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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 Brussels sprouts tacos to chicken mole tacos, the possibilities are endless. But today I tried making tacos with 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.
Like all my Instant Pot recipes so far, this is something that can easily be made in a slow cooker. But the point of the Instant Pot is to have the same delicious recipe in a quarter or even an eighth of the time. And these Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos can be prepared in literally 30 minutes from start to finish! That's hard to beat these days.
Truth be told, quite a bit of the taste from these shredded chicken tacos comes from the salsa you use. So make sure you use a salsa you like. This will also determine the heat level of the tacos.
Oh and as I mentioned before, you can make these if you don't have an Instant Pot. Just throw in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. But I highly recommend joining the Instant Pot revolution as I did.
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - can also use chicken thighs.
- Sweet onion, garlic, lime, cilantro - produce is important for adding flavors that are healthy and cheap to buy.
- Light brown sugar - adds a slight sweetness to the shredded chicken tacos.
- Chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, coriander, cinnamon - gives the tacos its flavor.
- Store-bought salsa - use a salsa you like with the amount of heat you enjoy.
- Mild green chilis - additional flavor.
- Tortillas - corn or flour will work.
- Avocado, tomatoes, cheese, etc... - use toppings that you like for tacos.
How to Make Chicken Tacos
- 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.
What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?
I have the 6 quart Instant Pot. It is super simple to use and makes great meals, especially these shredded chicken tacos.
Can I Make this if I Don't Have an Instant Pot?
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.
Can I Buy Taco Seasoning?
If you don't want to use your own spices, you can easily buy taco seasoning at the store. Just use 3 tbsp for every 1 ½ lbs of chicken.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can control the heat by the type of salsa you add to the chicken.
- 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.
- 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.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
- Short Rib Ragu
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken
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 breasts
- ½ small sweet onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 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, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, 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 make the flour 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.
- These tacos are so flavorful that they don’t need toppings, but avocado is essential to get some healthy fat.
Mindee Taylor says
I've been craving chicken tacos!!! Got your recipe printed and I'm going to make it next week! So excited!