Are you looking for a delicious 30-minute meal that the whole family will love? Try making these easy Instant Pot Chicken Tacos! These tacos feature tender chicken cooked in taco seasoning and are served on tortillas with your favorite toppings—all made quickly and easily in your pressure cooker!
Life can be hectic, and it's not always easy to find time to make a home-cooked meal. Using an Instant Pot makes it easier to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less—and these delicious chicken are the perfect example!
A pressure cooker is a kitchen appliance that uses steam and pressure to cook food rapidly. Because of the intense heat and pressure, it takes less time to cook food than traditional methods like stovetop or oven cooking.
These chicken tacos are a perfect way to put your pressure cooker to use! Simply add chicken breasts to the bottom of your instant pot, along with taco seasoning, salsa, and diced green chilies. Let the heat cook the chicken until its fork tender and able to be shredded with two forks.
Serve inside tortillas or even hard taco shells with your favorite toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, sour cream, and more. The possibilities are endless!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are super easy and quick to make. They'll be ready in 30 minutes or less!
- Kids love tacos, and these chicken tacos are no exception. Let them choose their favorite toppings for an extra special touch!
- You can customize this recipe to fit your tastes or dietary needs. Use a different type of salsa, switch up the toppings, or even add other ingredients like beans or roasted vegetables.
- The taco seasoning, salsa, and diced green chilies give these tacos a delicious flavor that is sure to please everyone in the family!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Breast - This cut of chicken is perfect for pressure cooking as it gets nice and tender and soaks up whatever flavor you add to it.
- Salsa - Tenderizes the chicken breast while adding a flavorful kick to the tacos.
- Taco Seasoning - This ready-made blend of spices adds a deliciously savory and spicy flavor to your tacos. You can buy it at any grocery store or make your own from scratch.
- Diced Green Chilies - Adds a mild heat and flavor to the tacos.
How To Make Chicken Tacos In The Instant Pot
Prepare the chicken breast: Trim any excess fat off of the chicken breasts and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add them to the bottom of the instant pot.
Add seasonings: On top of the chicken breast, add the water, taco seasoning, salsa, and chilies over the top.
Pressure cook: Add the lid to the top and turn it to SEALING. Select manual HIGH pressure and cook for 12 minutes.
Release pressure: When the time is up, use the quick pressure release method, turn off the Instant Pot and open the valve to release pressure. Wait until the valve drops, and carefully remove the lid.
Shred and serve: Remove the chicken from the instant pot. Shred chicken with two forks and mix into the sauce until well combined. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Frozen chicken breast can also be used to make this recipe. If using frozen chicken, use 15 minutes of pressure cooking time to ensure it is thawed and cooked through.
- When adding the lid to the pressure cooker, it's important to make sure that the valve is in the SEALING position. This will ensure that pressure builds up inside the cooker and cooks your food quickly and efficiently.
- For even more chicken flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.
- The chicken breast is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- If you don't have a packet of taco seasoning on hand, use your own blend of spices including chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika.
Variations
- For an extra smoky flavor, add a few tablespoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the taco seasoning and salsa mixture before cooking.
- If you're looking for more heat, adjust the taco seasoning or add some diced jalapenos to the salsa mixture.
- If you're avoiding gluten, make sure to use gluten-free taco seasoning and hard taco shells.
- Instead of chicken breast, you can also use chicken thighs.
- Use different types of salsa, including mild red salsa, green tomatillo salsa, or even spicy mango salsa.
- For added heat, use diced jalapenos or diced habanero peppers instead of green chilies.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Leftover chicken tacos can be portioned out and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Place leftovers in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stovetop over medium heat until heated through.
FAQ
If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make these tacos in a slow cooker instead. Simply add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and let it cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
Instead of using it for tacos, you can use this flavorful chicken for burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, or even on top of a salad. You can also use it to make chicken nachos, taco salads, and more!
This recipe has just the right amount of heat from the taco seasoning and diced green chilies. If you want more heat, adjust the taco seasoning or add some diced jalapenos to the salsa mixture.
Yes! You can substitute chicken with any type of protein, such as beef, pork, turkey, or even tofu. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. For example, if using ground beef, cook for 10 minutes. If using pork, cook for 15 minutes. If using tofu, cook for 5 minutes.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Honey Teriyaki Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- The Best Chicken Spaghetti
- Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
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Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (16 oz) jar of your favorite salsa
- ¼ cup water
- 1 (1.5 oz) packet of taco seasoning
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add water and place the remaining ingredients on top.
- Place the lid on Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Select pressure cook high, high pressure. Set a time to cook for 12 minutes.
- When the chicken is finished cooking, use the quick pressure release method, turn off the Instant Pot and open the valve to release pressure. Wait until the valve drops, and carefully remove the lid.
- Shred chicken with two forks and mix into the sauce until well combined.
- Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- If you are using frozen chicken, set the cooking time to 15 minutes.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
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