5 Ingredient Easy Chicken Carnitas Tacos
This easy recipe for chicken carnitas tacos is the best way to use up leftover or chicken or turkey! They can me made in just 15 minutes with only 5 simple ingredients.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 413kcal
Ingredients
For the Turkey or Chicken Carnitas:
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, grape seed oil or avocado oil
- 1 lb cooked and shredded chicken or turkey meat about 3 cups loosely packed
- salt (see note)
- 8 corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- white onion diced
- fresh cilantro finely chopped
For Serving (optional):
- lime wedges
- sliced avocado and/or guacamole
- hot sauce and/or salsa try my tomato salsa or salsa verde!
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- When the oil is hot (it will be shimmering), carefully add the chicken or turkey meat (see note) to the pan and spread it out into an even layer. Let it sit undisturbed for 1-2 minutes so it can develop a crust on the bottom.
- Season with salt and give it a stir. Continue cooking, giving a stir every few minutes until the meat is golden brown and crisp - about 8-10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan, allowing any excess oil to drain off.
- Warm the tortillas by briefly grilling them, toasting them over a gas flame or popping them in the oven or microwave for a minute.
- Fill the tortillas with the chicken or turkey carnitas, then top with onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, avocado, hot sauce, salsa or anything else you enjoy.
Notes
- The amount of salt needed to season your carnitas will depend on how salty your chicken or turkey meat is to start.
- When adding the meat to the pan, always place it away from your body to avoid hot oil splashing up.
- Use a cast iron or non-stick pan and make sure it's very hot.
- Let the meat sit in the pan, undisturbed for a minute or two before tossing it around. This will allow it to brown and get crisp on the bottom.
- Don't skimp on the salt, but taste the meat first to avoid over salting.
- Add different seasonings to change up the flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 2g | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 760mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
