Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas

Do you love mexican/ spanish food? If so, this recipe is for you! My family loves tacos, chip & guac, salsa, enchiladas- you name it! This healthified chicken carnita recipe was a family favorite! All of the meat was gone and my family was still hungry! I was so excited that everyone liked it! Even my 15 year old brother who hates eating healthy food liked it! That’s when I know that I have made a healthy meal that has lots of flavor! I also made homemade guac-kale-mole to go along with this, but I will make a separate post for that!

The chicken for this recipe was made in a crock pot and then broiled on high for about 5 minutes. It turned out juicy and a bit crispy on the outside! I could eat this meal at least once a week and never get sick of it! Any time I throw a meal in the crock pot and walk away for hours, I am one happy camper!

For this recipe you will need:

6 chicken breasts

Juice of 4 clementines

Juice of 2 limes

5 Cloves of Garlic- finely minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 red bell pepper- thinly sliced

1 yellow onion

Directions:

Add chicken to a crock pot and put it on the low setting. Then, add the juice from the oranges and limes. You could probably use only whole orange in place of the 4 clementine oranges, but we only have the halo oranges at my house, so I just used those. Then, add the oregano, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Next, mince the garlic and add it to the crock pot. After you do this, you can walk away for about 5 hours!

After about 5 hours, I sliced up a red bell pepper and yellow onion and tossed them in the crock pot. I like to wait to put vegetables into my crock pot because they cook much faster than meat and I hate soggy vegetables. After about an hour has passed, turn your oven onto its broil setting and transfer the chicken and vegetables to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Shred the chicken with a fork. The chicken falls apart so easily and was so tender. Next, pour any juice left over in the crockpot over the chicken in the pan. Broil it on high for 5 minutes.

While it is broiling assemble the other toppings for the tacos! I made a platter with yellow tomatoes, guac-kale-mole, salsa, shredded cheese, tortillas, and chopped lettuce for my family. I also made them a side of black beans and spanish rice, but I didn’t get any photos of those. I am not eating dairy, grains, legumes, etc. on my whole30 so I did not eat any of that, but my family likes those things to go along with their tacos.

The spread! I am going to work on getting a post up for the guac-kale-mole right after I finish this one! It was delicious and oh so creamy!

This was my plate- whole30 friendly and oh so tasty! It was basically a deconstructed taco without the shell. I am loving how my body is feeling on this whole30. I have been sleeping like a baby, have had tons of energy, and am listening to hunger cues.

Let me know if you try this recipe in the comments! Do you ever make meals for your family? I may be biased, but I think I’m the best cook in my family 😉