Smoked Chicken Carnitas
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!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup chicken tallow or 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 lime 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 chicken tallow
- 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
Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 326mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 1241mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 6mg