Crispy Oven Roasted Chicharrones (Pork Belly)
Learn how to make super crispy, Oven Roasted Chicharrones – no air fryer or deep fryer necessary! Thick strips of pork belly are rubbed with baking soda, lime, and sazon, then roasted on a low until perfectly juicy and crunchy. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and flakey salt or serve with fresh guacamole.
Crispy pork belly is a one of a kind treat. Known and celebrated in different cultures around the world, it’s notorious for that juicy layer of meat, topped with an impressively crispy fat cap.
Chicharrones are traditionally deep fried, but today I’m sharing my secret for making them in the oven without any additional oil.
They’re crispy, juicy, savory, and incredibly easy to make. Let’s dive in!
How to Oven Roast Pork Belly
Tip: Don’t forget to crank the oven temperature up in that last 15 minutes, to really encourage crispy behavior!
Skipping the Fryer
This version of chicharrones is completely oven baked, with no additional oil required.
The pork belly has plenty of fat already, so the simple rub of baking soda, lime juice, and spices does the work of drying out some of that fat and creating crispy skin in the oven.
What to Serve Alongside
Crispy pork belly is one of those dishes that goes great with just about anything. I like to think about it kind of like bacon, because of it’s saltiness and versatility.
My favorite way to enjoy it is with a bowl of some kind of sauce or dip, like guacamole, salsa, or garlic sauce. In my family we also enjoy serving alongside rice dishes, beans, or salads!
Buen provecho,
Crispy Oven Roasted Chicharrones
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Entree, appetizer
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: Latin
Description
Learn how to make super crispy, Oven Roasted Chicharrones – no air fryer or deep fryer necessary! Thick strips of pork belly are rubbed with baking soda, lime, and sazon, then roasted on a low until perfectly juicy and crunchy. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and flakey salt or serve with fresh guacamole.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs pork belly
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- additional limes to garnish
Instructions
- Prep the pork belly: Rinse the pork belly and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Cut the pieces of pork into long 1 ½ inch thick strips. Slice into the meat (being careful not to cut through the skin) of each strip, creating small cuts along each strip, about 1 inch apart.
- Season the meat: In a small bowl mix together the sazon, salt, baking soda, and lime juice to create a paste. Rub this paste all over the meat until evenly coated.
- Prep the oven and bake: Preheat the oven to 300°F and arrange the seasoned pork belly strips on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes before flipping them and cooking for an additional 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Finish on a rack: Turn the oven up to 450°F. Transfer the finished chicharrones to a rack over the baking sheet and bake an additional 8-12 minutes, watching closely until crispy. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt.
Equipment
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