Once you’ve made these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos with the juiciest and most succulent shredded chicken you’ll never go back! It’s packed full of delicious spices and seasoning and best of all takes only 15 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker with virtually zero prep work.
Tacos don’t just need to be served on Tuesdays especially when you can make them this quickly on busy weeknights. All you need to do is prepare your favorite Mexican toppings and dinner is served.
And if you love tacos as much as I do be sure to check out my Shrimp Tacos, Lobster Tacos and Taco Soup!
Some ingredient notes
Chicken – Boneless and skinless chicken breasts are best for shredding, if possible splurge on organic, hormone-free, pasture-raised chicken for the best flavor.
Chicken stock – Always use high quality and low-sodium chicken stock for best results. It’s always best to add salt to taste.
Spices – I used a mix of cumin, onion, chili, and smoked paprika powder. I find that this mix of spices is so delicious and gives the chicken an authentic Mexican feel. You can easily adjust the spices to your taste!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
1. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the chicken.
2. Saute the olive oil and garlic in the Instant pot for a few minutes.
3. Add the chicken and brown on all sides.
4. Add chicken stock to InstantPot with chicken then cook at High Pressure.
5. After cooking is complete, let the pressure release
6. Shred the chicken and toss with lime and cooking juices.
Tips and ideas for making this recipe
- Feel free to double this recipe to serve more people. To make it easier, remove the chicken to a cutting board to shred, then return to the InstantPot to combine with the cooking liquid and lime juice.
- Substitute boneless skinless turkey breast for the chicken.
- If you like spicy tacos, stir ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper into the seasoning blend, or simply top
tacos with hot sauce. - If you’re serving adults, substitute the chicken stock for beer for an extra level of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best chicken to use?
For this recipe, I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are a better cut of chicken for shredding and with this recipe, it’ll be super juicy and flavorful.
You want to make sure that there is no skin on so there is no extra fat in the juices and that the chicken is boneless to reduce the cooking time. If you get chicken breasts with the skin and bone on then make sure to remove it first.
What else can I serve with chicken tacos?
Fill your tacos with your favorite toppings for the ultimate Mexican feast! Here are some ideas to choose from:
- Black beans
- Slaw
- Salsa
- Diced avocado
- Sour cream thinned with a little lime juice
- Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Chopped fresh cilantro and green onion
- Baby arugula
- Quick-pickled onions
- Pickled jalapeño slices
- Queso fresco
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Hot Sauce
Can I freeze leftovers?
Absolutely, you can freeze any leftover chicken in freezer bags and then thaw completely before re-using. Refrigerated leftovers will keep well, covered in the fridge for 4-5 days.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Chicken Tacos recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 lime halved
- Corn tortillas and assorted toppings to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together salt, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, and black pepper.
- Sprinkle chicken all over with spice mixture. Set aside.
- Set InstantPot to saute; add olive oil and garlic.
- When oil is hot and garlic is sizzling, remove garlic and add chicken.
- Cook chicken just until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Add chicken stock to InstantPot with chicken; return to garlic to InstantPot.
- Place top on InstantPot; twist to seal and lock. Turn Steam Release Valve to “sealing.”
- Set InstantPot to cook at High Pressure for 15 minutes.
- After cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. After that, manually
- release the pressure by turning the Steam Release Valve to “venting.”
- Using two forks, shred chicken. Squeeze lime over chicken in InstantPot; toss with cooking juices to coat.
- Serve shredded chicken with tortillas and assorted toppings.
Notes
- Feel free to double this recipe to serve more people. To make it easier, remove the chicken to a cutting board to shred, then return to the InstantPot to combine with the cooking liquid and lime juice.
- Substitute boneless skinless turkey breast for the chicken.
- If you like spicy tacos, stir ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper into the seasoning blend, or simply top tacos with hot sauce.
- If you’re serving adults, substitute the chicken stock for beer for an extra level of flavor.
- Splurge on organic, hormone-free, pasture-raised chicken for the best flavor.
Delicious and straightforward recipe. I kept the liquid it cooked in to reheat leftovers on the stove without drying out later. Will definitely keep this in my recipe binder for next time.
I made these and followed the directions exactly as written. I was impressed with how perfectly the chicken cooked! I felt like these are a “grown up” and healthier version of regular tacos. Next time I think I will add cayenne pepper as suggested to increase the spice level, but overall I found that doubling the recipe gave the perfect amount for dinner for two and plenty of leftovers.