Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe - the easiest dinners you can make in your pressure cooker. The perfect way to make deliciously seasoned chicken for meal prep!
You can use my Homemade Enchilada Sauce to turn this into chicken enchiladas or my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup!
One of my go-to dinners is of course tacos! It's Taco Tuesday at our house every week and it never fails.
Well, Taco Tuesdays just got better! I can quickly make delicious Chicken Tacos right in my own Instant Pot for an easy family dinner on busy weeknights. Served with all of our favorite toppings and we are ready to enjoy this Mexican feast.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TACOS IN INSTANT POT?
Simply pour chicken broth into your Instant Pot. Place chicken in broth. Sprinkle with seasoning. Top with salsa and do not stir. Close the lid and set the valve to sealing position. Set the IP to poultry setting and timer to 12 minutes. That's it! Your Instant Pot will beep when it's ready and it will start coming to pressure. When the time is up, release the pressure and carefully open the lid. Place chicken on plate or cutting board and shred. Place back in your IP and stir with the seasoned salsa. Fill soft tortillas or taco shells with chicken and top with your favorite toppings.
Making taco chicken in the Instant Pot is really as easy as placing everything in the insert and setting the IP to cook. That's it! No taco seasoning on hand? No problem! I am also sharing my quick seasoning mix you can whip up for these tacos!
CHICKEN BREASTS VS. CHICKEN THIGHS
You can use what you have on hand. Chicken thighs have more flavor and more fat than chicken breasts. You can use chicken tenders too!
CAN I FREEZE THE TACO CHICKEN?
Yes! This is a perfect make ahead dish. If you do meal prep, you need to add this recipe to your list. Cook the chicken according to instructions, cool completely, place in freezer-safe containers or bags and store in a freezer. When ready, thaw and reheat.
More easy Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
Instant Pot Sweet Garlic Chicken
–>> Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram for latest recipe updates!
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance!
INSTANT POT CHICKEN TACOS RECIPE
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning see note
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot.
- Pour chicken broth into Instant Pot. Add chicken.
- Sprinkle seasoning over chicken. Add garlic. Top with salsa and do not stir.
- Close lid of the Instant Pot, switch the valve to "sealing" position.
- Press "poultry" or "manual" setting and adjust the timer to 12 minutes. The Instant Pot will beep and start coming to pressure.
- When the timer is done, the Instant Pot will beep. Press "off/cancel" button. Carefully switch the valve to “venting” position and release the pressure. When the done, carefully open the lid.
- Remove the chicken onto a cutting board and shred with two forks. Place back into the Instant Pot and stir in with the sauce.
- Serve chicken in flour or corn tortillas, topped with chopped tomatoes, onions and avocados.
Tanya says
Hello,
Can I use bone-in thighs? If so, what would the cook time be?
Heather says
Does anyone know what would be causing me to get the burn message every time I make these lately? I make them so often because they are so delicious, but it’s been happening every time. Usually right before it gets up to pressure. The only thing I do differently from the recipe is double it. We love the left-overs so much!
Will says
Usually happens when there’s not enough fluid.
Vania says
Sooo yummy!!! One of my favorites now to make, so simple and easy! Thank you for sharing!!
Heather Hoherchak says
I absolutely love this recipe! If I were to quadruple the recipe in my 8 qt instant pot, I was wondering how much liquid I should add & also if i would need to increase the cook time.
Anna says
Hi Heather! Thank you for the comment! I am so glad you are loving the recipe! If you are using the large Instant Pot, the cooking time stays the same, it may just take longer to build the pressure. The 8 qt also requires twice the amount of liquid than the 6 qt, so I suggest doubling it. I hope this helps! Let me know how it turns out!
Suzy K says
This is now my 2nd time making this dish and it is fabulously delicious and soooo easy! My teenage boys love it! I did 4 chicken breasts, added an extra tablespoon of taco seasoning and a little bit more chicken stock. Thank you for an awesome and simple recipe!
Anna says
That's fantastic! Thank you for making my recipe, Suzy!
Lori says
This recipe is so easy and delicious! It’s one of the rare dinners my three teenagers, my husband and I all love! A regular in my rotation- thanks!
Anna says
I am so glad! That's wonderful! Thank you, Lori!
Emily says
Made these tonight, and they were delicious! I did two breasts and two thighs (skinned and deboned). Instead of 1/4 cup chicken broth I did 1/2 cup. And I added an extra heaping spoonful of salsa. Topped with thinly sliced radish, cheese, diced onion, tomato and lettuce and a tiny bit of sour cream. SOOOOOOOO good! Cooked exactly as the directions say.
Anna says
That's fantastic! Thank you for trying my recipe, Emily!
LISA KAYFISH says
This was super easy and super delicious, I added about a tablespoon of Sundried Tomato pesto to the salsa and topped with a fresh mango salsa, coleslaw with lime, salt and pepper, mayo and jalapeno monterey jack cheese. Family LOVED it!!
Tracy says
I used chicken thighs and roasted green Chile salsa, so delicious!! Not to mention simple and quick.
Anna says
Awesome! Thank you so much, Tracy!
Cheryl Firestone says
Usually I let the chicken natural release instead of quick release. I find it it more thoroughly cooked and more flavorful. Great recipe for weeknight tacos
Emily says
I followed the recipe exactly except I used only 1lb of chicken. After 12 mins the chicken was extremenly tough and I couldn't shred it. Did I cook it for too long or not long enough?
Crystal W says
Sounds like you didn't use enough water.
I would totally recommend chicken thighs with a recipe like this.
Honestly this is really what I only use chicken thighs for because I normally prefer the breast.
Suzy says
Just made this tonight and everyone loved it! I used 4 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup broth, 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning and kept everything else as directed. Amazing and so incredibly easy. I used a hand mixer to shred the chicken right inside the instant pot. This is a keeper! Thank you for making my life easier!
Bob says
First, I will admit I am a newbie to the IP. In fact, this was the first recipe I made using our new IP. And while it eventually turned out great, I found after 12 minutes the 2 chicken breasts (totaling 1.5 pounds), were still extremely raw. I followed the recipe to a T, I think. I put them back in for aqnother 12 minutes and they were cooked through. Did I do something wrong?
Alison says
If only two equaled 1 1/2 lbs., I’m guessing they were just really thick, while this recipe probably assumes thinner breasts (in the 6-8 oz. per breast range). I buy bags of frozen b/s chicken breasts from Costco, and those were just the right size and thickness for the cooking time.
Jen says
What kind of salsa do you use?
Anna says
You can use any salsa, really. We use mild so it's not too spicy for the kids.
Suzy H says
I made this with frozen chicken breasts (Ok, so I forgot to pull the chicken out of the freezer). I cut the breasts into 4ths, but followed the recipe on everything else. I cooked for 17 minutes on high then I let it set for 5 minutes before I released the steam. It turned out great and I will make it again.
I used the leftovers the next day for a taco salad and it was yummy!
Anna says
Hi Suzy! I am so glad the tacos were a success! Thank you for sharing your tips for cooking frozen chicken!
Tay says
If I triple or quadruple the recipe, is the cook time the same?
Candace says
I use my inexpensive hand mixer right into the IP pot and shred the chicken that way. Fast and neat as the pot is deep enough to catch any splatters.
Elaine says
Great suggestion, will try tonight
Kylee says
Hi, can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast? Can I make it the same way but with the chicken thighs?
Anna says
Hi Kylee! Yes, you can use chicken thighs (skinless, boneless), just make sure you use 1.5 lbs of them. I hope this helps!
Susan T says
Are you using a 6qt pot? I have an 8qt pot,I might need to use more liquid?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Susan! I use a 6qt Instant Pot. I would check the manual for 8qt to see if it requires more liquid.
Susan says
So I set the recipe for 16 servings and unfortunately I don't think I added enough broth - once I set it for 16 it said 1 cup of broth but that gave me the dreaded burn notice. I released pressure, added another 6.5oz of broth and scraped at the bottom (nothing seemed burned) and reset the pressure cooker. Once I did that no more burn notice and everything cooked great! Fall apart perfect! I think I could have used little more taco seasoning but still tastes great! Excited to see what people say!
Sam Mud says
This was delicious, easy and fast! My 3 year old loved it = extra win! This is now my go-to chicken taco recipe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Angela says
If I want to double this recipe would it need more cook time?
Katy Austin says
No. Think about it this way, if you doubled a cookie recipe would you also double the bake time? That always helps me.
Alyssa says
I just made this tonight and it was a hit with the whole family. My husband and I liked it better than our trusty crock-pot chicken taco recipe, and both kids loved it too (5 yrs old and 16 mos old). Thanks!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Alyssa! Wow! That's fantastic! I am so happy to know your whole family loved the tacos! Thank you so much!
Kendahl says
This recipe is just what I need for a Taco Tuesday. Using the manual setting, is it high or low pressure?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Kendahl! It should be on HIGH pressure. Hope this helps!
Ginna says
"Make sure insert is in instant pot." True. That. I would totally be that person that put ingredients straight into the pot itself. My ability to pay attention functions in direct correlation the amount of coffee I've had to drink. I'm making this tonight!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Haha! Right? I've been there so I always make sure to include that. Nothing worse than pouring the water down the heating element. I hope you love the tacos, Ginna!
Alan says
If coming to pressure is 7 minutes, and cook time is 12 minutes, + 5 prep then the total time is 24 minutes not 17.
Shauna says
I see minced garlic in the list of ingredients, but it does not say anything about garlic in the instructions. Where/how would this be used in the recipe?
Christina says
It's #3 in the instructions 🙂
Lisamarie Sanchez says
Hi. Your receipe looks great. Can it be done with frozen chicken breasts. If yes, how would bI adjust the time?
Thank you
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Lisamarie! I didn't test this recipe with frozen chicken but I would recommend setting the cooking time to 17 minutes. Let me know if you give it a try!
Belle says
Can frozen chicken be used in this recipe? If so, should the cooking time be adjusted?
I'm forward to giving this recipe a try!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Belle! I didn't test it with frozen chicken but I would set the time to 17 minutes. I hope this helps! Let me know if you try it!
Ashley says
17 mins is not long enough. Just tried and the middle was still raw.
Kris says
When I do frozen chicken I do it on high pressure for 30 min amd then let it sit for 20 minuntes before hitting the pressure release with a wood spoon. Comes out cooked theough and tender for me.
Anna says
Hi Kris! Thank you so much for sharing! That is super helpful!
Abeer Rizvi says
I love that this can also be frozen for later meals... such a time saver!
Allyson Zea says
I love using my instant pot! This looks so flavorful!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Allyson!
Carolyn says
Seriously yummy!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Carolyn!
Catalina says
I love this idea! This is so awesome for our tacos night!
Amy says
This is a great recipe that comes out of the instant pot!
Sabrina says
Now that the kids are back in school, this looks like th perfect dinner for our crazy schedule! Love that this could be a freezer meal too!
Jamielyn says
So easy! Perfect for those busy weeknights!
Erin says
That is one delicious looking chicken! Great idea for our next tacos night!
Delaney says
These tacos are so vibrant!
Amanda says
I will be making these every Tuesday for taco Tuesday !!
Jacque Hastert says
Time to dust of the Instant Pot and make these next week for Taco Tuesday! Chicken tacos are my fave.