed or chopped
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 1-2 chipotle pepper 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ bunch of cilantro stems included
- 2 tablespoons oil plus more
For the Chipotle Sauce:
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon milk or nondairy milk
- 1-2 chipotle peppers + 1 tablespoons adobo sauce
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch garlic powder
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Combine the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the seasons over the chicken breasts on both sides.
- Heat the instant pot on the sauté setting. Add a quick swish of oil and sear the chicken breasts on both sides for a minute on each side. Do this in batches so the chicken sears rather than steaming. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the onions and pressed garlic, let cook 2 minutes flipping as needed to brown all sides evenly.
- Add the chicken back into the pressure cooker along with the orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, whole chipotle pepper(s), adobo sauce, bay leaf, and cilantro. Cover the instant pot and let pressure cook on the 'chicken' setting for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast. Prepare the chipotle sauce while you wait for the chicken to cook. Allow the pressure to release naturally or turn to the 'vent' setting. Allow it to vent completely before removing the lid.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to the 'broiler' setting. Remove the chicken breast to a clean surface and shred the chicken using 2 forks. Place in a large bowl and drizzle ¼ cup of cooking liquid over the shredded chicken and toss to coat. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the surface of a baking sheet. Add the chicken and drizzle the second tablespoon of oil on top. Stir to coat evenly.
- Broil the chicken for 10-12 minutes stopping half way to toss the chicken and drizzle another 1-2 tablespoons of cooking liquid. Rotate the pan for even broiling.
For the Chipotle Sauce:
- While the chicken is pressure cooking, add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
- Leftover chipotle peppers/adobo sauce can be kept in a zip-top bag in the freezer!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
How much salt and pepper is needed for the chicken? Thanks
Hi Siam! I typically use 1 ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper for this recipe, but feel free to adjust it to your liking!
Delish…made for. Christmas dinner. First thing gone off buffet
Hi, I want to finally leave a little comment. This has been my go to taco recipe for years, YEARS! I blow everyone away with this recipe, and my family eats it at least twice a month, if not more. I’ve done it with both chicken or pork. I pair it with a lime cilantro slaw.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I now complain about most tacos that I buy BC mine at home are way better.
These crispy chicken carnitas sound absolutely irresistible! The perfect balance of tender, juicy chicken with that crispy texture—yes, please! And the endless ways to enjoy them? Tacos, burritos, rice bowls… I’m in! Definitely adding this to my meal prep rotation. Thanks for the delicious inspiration!
This was delicious! I had a very quiet table. I didn’t have lime juice, so I substituted lime with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. I changed the “sauce” directions. I took the remaining liquids from the instant pot, added the 1/2 c of mayo, added the remaining 1/2 bunch of cilantro then put everything into a blended. It was amazing! Thank you for this recipe.
Hi! I’m looking forward to making this but confused by what you mean “chicken” setting on the IP? Mine doesn’t have that option..
Hi there! You can use the high pressure setting for the same amount of time, and it should work just fine!
I make this recipe all the time and it’s amazing. One question: I never keep milk around, so whenever I make this recipe, I buy a small container and the rest gets wasted. Any suggestions for a sub for the milk? Thanks! Making it again tonight!
Made this at a friend’s house – brought my Instant Pot because I’m trying to get used to cooking with it – and she said ”makes me want to buy an Instant Pot”!
Success.
I’ve had this one rotation for a few years!( I also do it in the crock pot rather than the IP – it works). I only cut down on the spices bc I have littles but it’s a huge hit every time! I usually make lime cilantro rice and street corn and serve on tostadas. It’s a go-to when we have company.
Could I make this ahead of time (feeding a crowd) and broil later?
What can I substitute for Chipotles and Adobo Sauce? Family members hate that smoky flavor and it’s not traditionally a Carnitas flavor. I’m not a big fan either.
Any suggestions?
First time making this, and it was a hit. I literally can’t stop eating it. My kid, who barely eats anything, had seconds.
This is a family favorite. I use chicken or pork tenderloin. Both are excellent. As usual, a great recipe from this blog!
This recipe is delicious! Turned out crispy and the sauce has a mild spice which tastes great. I dipped my corn tortillas in the leftover juice and crisped them up in a pan with the chicken, cheese and chipotle sauce. Might have found a new regular recipe
This recipe is really good and very easy to make! The chipotle sauce is killer! I served it on tostada’s with refried beans and crumbled queso fresco. Definitely going to be making this again very soon!