Cannabis Infused Chicken Carnitas Tacos with Salsa Fresca and Chipotle Lime Crema

Cannabis Infused Chicken Carnitas Tacos

Welcome, friends. Some of the best food on earth comes in a corn tortilla. That’s not an opinion, that’s just a fact, and today we’re making it even better.

This episode I’m sharing a recipe for cannabis infused chicken carnitas tacos, complete with salsa fresca, chipotle lime crema, and pickled red onion. The recipe comes from Chef Adam Vandermay of Your Canna Chef, who was kind enough to share it with me as part of a beta test he’s been running for an infused home meal delivery kit. I had the chance to try this one out firsthand, and I will say, it did not disappoint.

Adam has been a professional chef for 25 years, a longtime Bite Me listener, and a familiar face in the Bite Me Cannabis Club. He’s also a competitor from So You Think You Can Cook With Cannabis Ontario Edition, which, when you taste this recipe, tracks completely. He only recently started his culinary cannabis journey, made a lot of mistakes along the way (his words), and has been doing the research and the cooking and the conversations to get it right. This recipe is the result of that work.

Listen to this episode:

The Recipe: Cannabis Infused Chicken Carnitas Tacos

Before you cook, do the math. This recipe uses THC-infused tomato paste as the primary infusion point, with optional infused olive oil if you want to increase the potency. Use the free Bite Me Dosage Calculator before your first batch to figure out milligrams per serving based on your flower’s potency. Don’t skip this step.

Yield: 4 servings | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 20 min

Ingredients

Chicken Carnitas

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
• Fajita spice blend
• Powdered chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons THC-infused tomato paste
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon infused olive oil (optional, for extra potency)

Salsa Fresca

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Lime Crema

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Pickled Red Onion

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Serving

• Corn tortillas (6–8)

Instructions

1. Start the pickled onion. Thinly slice your red onion and put it in a bowl. Add the white wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Massage it all together by hand for about a minute to start softening the onion. Set it aside while you prep everything else. The longer it sits, the better it gets.

2. Make the chipotle lime crema. Whisk together the sour cream, chipotle powder, lime juice and zest, and a pinch of salt. Taste it. Add an extra squeeze of lime if you want it brighter. Stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

3. Prep and cook the chicken. Pat your chicken dry. In a bowl, mix together the fajita spice blend, powdered chicken stock, THC-infused tomato paste, lime zest and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. If you’re using infused olive oil to boost the potency, add it here. Coat your chicken thoroughly in the mixture, then cook in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until done through, about 6 to 8 minutes per side depending on thickness. Shred or chop into pieces.

4. Make the salsa fresca. While the chicken is cooking, combine the diced tomatoes, scallions, seeded jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and let it sit so the flavors can come together.

5. Warm the tortillas. Heat your corn tortillas in a dry pan, 30 seconds per side, or wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Whatever method you have available works fine.

6. Assemble and eat. Build your tacos: chicken first, then salsa fresca, pickled red onion, and a generous drizzle of that chipotle lime crema. Eat immediately.

A Recipe That Actually Wants to Be Swapped

One of the things I appreciate most about this one is how flexible it is. You don’t have to use chicken if that’s not your thing. The THC infusion works through the tomato paste and optional olive oil, so whatever protein you choose still carries the dose.

• Pork: Tender shredded pork for the full classic carnitas experience.
• Beef: Hearty and rich. Works beautifully with the chipotle crema.
• Shrimp: Quick to cook and light. Great for warmer weather.
• Jackfruit: If you haven’t cooked with jackfruit before, this is a good place to start. It shreds up exactly like pulled meat and soaks up every bit of that smoky, citrusy spice blend. My daughter used it extensively in her vegan restaurant and it’s genuinely impressive stuff.
• Tofu: Press it well, marinate it the same way, and cook until crispy. The spice mix carries it.

Whatever you choose, do your dose math first. The infusion is distributed across the full batch, so know your yield and divide accordingly.

Why This Recipe Matters Beyond the Tacos

I talk a lot on this show about edibles being more than brownies and cookies. And yes, I have a healthy sweet tooth and I will never stop making cannabis sweets. But for those of you who want something savory, something you can serve on a weeknight without anyone raising an eyebrow, this is exactly the kind of recipe I want to highlight.

Cannabis in a taco marinade. Infused tomato paste rubbed into chicken thighs and cooked in a pan. That’s it. It’s not complicated. It’s just dinner, and it happens to be medicated, and it happens to be delicious.

This recipe made four solid servings at my house. We ate it two nights running and I still had enough left for a lunchtime taco the next day, which, honestly, was the best part.

Infusion Notes

The THC-infused tomato paste is the primary infusion in this recipe. It gets distributed across all servings, so be precise about how you divide the batch.

The infused olive oil is optional and adds a second infusion point if you want a stronger effect. Use it if you know your tolerance and you’re confident in your math.

Always calculate your dose before eating. The Bite Me Dosage Calculator is free, and it takes about two minutes. Two minutes now is a lot better than a rough night later.

About Chef Adam Vandermay

Adam is a professional chef with 25 years of experience, a So You Think You Can Cook competitor, a longtime Bite Me listener, and an active member of the Bite Me Cannabis Club, where he shares cooking videos and makes cannabis cooking look very approachable.

Links and Resources

• Bite Me Dosage Calculator – Do the math before you eat.
• Bite Me Dose Diary – Track your batches and your doses. Available on Amazon worldwide.
• Cannabis Infusions Complete Guide – Everything you need for making infusions at home from scratch.
• Cannabis Edibles Recipes – More recipes where this one came from.
• Bite Me Cannabis Club — Private community. Chef Adam is in here.
• Your Canna Chef — Adam’s website. Cannabis recipes come to life.

Chicken Carnitas Tacos recipe

That’s it for this week friends.  Please email me any questions, comments, pictures of your creations or anything else, I love hearing from listeners!  Direct messages to** stayhigh@bitemepodcast.com** or the podcast hotline.

You can also support the show by subscribing, sharing episodes, leaving a review or buying me a cookie!  Whatever way you choose, I’m grateful that you’re listening.

Stay high,
Margaret

FAQ For Cannabis Infused Chicken Carnitas Tacos

Can I make this without infusing it? Absolutely. Just use regular tomato paste and skip the infused olive oil. It’s a great taco recipe on its own and worth making even if you’re not looking to medicate.

How do I know how much THC is in each taco? Use the Bite Me Dosage Calculator to calculate milligrams per serving based on your flower’s potency and how much infused tomato paste you’re using. The dose gets distributed across the full batch, so your per-serving number depends on how many servings you get out of the recipe.

Why corn tortillas instead of flour? Corn tortillas are the more traditional choice for carnitas-style tacos, and they hold up well without getting soggy. That said, use whatever you like. This recipe is not precious about it.

Can I make the pickled onions ahead of time? Yes, and you should. They get better the longer they sit. Make them the day before if you can.

Can I use store-bought infused oil instead of making my own? If you have access to a quality product with accurate potency labeling, yes. Just make sure you know the milligrams per milliliter so you can calculate your dose accurately before cooking.

What if I can’t find infused tomato paste? Make your own. Combine regular tomato paste with a small amount of cannabis-infused oil and mix thoroughly. The Cannabis Infusions Complete Guide covers how to make infusions at home from scratch if you need a starting point.

Is this recipe good for microdosing? It can be. Because the infusion is distributed across four servings, you have good control over the dose per serving. Use lower-potency flower for your infusion and run your numbers through the calculator before cooking.

Timestamps For Chicken Carnitas Tacos Audio

Introduction to Cannabis Infused Chicken Carnitas Tacos (00:00:05)
Margaret introduces the episode and the recipe for chicken carnitas tacos.

Challenges of Independent Podcasting (00:01:06)
Discussion on the difficulties of being an independent podcaster and maintaining control over content.

Payment Processing Issues with Stripe (00:02:54)
Margaret shares her frustrations with Stripe regarding her payment processing account.

Cannabis Community Challenges (00:03:54)
Discussion on the challenges faced by the cannabis community with payment processors and federal regulations.

Cannabis Trivia Question (00:05:44)
Margaret picks a trivia question about a sneaker company that created an all hemp sneaker.

Introducing Chef Adam Varnum (00:09:14)
Margaret introduces Chef Adam Varnum and his home meal delivery kit beta test.

Recipe Overview: Chicken Carnitas Tacos (00:10:11)
Description of the chicken carnitas tacos recipe and its THC-infused twist.

Flexibility of the Recipe (00:12:20)
Margaret emphasizes the recipe’s flexibility with protein substitutions.

Ingredients Needed for the Recipe (00:13:25)
Overview of ingredients required to prepare the chicken carnitas tacos.

Preparation Instructions (00:14:17)
Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the tacos and accompanying ingredients.

Final Thoughts on the Recipe (00:17:00)
Margaret shares her excitement about the recipe and encourages listeners to try it.

Closing Remarks (00:18:53)
Margaret thanks listeners and encourages sharing the podcast and recipe.