Tacos de Carnitas with Chive Pesto ( Carnitas Tacos Recipe )

Street style pollo Tacos de Carnitas, or chicken carnitas tacos with a green chive pesto and mango salsa. 

Who doesn’t need a good carnitas tacos recipe in their life, right ? 

Good thing I already posted the recipe for the healthy chicken carnitas, and even better that i usually double up that recipe with plenty of the orange sauce to keep them moist. Because honestly, having extra carnitas in the fridge really makes taco Tuesday the favorite day of the week. 

This is what a typical taco night looks like at the shack. Tacos de Carnitas everywhere, and it is easier than you might think, plus it makes everyone happy !

I harvested the chives from one of my containers and buzzed up a favorite pesto with toasted pepitas, olive oil and lime. Forget about it, I actually get the BatMan to eat onions this way, he thinks the green sauce is bomb and has no clue what it is. I hope you are all super proud of me Teehheehee 

So when dinner time rolls around, all I need to do is throw my carnitas under the broiler for a few minutes, charr up the tortillas and maybe dice up some mangos for an easy fruity salsa. I love adding a little touch of fruit on top, it works really beautifully with these carnitas tacos but totally optional. The chive pesto is exquisite by itself.

The most fun part: You can set up a Tacos de Carnitas bar and get the entire family involved with little chores. The BatMan is usually in charge of charring the tortillas and assembling the ultimate Tacos de Carnitas like a Boss. Meanwhile I buzz up the chive pesto and dice up the salsa If i haven’t done it the day before. Really fun times if you ask me, unless yours truly burns the last of the tortillas..Sigh…I’ve done it too many times.

Let’s talk Queso fresco! Tacos de Carnitas are supposed to be about the carnitas, juicy, flavorful and dripping with that green chive pesto sauce. That being said, and tough I left it out of the photos, a little Quesito never hurt no-one, so sprinkle some all over your carnitas tacos bar like a boss ! 

Just as I am typing today’s post i had a Lightbulb moment ! Note to Self: make a huge pot of chicken carnitas and freeze them in smaller servings so we can have Tacos de Carnitas any day of the week with minimal effort. 

One more thing: If chives aren’t your thing, which I’ll be honest I couldn’t comprehend why, but whatevers, your life your choices; in that  exceptional case, you can make a large batch of this best chimichurri to drizzle over your Tacos de Carnitas instead.

I really wouldn’t want you to miss out on Carnitas Tacos night because a silly chives conflict ya know … ~ Florentina xo’s 

5 from 1 vote

Tacos de Carnitas with Chive Pesto ( Carnitas Tacos Recipe )

Street style pollo Tacos de Carnitas, or chicken carnitas tacos with a green chive pesto and mango salsa.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr

Total Time:1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 batch of this chicken carnitas recipe
• 12 Mini corn tortillas
• 1/3 c Cilantro leaves for garnish

For the Chive Pesto

• 1 bunch chives
• 1/4 c toasted pepitas
• 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice + more to taste
• Sea salt to taste

For the Mango Salsa

• 1 inch large mango diced into 1/2 pieces
• 1 green chile pepper diced
• 1/4 c cilantro leaves roughly chopped
• 1/4 c red onion diced
• 1 large lime juiced
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Prepare your chicken carnitas in advance according to this tried and true healthy carnitas recipe ! Crisp them up under the broiler for a few minutes to your liking.
• Meanwhile make the chive pesto. Process the chives, pepitas, olive oil and lime juice to the bowl of a mini food processor until smooth but still with a little bit of texture. Transfer to a bowl and season to your taste with sea salt and more lime juice if desired. Set aside until ready to use.
• Make the mango salsa by tossing together the diced mango, red onion, cilantro and green chile pepper with the lime juice. Season to taste with sea salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Charr the tortillas on open flame on the stove top, making sure to watch them carefully and not burn down the house.
• Assemble your Tacos de Carnitas by placing some of the crisped up chicken carnitas on top of each tortilla, drizzle with the green chive pesto and a spoon of the mango salsa. Enjoy !

Course: Main

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: 6

Author: Florentina

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