Taco night just got a whole lot easier with these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos! This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tacos is made with only 4 ingredients and comes together with minimal effort and spectacular results.
Serve Instant Pot Chicken Tacos with a Pina Colada Smoothie and a side of Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Instant Pot Refried Beans for a restaurant-worthy meal made effortlessly at home.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are hands down one of my favorite weeknight meals.
While I love Beef Tacos, Taco Salad, Lentil Tacos, and Pork Tacos, this recipe for Chicken Tacos is the EASIEST taco recipe ever and it is the one I make the most at my house!
Made with just a couple of pantry ingredients, this easy recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat just can not be beaten.
- FAST. Ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Allergy-Friendly: This chicken taco meat is gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, and Whole30 approved.
- Even picky eaters LOVE these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.
- You can make these Chicken Tacos with fresh or frozen chicken.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Stock: For the cooking liquid use homemade chicken stock, instant pot chicken stock, or quality store-bought stock for the best flavor.
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or chicken thighs for this recipe. And the chicken can be frozen or fresh.
- Taco Seasoning: I always keep homemade taco seasoning on hand. It is simple to make, free from preservatives, and just tastes better. But feel free to use a store-bought Taco Seasoning mix or just add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and onion powder to the chicken.
- Salsa: For this recipe, I do prefer jarred salsa over fresh salsa.
- Limes: You do not want to overlook the fresh lime and zest in this recipe. The added lime juice and lime zest are what make my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tacos the best recipe!
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Place chicken stock and taco seasoning in Instant Pot and mix well.
- Place chicken breasts in chicken stock.
- Top chicken with salsa.
- Close the lid on the pressure cooker and seal shut.
- Cook on high pressure.
- For Fresh Chicken Breasts: 7 minutes for 8-ounce chicken breasts
- For Frozen Chicken Breasts: 11 minutes for 8-ounce chicken breasts
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes.
- Using a hand-held kitchen mixer or 2 forks, shred the chicken right in the cooking juices. If you are worried about juice splattering, remove the chicken from the pressure cooker, shred and then return back to cooking juices. Those cooking liquids help to season the chicken meat.
- Stir in zest and juice of fresh lime.
- Use a slotted spoon to dish out the shredded Mexican Chicken and then use it to make tacos, burritos, chicken enchiladas, or taco salad.
How to Double the Recipe
Shredded Chicken Taco Meat is great to have on hand for lunches, and busy nights, and to stock in your freezer. This is why I always double or triple my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.
- To Double the Recipe: To make up to 2 pounds of shredded Mexican Chicken, you do not need to increase the amount of liquid, but you will want to double both the taco seasoning and salsa. The juice and zest of one lime will still be enough to brighten this Chicken Taco Meat.
- To Triple the Recipe: Use 2 cups chicken stock and 3 times the amount of taco seasoning and salsa. Use the zest and juice of two full limes when preparing 3 pounds of chicken.
Storage Directions
The chicken meat will last 3-4 days in the fridge, and can also be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer once fully cooled.
Recipe FAQs
You can control the level of spice by using mild salsa and omitting the cayenne pepper from the homemade taco seasoning. Alternatively, you can increase the heat level by using medium or hot salsa and adding up to ¼ teaspoon of additional cayenne pepper.
The salsa really adds the perfect flavor to this recipe, as the flavor is already developed and nuanced. However, you can use a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles in place of the salsa if needed.
The options are endless for how you serve this chicken taco meat. I personally, love to serve the shredded chicken on homemade tortillas and top it with guacamole and lettuce. You can also use this Mexican Shredded Chicken as the base for Chicken Enchiladas or to top a Taco Pizza.
More Tex-Mex Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat. And please leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth see note
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning see note
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- ⅓ cup salsa
- 1 fresh lime optional, but highly encouraged
Instructions
- Pour chicken stock into pressure cooker. Add in taco seasoning and mix well. Place chicken breasts in chicken stock and top chicken with salsa.
- Close the pressure cooker and point the vent knob to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes for fresh chicken breasts or 11 minutes for frozen chicken breasts. *See time guidelines in recipe notes.
- Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pressure cooker and shred chicken using handheld mixer or two forks. Add zest and juice of fresh lime to shredded chicken and mix well.
- Serve as a base for chicken tacos, in burrito bowls, or in enchiladas.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- 6 ounces each: 6 minutes on high pressure for fresh, 10 minutes for frozen
- 8 ounces each: 7 minutes on high pressure for fresh, 11 minutes for frozen
- 10 ounces each: 8 minutes on high pressure for fresh, 12 minutes for frozen
Jan
I would like to make this chicken taco, but I have question for you. For Christmas my husband got me a 3 quart instant pot because it's just him and me now. Our girls have places of their own. My question is this in most recipes what size instant pot is the recipe given for? I asking so I'll know if I have to reduce the amount of ingredients.
I have all your instructions on instant pots. My didn't come with any,other to tell what was on the lid and the other buttons
Thank you
God bless.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jan! What a great gift from your husband. Most recipes are designed for a 6-quart instant pot. However, as long as you don't fill the inner pot more than 2/3rd of the way full, you can make the full recipe using your 3-quart. If you want to cut a recipe in half, be sure to still use at least 3/4 cup of thin liquid to ensure pressure is reached. I am happy to help you reduce recipes on my site if needed. Just reach out 🙂
Susan Smith
Please tell me where you found your 6x4 baking pan with removeable bottom. My family is ready for a repeat and the one time I made this, I had to use two smaller pans, stacked. Thanks for a delicious meal idea!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Susan! Here is a 6x3 inch pan with a removable bottom and a 6x4 inch pan (without a removable bottom) It looks like the 6x4 with removable bottom is no longer available 🙁 And I assume this is for the Instant Pot Taco Pie, not chicken tacos 🙂