These Instant Pot chicken tacos can be prepared in less than 30 minutes but are packed with so much flavor, you'd think they were cooking for 8 hours.
Who doesn't love tacos? From carne asada tacos to rolled chicken tacos to crispy chicken tacos to smoked pulled beef tacos to chicken mole tacos, the possibilities are endless. But today is about using an Instant Pot.
I've been sharing quite a few Instant Pot recipes lately. My apologies as I know I'm a little late to the bandwagon, but I just can't help it! I'm looking for any excuse to use it these days and am having a blast trying new recipes. So today is all about chicken tacos.
Why This Recipe Works
- You just set it and forget it. The beauty of the Instant Pot is throwing all of the ingredients in and let it do its work.
- The chicken comes out super juicy and tender. It almost melts in your mouth!
- If you need your stove top or oven, it frees up the space.
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs - I like the added fat and flavor of chicken thighs.
- Taco seasoning - where most of the "taco" flavor comes from.
- Sweet onion, garlic, lime, cilantro - produce is important for adding flavors that are healthy and cheap to buy.
- Store-bought salsa - use a salsa you like with the amount of heat you enjoy.
- Mild green chilis - additional flavor.
- Tortillas - corn tortillas are my go-to for tacos.
- Avocado, tomatoes, cheese, etc... - use toppings that you like for tacos.
Ingredient Swaps
Like any recipe, you can mix up what you use. Some variations include:
- I'm a fan of chicken thighs, but chicken breasts can be used too.
- While I like the ease of buying some taco seasoning for this recipe, you can also use homemade taco seasoning.
- I like corn tortillas for tacos, but flour tortillas work as well.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions of these tacos can be found in recipe card below.
Combine all of the ingredients except the lime juice and cilantro in the Instant Pot.
Close lid and turn vent to "sealing." Set Instant Pot to "poultry" and time for 15 minutes. Allow it to naturally release.
Shred chicken and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve chicken with warm tortillas and desired toppings.
FAQs
Yes. Just throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours and then shred the chicken and serve.
Yes. And bonus is it doesn't require extra cooking time. The Instant Pot just takes longer to come to pressure.
You can try the old fashion way of using two forks or shred chicken with a hand mixer, which has actually changed my life. It is done in 30 seconds.
Every taco should have cheese and I like pepper jack. But you also want some fat, so avocado or even some homemade guacamole works well.
You can also add some raw onion and tomatoes to get a sharp burst of flavor. And of course a squeeze of lime never hurts.
Leftover Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos will last for 3-4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can control the heat by the type of salsa you add to the chicken.
- To avoid the burn notice, pour the salsa on top of the chicken before cooking.
- To make the tortillas pliable, heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook for 30 seconds on each side. You can also cover the tortillas with a wet paper towel and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lime and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
If you’ve tried these Instant Pot chicken tacos or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning
- ¾ cup medium salsa
- 1 (4 oz can) diced green chilis
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- corn or flour tortillas
- toppings of your choice (avocado, tomatoes, onion, cheese, etc...)
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, combine chicken, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, salsa and green chilis.
- Close lid and turn vent to "sealing." Set Instant Pot to "poultry" and set for 15 minutes. Allow it to naturally release.
- Shred chicken and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve chicken in warm tortillas with your desired toppings.
Notes
- You can control the heat by the type of salsa you add to the chicken.
- To avoid the burn notice, pour the salsa on top of the chicken before cooking.
- To make the tortillas pliable, heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook for 30 seconds on each side. You can also cover the tortillas with a wet paper towel and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lime and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
Mindee Taylor says
I've been craving chicken tacos!!! Got your recipe printed and I'm going to make it next week! So excited!