Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
You'll be amazed at the speed and ease of making these Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas Tacos. It’s the ultimate shortcut to crispy, delicious carnitas flavored with lime, spices, garlic, and orange juice.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth, or beer
- ¼ cup orange juice, no pulp, freshly squeezed if possible
- ¼ cup lime juice
- low carb flour tortillas, for serving
- fresh chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Lightly pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken breasts.
- Press the Saute function on the Instant Pot and add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken breasts to the heated olive oil and brown on both sides. You will have to do this in batches; do not try to sear all chicken breasts at once. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add the diced onions to the Instant Pot; if needed, add the rest of the olive oil. Cook the onions for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth and deglaze the bottom of the Pot while stirring. Add in the orange juice and lime juice; bring to a simmer.
- Return the chicken to the Instant Pot. Cover and set to Pressure Cook on High for 10 minutes (12 minutes for chicken thighs). Then, do a Natural Pressure Release.
- Remove the lid and transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Shred the chicken.
- Set your oven to BROIL and line a baking sheet with foil; lightly grease it with cooking spray.
- Once the chicken is shredded, spread it out on the baking sheet.
- Remove ¼ cup of the liquid from the Instant Pot and add it to the chicken; stir to combine.
- Broil the chicken for 5 minutes; stir. Continue to broil for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving in tacos, quesadillas, over nachos, etc.
Video
Notes
- Chicken Variety: Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, but you'll have to cook them a couple of minutes longer.
- Spices: Don’t hesitate to tweak the spice mix to suit your taste. Adding a touch of smoked paprika or chipotle can elevate the flavor.
- Rest: Allow the chicken to rest a bit before shredding; it helps retain the juices.
- Broiling: Don’t skip the broiling step if you like crispy meat.
- Toppings: Offer toppings like sliced avocados, pico de gallo, sour cream, or cheese to customize the tacos.
- Tortillas: Warm the tortillas before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It makes an excellent filling for quesadillas or topping for salads the next day.
Nutrition
Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 430mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
