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Easy Crispy Carnitas Tacos with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Avocado. Slow-cooked pork seasoned with smoky chipotle chilies and dried spices. Then braised with fresh orange juice, lime juice, and enchilada sauce until caramelized and falling apart. Shred the meat, then stuff it into hard taco shells with cheese. Bake the tacos in the oven until they’re crispy and cheesy. Each taco is crunchy, a little spicy, and so cheesy inside. Serve with creamy, salty, roasted jalapeño lime avocado mash, plus a mix of your favorite toppings. These come together easily and are so delicious. The perfect crispy tacos that everyone loves!
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Ingredients
- Chicken thighs/ breasts or pork
- Chipotle peppers in adobo
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Kosher Salt and black pepper
- Fresh orange juice
- Fresh lime juice
- Red enchilada sauce
- 12 hard shell tacos
- Shredded Mexican cheese
- Roasted Jalapeño Lime Avocado
- Roasted Jalapeño lime avocado
- jalapeño peppers
- Avocados diced
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Lime juice
Kitchen Supplies
- oven safe Dutch oven
- crockpot or instant pot
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- airtight container
I think you all know by now that we love tacos in my family. The long, short story is simply that my brothers and I grew up eating my dad’s crispy tacos at least once and sometimes twice a week. They were easy for him to make, and we loved them.
My dad always made his tacos with beef, then he would stuff the meat into hard shells with cheese. The unique thing that he did was melt the cheese in the oven. It’s completely delicious and my personal favorite way to enjoy any kind of taco.
I’ve made many beef tacos, chicken tacos, and even cauliflower tacos, but the one meat I’ve neglected a bit is pork. That is until today!
These are my take on carnitas tacos. Carnitas, translated, means little meats. They’re Mexican slow-cooked pork that’s seasoned with spices. The meat is shredded and used for tacos, burritos, or served over rice.
Because pork has a high fat, the meat always comes out juicy and delicious.
You can make my carnitas using either the oven or the crockpot. Either way, the recipe is so easy and, of course, so delicious.
These are the details
Step 1: season the pork
My go-to seasoning blend is canned chipotle chilies in adobo, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, and salt.
I then add enchilada sauce, which is not traditional, but I like to use it for a bit of extra flavor and sauce!
Step 2: slow-cook the meat
You can braise the meat in the oven or use the crockpot. Both methods are almost identical and equally delicious.
Arrange the meat in a large Dutch oven, then toss with all those yummy seasonings. Add orange juice, lime juice, and enchilada sauce, then water. Slow braise the meat for 2-3 hours in the oven or 5 hours in the crockpot. As the meat is slowly cooking, the braising liquid turns into a yummy red sauce. Save this sauce for serving alongside your crispy tacos.
Step 3: shred the meat
When the roast is falling apart, remove it from the pot and shred the meat.
Then toss with some of the sauce left in the pot.
Step 4: the crispy shells
Instead of using store-bought taco shells, I like to take corn tortillas and stuff them with the meat and cheese. I throw them into the oven to bake until the tortillas are crispy.
This method is my favorite, and I use it every time I make tacos for my family. We love the crispy oven “fried” shells and melty cheese. It’s the best when some of the cheese melts out onto the pan and gets crispy too. Delicious.
You can easily use store-bought hard taco shells as well. When I’m crunched for time, I often will too!
Step 5: the jalapeño lime avocado
Roasted jalapeños mixed with avocado, cilantro, lime, and sea salt. It’s not fancy, but it’s so good! Great for scooping up with chips too!
Serve up the avocado on each taco, then add whatever other toppings you love most. I always recommend a pineapple salsa or mango salsa. I love a good fruity salsa. And don’t forget the leftover red sauce in the pot. It’s so good, so use it for dipping!
Looking for more simple weeknight recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos
Crispy Cider Braised White Chili Chicken Tacos
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Lastly, if you make these Crispy Carnitas Tacos with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Avocado, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Carnitas Tacos with Roasted Jalapeño Lime Avocado
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds pork butt, or 6 chicken thighs/breasts
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 12 hard shell tacos, (see notes for homemade)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Roasted Jalapeño Lime Avocado
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. Arrange the pork in a large, oven-safe Dutch oven. Add the chipotle chiles, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, and salt. Rub the roast all over with the spices. Pour over the orange juice, lime juice, enchilada sauce, and 1 cup water. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until very tender.3. Crank the heat on the oven up to 425° F. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes, until deeply caramelized on top. Remove the meat from the pot and shred it.4. Line the unfilled taco shells up in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Stuff the pork into each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.5. Meanwhile, roast the jalapeños alongside the tacos or char them over an open flame using a gas burner. Once charred, remove some of the charred skin, and if desired, de-seed, then chop. Mix the jalapeños with the avocado, cilantro, and lime – season with salt and lightly mash. 6. Serve the tacos topped with cilantro, avocado, and any braising liquid left in the pan. I also love to serve with mango salsa.
Crockpot
- 1. Arrange the pork in bottom of the crockpot bowl. Add the chipotle chiles, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, and salt. Rub the roast all over with the spices. Pour over the orange juice, lime juice, enchilada sauce, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.2. Remove the meat from the crockpot and shred it using two forks.3. Line the unfilled taco shells up in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Stuff the pork into each taco shell and top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.4. Meanwhile, roast the jalapeños alongside the tacos or char them over an open flame using a gas burner. Once charred, remove some of the charred skin, and if desired, de-seed, then chop. Mix the jalapeños with the avocado, cilantro, and lime – season with salt and lightly mash. 5. Serve the tacos topped with cilantro, avocado, and any braising liquid left in the pan. I also love to serve with mango salsa.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
WOW! Delish and a big hit at our house! Loved this recipe and it wasn’t too difficult. I baked the pork and it was perfect! I used mango salsa on the side and it was a great addition…thank you as always, for your delicious and creative recipes! Makes me excited about cooking again!
Hi Gracie,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
Delicious meal, everyone in my family enjoyed. I was worried that 2 chipotle peppers would be too much for me, but the flavour and heat were perfect.
Hey Tasha,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I accidentally ended up getting a bone-in pork butt. Is there anything I should change with the cooking time/temp? Thank you!
Hi Ashley,
My guess is you are going to need to add 1-2 hours to your cook time. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
OMG OMG OMG this is the best! Prepared in the oven, followed your directions to a T and this is now on the top 5 recipes we have tried- Pork was fork tender and the cilantro,avocado, lime juice topping was the “frosting on the cake”- hubby said”she hit it out of the ball park” !!!
Hey Jennifer,
Yay!! So glad to hear that this recipe was such a hit, thanks so much for making it! xT
It’s more a quesadilla than a taco. In order to get the tortillas & cheese to look like the photo (pay that person more) I had to broil it all for a bit. Flavor of the carnitas is great. I recommend more than 2 chipotle peppers & I definitely recommend longer time in the crockpot. After 5 hours on low, it still wouldn’t shred as easily as when I’ve done other carnitas recipes for longer. I also recommend putting the meat (after it’s been shredded) on a baking dish & sticking it in the broiler to crisp it up before assembling the tacos. Overall, delicious flavors, several adjustments needed, but good enough where I will incorporate some elements into future dishes.
Hi Liz,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your notes:) Glad to hear it was enjoyed overall. I take all of my photos:) Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
I made these with pork and did it in the crockpot. So flavorful. I used OJ rather than fresh since it’s all I had on hand. I omitted the oregano because I didn’t have any. I also did the “homemade” hard shells using the corn tortillas. My family loved them. I will definitely make again.
Hey Kristen,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend:) xT
How would you make this using an instant pot?
Hi Shelby,
You could do 20 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
What temp do you cook the homemade corn hard shells at ? I made some but they came out kind of chewy….
Hi Donna,
You will want to bake those at 350F. If they are chewy, you can allow them to bake a touch longer until they are crispy. I hope this helps! xT
Ok so do you cook the chicken the same time and temp as the pork ??
Hey Erica,
You bet! You can follow the recipe as written for both the pork and the chicken:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
For the crock pot, do you have to cut up the pork meat before putting in the crock pot or just whole? Also, you don’t have to brown the pork meat before putting into the crock pot?
Hey Em,
You can put the pork meat into the crockpot whole:) You absolutely do not need to brown the meat, but it never hurts if you want to take that extra step! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
It lists enchilada sauce but doesnt say where to use it.
I saw it…first step…pour it over the pork/chicken to cook – the enchilada sauce….with orange/lime juices, spices, chillies etc
Or 2nd step rather! 1st step is preheat oven🤣
Add enchilada sauce step 2 for oven, step 1 for crock pot!
It wasn’t there when she first posted the recipe. Thankfully she’s now corrected it! 🙂
Hi Cindy,
Sorry for any confusion, you are going to add the enchilada sauce in step 2 with the orange juice. Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
When do you add the enchilada sauce?
Hi Teresa,
You are going to add the enchilada sauce in step 2 with the orange juice:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
Hi Tieghan,
If using chicken thighs ( I presume they are deboned?) do I cook them for the same length of time as the pork?
Thanks Claire
Hi Claire,
You bet, you can keep the recipe as written:) I hope you love these tacos! xx
Looks
Delicious! Not seeing where the enchilada sauce come in with the instructions. Am I missing that?
Hi Kelly,
Sorry about that! You are going to add the enchilada sauce with the orange juice:) I hope you love this dish! xT
Your ingredient list has chicken thighs or breast listed. Your instructions say, arrange pork in a Dutch oven.
Hi Christina,
You can use chicken or pork for this recipe:) So either 2-3 pounds of pork butt or 6 chicken thighs/breasts. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Agreed. There is no way you roast chicken thighs for 3 hours.