Tex-Mex Carnitas Mac and Cheese - Texas Recipe Workbook (2024)

There can be no better combination than creamy mac and cheese mixed with fresh roasted Hatch green chiles, topped with lightly crisped but meltingly tender carnitas.

That is unless you’re on a diet, but let’s not talk about that right now.

Roasting Your Green Chiles

You don’t need an open fire to roast green chiles, although the smokiness the fire adds makes them taste even better. They taste great roasted in your home oven.

It also makes your house smell amazing.

Just roast them on high under your broiler with the rack in it’s highest position. Turn them over after they’ve turned black and roast the opposite side.

To make them easy to peel, put them in a heat-proof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap to allow them to steam.

Once they’ve cooled enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin, then tear off the stem, and remove the seed pod along with any stray seeds.

You can run them under cool water to help remove some of the seeds. Just don’t run them under the water too long. You’ll wash some of the flavor away along with the seeds.

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Making Carnitas

There are as many methods to make carnitas as there are cooks.

This method is my preferred method when I want them super tender and slightly crispy. It does require some patience, though.

They need to cook long enough that the fat layers, in-between the layers of meat, liquifies. If you get impatient, the fat layer will come out gelatinous and might be off-putting to some of your guests.

Just brown them well, being very careful not to be popped or splattered by the cooking fat. If it’s popping too much, lower your heat a bit.

Additionally, a splatter screen helps if you want to avoid making a big mess.

Once your carnitas are sufficiently browned, add the braising liquid (chicken stock in this case) and the rest of your ingredients, then cover and simmer on low for about an hour and a half.

After they’re done braising, remove the lid and discard the bits of orange. Then turn the heat to medium-high and boil until all of the liquid evaporates.

You’ll know all the liquid is gone when you see the solids separate from the rendered fat from the pork. Now, you want to fry, continually stirring, until the pork pieces are crispy on the outside.

Before topping your mac and cheese, remove them from the pot, then break them up into small pieces with a couple of forks. Don’t completely shred them, though. That’ll toughen them up.

Cooking Your Macaroni and Cheese

The steps for the macaroni and cheese in this recipe is a classic preparation.

The critical thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure that your noodles are fully cooked. If you cook themal dentethey can pull all of the moisture out of your cheese sauce and make it gummy.

Don’t over-cook your macaroni either, though. Just a minute or two past the instructions on the package for al dente pasta should suffice.