Smoked Chicken Carnitas
On October 04, 2021 (Updated October 24, 2023)
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Ready for a meal that is knock-your-socks-off good? These smoked chicken carnitas are savory, sweet, and tangy to please every member of the family. Take a spin on the wild side and try your carnitas with chicken instead of pork for dinner this week!
Chicken Carnitas
Now I know what you may be thinking. “Umm, excuse me? Carnitas are made from pork, not chicken!” While you are extremely correct, my well-informed friend, you can also make carnitas from shredded chicken with similar spices and seasonings.
These grilled chicken carnitas transform juicy chicken thighs into tangy, citrusy, well-seasoned shreds of deliciousness. This awesome meat is perfect in tacos, on top of salads, stuffed into burritos, or eaten straight out of the pan. Trust me, these smoky chicken carnitas are extraordinary.
Ingredients for Smoked Chicken Carnitas
The secret to these killer chicken carnitas comes from the combination of awesome flavors. Our chicken thighs are going to be braised and smoked, so it’s crucial to combine flavors that will work well together and compliment the smoky goodness of the chicken.
Here’s what you need to make these chicken carnitas. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a full recipe card!
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup fat or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 sweet onion
- 2 oranges
- 2 limes
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
Both of my seasonings can be purchased from the Hey Grill Hey Store OR you can make them from scratch! It’s totally up to you. If you plan to make them at home, check out the recipes here: Best Sweet Rub and Homemade Fiesta Rub.
How to Make Smoked Chicken Carnitas
These chicken carnitas are dying to be made, so let’s get into the process. I’ve detailed here how you can cook these in either a pellet smoker or a charcoal grill. The recipe card below includes more information about cooking these carnitas in a smoker.
- Preheat. I cooked these in my 12-inch cast iron skillet on my pellet smoker, but you can use whatever grill you have available to you. Carnitas can also be cooked in a dutch oven if you prefer that over a skillet. If you decide to cook it on a charcoal grill, toss some chunks of hickory to the charcoal for added smoky flavor.
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken on all sides with the Fiesta Rub and Sweet Rub. Melt the fat or vegetable oil in the skillet on the grill over direct heat if using a charcoal grill. If using a pellet grill, complete this step and the next one on the stovetop. Place the seasoned chicken in the skillet and brown both sides.
- Make the braise. Add bay leaves, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, and chicken stock to the skillet with the chicken. Bring to a boil.
- Smoke. Move the skillet over to the indirect heat side of the grill if using a charcoal grill, or place the skillet in your preheated pellet grill. Smoke for 1 1/2 hours.
- Finish cooking. Cover the skillet with a lid that is slightly offset and continue cooking for 1 hour.
- Shred and serve. Remove the skillet from the smoker and shred the chicken thighs in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. If you want your chicken a bit crispy on the edges, you can cook the shredded chicken in more oil before serving.
Tips for Making Chicken Carnitas
Ready to make these? Check out these tips before diving into the recipe.
- Reuse the liquid! The remaining strained braising liquid is magic if you use it to make dirty rice or added to the blender to smooth out black beans for refried beans.
- Want to make this pulled chicken birria-style? Dip your tortillas in the leftover liquid then pan fry. Fill with shredded chicken and cheese and dip the tortillas in more of the strained cooking liquid.
- Go crispy. If you want your chicken to be more crispy on the edges like the authentic pork carnitas, heat some oil in a pan after shredding and fry up that shredded chicken. Don’t go too long and dry out your chicken, but let it sizzle in the hot oil juat long enough to add some really great texture and crunch!
More Chicken Recipes
Have I converted you over to chicken carnitas yet? If so, I have a feeling you’ll love these other chicken recipes from the site. Be sure to check out that pulled chicken recipe. It’s a major favorite.
Smoked Chicken Carnitas Recipe
Now that you have all the tools to make this recipe, it’s time to dive in and give you mouth a delicious treat!
As always, Hey Grill Hey is in the business of helping you make better BBQ so you can feel like a backyard BBQ hero. If you loved this recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below!
Smoked Chicken Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup tallow, lard, bacon fat, or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub recipe in notes
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub or your favorite taco seasoning
- 8 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 sweet onion peeled and quartered
- 2 oranges quartered
- 2 limes quartered
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves optional
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker for an overall temperature of 275 degrees F.
- Season the chicken. Mix the Fiesta Rub and Sweet Rub seasonings and set half the mixture aside. Use the other half of the seasoning blend to season the chicken thighs on both sides.3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub, 1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub
- Brown the chicken. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the tallow, bacon fat, or vegetable oil to your pan and heat through. Place the thighs in the skillet and brown both sides (approximately 4-5 minutes per side). You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.¼ cup tallow, lard, bacon fat, or vegetable oil
- Make the braise. Return all browned chicken thighs to the skillet and nestle in the bay leaves, onion wedges, and crushed garlic cloves. Squeeze the juice from the limes and oranges into the pot and add a wedge or two of each citrus into the pan. Add the other half of your rub mixture. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and let it all come to a boil.1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub, 1 ½ Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Fiesta Rub
- Smoke. Move the skillet to the preheated smoker and close the lid. Smoke for 1.5 hours.
- Finish braising. Cover your pan with a lid that is offset slightly so there is a 1/2 inch vent. Close the smoker and braise for 1 hour. Your chicken thighs will be reading around 195 degrees F internally and feel very tender.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the thighs from the skillet and place them into a bowl. Strain the remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Transfer ½ cup of the cooking liquid into the bowl with the chicken thighs and shred.
- Crisp the meat. (Optional step) Heat 2 Tablespoons of tallow in a skillet and return the shredded chicken to the pan when the oil starts to ripple. Crisp the edges of the shredded chicken before serving.
- Enjoy! Serve the shredded chicken with lime wedges, onions, and avocados on grilled tortillas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instructions say to combine the two seasoning mixes, and set half aside. One half is used to season chicken prior to browning. What is the other half of the seasoning used for?
Hey, great question! You can use the rest of the seasoning on the chicken after shredding. If you want to really boost the flavor, you can add that to the braising liquid instead. Sorry for any confusion.
I have smoked more recipes from this website than I can comfortably admit, and I have to say this is in the top 3. I was a little hesitant with so few reviews, but it was absolutely exceptional. I don’t know if you ever read these, Susie, but thank you for sharing such exctraordinary recipes!
Wow oh wow oh WOW! I made these with chicken breast filets. I did all the cooking on the Traeger. They turned out magnificent. Will definitely make them again. The wife also loved them.
I easured out 1 1/2 and 1 1/2 seasoning. You say mix them together and use 1/2 for chicken set rest aside. What do i do with the other half of seasoing?
I wondered about that as well!
Was apprehensive at the ting this with chicken but decided to trust the reviews, and man I’m glad I did. This is phenomenal! I didn’t have the seasonings so I subbed adobo, HC red, some ancho powder, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Only additions I made was some crumbled bacon and some bacon salt, because… bacon. Was absolutely delicious. This will definitely go on the rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
Yum!!! I instantly knew I was going to love this recipe as soon as I started cooking! The smells are divine. The chicken was perfectly cooked and delicious. It was a fun, new way to make chicken tacos.
Excellent take on carnitas!! Excellent flavors and the chicken is so juicy! I made little street tacos with some corn tortillas, lime, avocado, and cojita cheese and they turned out amazing. I paired it with a Mexican zucchini recipe and it was a win for the entire family. My 15 mo old couldn’t get enough!