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two small corn tortillas filled with coarse cooked shredded chicken with browned crisp edges, finely diced white onion and tiny chopped cilantro on an ordinary plate, with no salsa, cabbage, cheese or garnish sprigs
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Chicken Carnitas Tacos

Orange, onion and oregano season these chicken tacos without a jar of salsa verde, and a short broil puts browned edges on the slow-cooked thigh meat. Keep the shreds fairly coarse. Fine threads can dry before they color. Moisten the chicken with a measured portion of its juices before it goes under the broiler, then fill warm corn tortillas with the crisp-edged meat, onion and cilantro instead of letting it sit on the pan while you prepare the toppings.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 large white onion half sliced and half finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 12 small corn tortillas
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Method
 

  1. Place sliced onion and garlic in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add chicken, orange juice, lime juice, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until chicken reaches 165°F and pulls apart easily. Transfer meat to a board and discard the bay leaf.
  3. Heat the broiler. Shred chicken coarsely and spread on a rimmed sheet pan, then toss with oil and 1/3 cup of the defatted cooking juices.
  4. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 4 to 6 minutes, turn the meat in broad sections and broil for 2 to 3 minutes more until some edges brown without drying the centers.
  5. Warm tortillas in a dry skillet for about 30 seconds per side in batches. Fill each with chicken and divide diced onion and chopped cilantro evenly over the 12 tacos, serving 2 per person.