If you love tender, flavorful chicken with crispy, browned edges, these Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas are worth adding to your dinner rotation. The chicken cooks slowly with garlic, onion, chipotle, cumin, chili powder, and lime until it’s tender enough to shred with a fork. Then comes the best part: the shredded chicken gets a quick trip under the broiler to create those irresistible crispy edges.
The combination of tender and crispy is what makes these chicken carnitas so good. Slow cooking gives the chicken plenty of time to absorb the smoky, savory flavors of the spices and cooking liquid. Broiling the shredded chicken afterward adds texture and concentrates those flavors, while a generous squeeze of fresh lime brings everything together with a bright, fresh finish.
A slow cooker makes most of the work easy. Add the chicken and seasonings to the slow cooker, let everything cook until the chicken is tender, and then shred it. If you’re making slow cooker chicken recipes regularly, a large slow cooker is especially useful for recipes like this one because you can make a generous batch for family dinners, taco nights, or meal prep.
Once the chicken is shredded, spread it on a baking sheet and broil it until the edges begin to brown and crisp. Tossing the chicken with some of the reserved cooking juices between rounds of broiling keeps the meat flavorful and juicy instead of letting it dry out. Here are some good accompaniments for this recipe Classic Mexican Guacamole and if you like spicy: Chile de Arbol Salsa.
These chicken carnitas are incredibly versatile. Serve them in tacos or burritos, pile them onto a salad, use them in enchiladas, or simply add your favorite toppings and enjoy. They also make excellent leftovers and can be frozen for later. Serve with Spanish Rice and Cheesy Refried Bean Casserole for a complete meal.
If you’re looking for an easy make-ahead chicken recipe with big flavor and plenty of crispy texture, these slow cooker chicken carnitas are a great choice.
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Slow Cooker Crispy Chicken Carnitas
- Total Time: 4:45
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4–5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 bottle beer or chicken stock
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2–4 fresh limes, for serving
Instructions
- Add the chicken, beer, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Gently toss to combine.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Once the chicken is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and grease one large baking sheet with cooking spray. Use a fork to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, spreading the chicken in an even layer and leaving the juices behind in the slow cooker. Don’t discard the juices, we’re going to use them later!
- Place one sheet under the broiler, 2 racks down from the very top, and broil for about 5-6 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken begin browning and crisping up.
- Remove the sheet from the oven, then ladle about 1/2 cup of the juices from the slow cooker evenly over the chicken, and then give it a good toss with some tongs so that the chicken is evenly coated with the juices.
- Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/2 cup of broth over the crispy chicken. Broil for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove sheet from the oven, and toss chicken with the remaining broth. Then drizzle with however much fresh lime juice you’d like, and toss once more to combine.
- Serve immediately with limes in tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever sounds good to you! This chicken can also be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: :15
- Cook Time: 4:30
- Category: Entree
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican