Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Instant Pot chicken tacos are made with perfectly seasoned and shredded chicken that is ready in less than 30 minutes. Serve it in taco shells or on a taco salad for an easy weeknight dinner.
Taco Tuesday is a real thing around here and these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos make it even easier.
We LOVE Tex-Mex flavors and easy weeknights dinners and we’ve got the casseroles, soups, and sheet pan dinners to prove it. Chicken enchilada casserole, beef enchilada casserole, slow cooker taco soup (we have an instant pot version too!), and veggie fajitas. The list goes on and on.
This simple Instant Pot recipe gives you perfectly seasoning and shredded chicken that you can make in less than 30 minutes. They all you need is some corn or flour tortillas and some chips and salsa, and some Instant Pot black beans or pinto beans, and you have yourself awesome Mexican-inspired family dinner.
Follow a keto diet? Great news! You can skip the shells and use this recipe in our chicken taco bowl for a delicious and filling keto-friendly option.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
When you make these pressure cooker chicken tacos, make sure you have these ingredients on hand first.
- Chicken broth – This adds some additional flavor while it cooks, but you could use water in a pinch.
- Chicken breast – We use boneless, skinless breasts for this.
- Taco seasoning – You can use your favorite brand of taco seasoning or you can make your own with our easy recipe for taco seasoning mix.
- Salsa – You can use your favorite brand or make this delicious restaurant style salsa fresh at home.
- Cilantro – For some added freshness, we use cilantro.
- Lime – Lime help brighten the flavors with a bit of citrus.
- Corn or Flour tortillas – We use small, street taco size or you can skip them if you want to make this a keto or low carb friendly meal and serve it in a chicken taco bowl or over top of a salad.
We used a 6qt Instant Pot Duo for this recipe.
New to using an Instant Pot? Make sure you read our beginner’s guide on “How to Use an Instant Pot” to get started!
Instructions
Step 1 – Prep the pot and chicken. First, pour the broth into the pot of your Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning so each is covered and then add the chicken to the pot. Finally, top with the salsa.
Step 2 – Pressure cook it. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to SEALING. Set to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow it to release pressure naturally for five minutes before turning the valve to VENTING to release the remaining steam. Carefully open the pot when the pin drops and then remove the chicken.
Step 3 – Shred the chicken. Once the chicken has cooled just slightly, use two forks to shred the chicken.
Step 4 – Mix it up again. Reserve about ½ a cup of the salsa in the inner pot with as little of the liquid as possible before disposing of the remaining liquid. Place the shredded chicken back in the pot and mix in with the reserved salsa. Finally, add in the fresh cilantro and lime juice and give it a final toss.
Step 5 – Serve. Before placing the chicken in the tortillas, warm them in the microwave or in the oven set on warm. About 2 ounces of chicken on each tortilla works nicely and lets you add as much of your toppings as you like. Serve hot and enjoy!
What is the Best Kind of Taco Shell to Use?
Our personal favorite tortillas are the street taco size flour ones. But if you want to be more traditional, corn tortillas are the way to go.
Street taco size is perfect for creating these tacos, but you can also use regular corn tortillas or a small (fajita size) flour tortilla.
BUT… Hard taco shells are great too! Really, it’s all about personal preference and what works for you!
Taco Toppings for Added Flavor
Taco toppings are often the best part of tacos. Some of our favorites include:
- cheddar cheese
- cotija cheese
- thinly sliced radish for crunch
- avocado
- pickled or fresh jalapeno
- homemade salsa
- pico de gallo
- mango salsa
Of course, you can add any other toppings you love like sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, or whatever floats your boat and makes you happy!
How to Make it Ahead of Time
To make this ahead, follow the instructions for making the chicken including shredding it. Once it has cooled completely, place it in a sealed container and then place in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or place in a gallon freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
When ready to use, thaw if frozen in the fridge, and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through. Once it is warmed, assemble your tacos with your favorite fixings.
Any other information that could be helpful (only when applicable) 4 easy ingredients, dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less! If you are cutting back on carbs you can use this delicious shredded chicken to in a chicken taco bowl
Looking for More Instant Pot Recipes?
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
- Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Chicken and Wild Rice
- Cheesy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice with Broccoli
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
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Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 1 pound Chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons Taco seasoning
- 1 cup Salsa
- ¼ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 8 Corn or Flour tortillas, street taco size
Instructions
- Pour the broth into the pot of your Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning so each is covered.
- Add the chicken to the pot and top with the salsa.
- Lock lid in place and turn valve to SEALING. Set to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the time is up allow the pot to do a 5 minute natural release. After 5 minutes turn valve to VENTING and allow the remaining steam release.
- Once the pin drops it is safe to remove the lid. Open up the pot and remove the chicken.
- Shred the chicken using two forks.
- Reserve ½ cup of the salsa in the pot with a little liquid as possible, and dispose of the rest of the liquid.
- Add the shredded chicken and reserved salsa back to the pot and stir together. Add fresh cilantro and lime juice and toss with chicken.
- Warm your tortillas and place approximately 2 ounces of chicken on each tortilla.
- Top with your favorite taco toppings and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! Thanks for sharing this great chicken tacos recipe. I tried this last weekend for my guests & they loved it.