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 and a side of Mexican Rice and Refried Beans for a restaurant-worthy meal made effortlessly at home.
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The Easiest Taco Recipe
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 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 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, preservative-free, and 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 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 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 for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, burrito bowls, or taco salad.
How to Double the Recipe
Shredded Chicken Taco Meat is great to have on hand for lunches, 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.
Salsa really adds the perfect flavor to this recipe, as the flavor is already developed and nauanced. 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 with guacamole and lettuce. You can also use this Mexican Shredded Chicken as the base for Chicken Enchiladas or to top a Taco Pizza with.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat. And please leave a comment and review below.
Recipe
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
C Chase
I have a Ninja Foodi and I make this every Tuesday, for taco Tuesday! My boyfriend LOVES it and I do too! It's super easy and the best part is, if my boyfriend is running late, it can just sit in the pot on the "keep warm" setting. I do add chipotle peppers in adobo to give it a smoky kick with a little heat. Leftovers are frozen and are just as good when cooked later. Easy dinner! Best recipe ever!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this is a weekly staple! Thanks so much for sharing your review.
Tract Miller
Mine came out unshreddable and a little rubbery. Did I cook it too long or not long enough? I did 2lbs partially thawed for 11 minutes.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tract! I would say it was overcooked. 11 minutes is for fully frozen chicken breasts. I would suggest cooking for 8-9 minutes in the future and be sure to do a natural pressure release.
Bill Murray
Well I followed the directions to a T. Made this last night and it was a huge success. Everyone loved the flavor and the tenderness of the chicken... I did top with cilantro, onion, avocado and sour cream and a slice of lime. This is so simple but yet so quick and easy to make. This one is a keeper. Sided it with refried black beans and Spanish rice..
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this is now a family favorite! Thanks for sharing Bill!
Robin E.
Kristin,
Going to make this for my kids who are coming over last minute! I just bought 3 lbs of chicken breasts today and saw on an earlier post that it doesn't matter how much chicken you have you cook it for 7-8 minutes. ( Would love to have leftovers ) But, do I triple the spices and salsa from the original recipe?
Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Robin! You can leave the cooking time the same, but triple all other ingredients. I hope you and your kids enjoy 🙂
Craig S
Tender and delicious. Used 2.5 lbs of chicken breast, 1 cup of broth, 1 package of TB Taco seasoning, and some fresh pico de gallo from the garden. It was a little juicy, probably due to the pico... but delicious and easy. Set the pot to Poultry and 20 minutes (breasts were frozen but seperated).
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed Craig. I would say the pico de gallo would make it a bit watery, but glad you still enjoyed.
Rosie
I did 2 7oz breasts but to be sure did 7 mins (like it says for 8oz) and did natural release for 11 and they were still raw in the middle… maybe I should’ve pounded them out or cut them up?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rosie! I am sorry this happened. It may have been that your chicken was not fully thawed (even purchased fresh, some chicken breasts are previously frozen and if super thick, not fully thawed). Next time you notice the middle is not cooked, pop the lid back on the inner pot and add 1-2 minutes of cook time. It won't take as long to come to pressure.
Krista
I've made this a few times now. It's so quick, easy, and delicious. Took it to a potluck and everyone wanted the recipe. I remove the chicken at the end and add rice to the liquid (top up with water or chicken broth if needed, pressure cook on high x 6 minutes and natural release x 10) and it makes a delicious Mexican rice to go along with.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Krista! So glad everyone enjoys this recipe.
Peter Worden
I am making this tonight. Very excited! I am a little confused by your cooking times chart. I plan to do 1.5 lbs of boneless thighs and 1.5 lbs of boneless breasts at the same time. Fresh NOT frozen. How many minutes do I set the pressure cooker for?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Peter! If your chicken breasts and thighs are average size, cook for 7 minutes on high pressure--regardless of how many pounds you cook. If your chicken is on the small size, cook for 6 minutes. If on the large size, cook for 8. I hope that helps. Enjoy!
wilhelmina
I am obsessed with this chicken! I made a double batch on Sunday and we had the bet tacos ever and then I used the remainder last night to make a Mexican lasagna and it worked so well! This is a keeper!
Kristen Chidsey
What a fabulous idea to use the leftovers for Mexican Lasagna--I am SO doing that myself! Great idea!
Zoe Beech
Hi! I don't have a pressure cooker, how long would I pop this in the oven for in a casserole dish? Looks yummy!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Zoe! You can prepare in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours and keep ingredients the same. OR you can make in the oven by spreading some salsa on bottom of the pan. Season chicken with taco seasoning and then sear in skillet. Place seared chicken on top of salsa and top with additional salsa. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees. TOp with fresh lime juice after baking.
Zoe Beech
Thank you Kristen! I will do definitely try that!
Lauri
If I want to make 2 pounds of chicken, should I double the cook time?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lauri! Cook time will remain the same--it will just take a bit longer to come to pressure. Enjoy!