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Carnitas Bowls

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I love a good carnitas bowl. I especially love these carnitas bowls. Tender, juicy carnitas meat atop crunchy, colorful rainbow slaw and finished off with peach pico de gallo, guacamole, and fried plantains—mmmm, sooo delicious!

The carnitas meat is cooked in the crockpot. It’s not only easy, it’s juicy and tender and packed with flavor. The peach pico de gallo, rainbow slaw, and guacamole can all be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to eat. Or, they can be made in about 30 minutes right before you eat. The plantains can be fried about 10 minutes before you eat.

Carnitas Bowls

  • 2 1/2- 3 lbs Boston Butt or pork shoulder (or, 3 lbs of chicken thighs)
  • carnitas seasoning (recipe below)
  • peach pico de gallo (recipe below)
  • rainbow slaw (recipe below)
  • guacamole (recipe below)
  • fried plantains (recipe below)
  • 4-5 radishes, sliced into matchsticks (for garnish, optional)

Carnitas seasoning:

  • 1 Tbsp granulated garlic 
  • 1 Tbsp granulated onion
  • 1 Tbsp onion flakes
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika 
  • 1 3/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp pink pepper 
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 red onion, quartered
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • Juice of 1 orange

Directions for the carnitas meat:

  1. Combine all the spices of the carnitas seasoning in a small bowl.
  2. Place the pork roast in a crockpot. Coat all sides of the pork roast with the carnitas seasoning. Squeeze the orange juice all over the roast. Sprinkle the garlic cloves and onion quarters on top.
  3. Place the cover on the crockpot and cook the pork roast on low for 8-10 hours.
  4. Once the roast is cooked, remove it from the crockpot and shred all the meat.

If you prefer to use chicken thighs instead of pork:

  1. Combine all the spices of the carnitas seasoning in a small bowl.
  2. Place the chicken thighs in a crockpot. Squeeze the orange juice all over the chicken. Evenly sprinkle the carnitas seasoning all over the chicken. Scatter the garlic cloves and onion quarters on top.
  3. Place the cover on the crockpot and cook the chicken thighs on low for 6 hours.
  4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the crockpot and shred all the meat.

Peach Pico de Gallo

  • 3 medium peaches, pealed (You can use 10 oz. frozen peaches that have been thawed, or, mangos instead of peaches.)
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2-1 jalapeño pepper (according to your preference)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions for the peach pico de gallo:

  1. Chop the peaches (or mango) and onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Add them to a medium bowl.
  2. Mince the garlic and add it to the peaches and onions.
  3. Split the jalapeño pepper lengthwise and remove the seeds. Finely chop the jalapeño pepper and add it to the rest of the vegetables.
  4. Sprinkle the lime juice and sea salt over the peach pico de gallo and mix until well combined.

Rainbow Slaw

  • 1/4 head Nappa or Savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pink pepper
  • 3/4 cup Peach Pico de Gallo (recipe above)

Directions for the rainbow slaw:

  1. Place the cabbages and carrots in a large bowl.
  2. Drizzle the avocado oil all over the veggies. Sprinkle the onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and pink pepper over the veggies and give them a toss.
  3. Add the peach pico de gallo and stir until well combined.

Guacamole

  • 2 avocados 
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
  • juice of 1 lime

Directions for the guacamole:

  1. Slice open the avocados, remove the pit, and place the avocado flesh in a medium bowl.
  2. Smash the avocados with a large fork until the avocados are chunky.
  3. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the avocados.
  4. Add the lime juice and salt. Smash and mix everything together until the guacamole is the consistency you like.

Fried Plantains

  • 2 yellow plantains
  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • sea salt

Directions for the fried plantains:

  1. In a medium pan over medium heat, heat the avocado oil.
  2. Peel the plantains and cut them on a diagonal into  3/4 inch thick slices.
  3. Add the plantain slices to the pan and cook each side until the plantains are brown and crisp (about 3 minutes per side).
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Directions to assemble the Carnitas Bowls:

  1. Scoop 2-3 spoonfuls of the rainbow slaw onto a plate, or, pasta bowl.
  2. Add a couple of generous spoonfuls of the carnitas meat.
  3. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of peach pico de gallo and guacamole.
  4. Garnish with radish matchsticks if desired.
  5. Finish off with a few fried plantain slices.
  6. Serve and enjoy!