Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

instant pot chicken tacos | instant pot shredded chicken tacos | instant pot taco chicken | pressure cooker chicken tacos

Step-by-Step Guide on how to make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos. Easy to make Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos with simple pantry ingredients. Deep flavored tender juicy chicken in a warm crisped tortilla, topped with refreshing salsa. Brightened with a zesty burst of lime. Deliciously satisfying snack or tasty meal.

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instant pot chicken tacos | instant pot shredded chicken tacos | instant pot taco chicken | pressure cooker chicken tacos

Love how tacos can be so simple yet versatile, so easy to make yet so delicious.

The complex combination of textures and vibrant depths of savory, tart, sweet, spicy, and umami flavors. Delightful sensation wrapped in a bite!

Can’t wait to go back to Mexico someday for another awesome delicious adventure.

Los Tacos No.1 at Chelsea Market in New York
Los Tacos No.1 at Chelsea Market in New York

Chicken Tacos

Tacos have been a staple in Mexican cuisine for centuries. There are many regional variations of chicken tacos. Each brings its own twists to the dish. Incorporating local spices, salsas, and cooking techniques.

Chicken tacos are tender juicy chicken seasoned with a blend of aromatic spices, served with flavorful toppings, and wrapped in a corn or flour tortilla.

Some of the most popular toppings include Mexican black beans, refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, avocado, cheese, and more.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

instant pot shredded chicken tacos

Prepare ingredients for cooking chicken tacos Instant Pot recipe.

chicken tacos ingredients

Chicken. We developed the recipe with skin-on chicken thighs, though we’ll remove the chicken skin in the end. Because the chicken skin helps keep the chicken moister during the pressure cooking process. But you can substitute it with skinless chicken thighs for this chicken tacos Instant Pot recipe.

Cinnamon. One of our secret ingredients for making Instant Pot chicken tacos! A touch of cinnamon adds a unique taste that enriches the chicken’s flavors. Keep in mind different brands or types of cinnamon vary in intensity, flavors, aroma, and heat. So if your cinnamon is very strong or has a richer taste, you may use less cinnamon powder. You can omit it if you wish, your Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos will still be tasty.

Regular Soy Sauce. It’s not a traditional Mexican ingredient, but it’ll add another layer of umami flavor to the chicken tacos. Give it a shot!

Unsalted Chicken Stock. We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients so we can better control the flavors. If you’re substituting with salted ingredients, the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Adjust accordingly.

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Tools for Making Chicken Tacos Instant Pot Recipe

Step 1

Marinate Chicken in Instant Pot

Add 1 teaspoon (2.5g) ground cumin seed, ½ teaspoon (1.5g) cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon (2.8g) garlic powder, 1 teaspoon (2.4g) onion powder, 1 teaspoon (2.5g) paprika, 1 – 2 teaspoons (2.5g – 5g) chili powder, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

marinate chicken

Add ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot. Give the marinade mixture a quick mix.

make chicken marinade

Add 2 to 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs in Instant Pot (with skin side up). For reference, we used 2.75 pounds bone-in chicken thighs.

Marinate chicken thighs for 10 to 20 minutes.

Amy + Jacky’s Tip: If you’re planning to marinate the chicken for a longer time, put the whole inner pot in the fridge.

marinate chicken in Instant Pot

Step 2

Pressure Cook Chicken

Close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Cook Time: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes, then Natural Release for 12 minutes.

Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes

After 12 minutes of Natural Release, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to the Venting position.

Remove the lid carefully.

Mexican chicken in Instant Pot

Step 3

Shred & Season Chicken

Place pressure cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl. Shred chicken with 2 forks. You can remove the skin when shredding the chicken.

Mexican shredded chicken

Amy + Jacky’s Pro Tip: If you think the tacos sauce is too oily, now is a good time to use a [amazon link="B0002YTGIQ" title="Fat Separator" /] to remove the oil.

Bring the chicken tacos sauce mixture back to a simmer by pressing the “Cancel” button, then “Saute” button.

Let the sauce simmer and thicken a bit while you shred the chicken.

make Mexican sauce

Taste the chicken tacos sauce in Instant Pot, then adjust the seasoning with more salt. For reference, we added 3 large pinches of salt.

Place the shredded chicken back in the tacos sauce mixture.

chicken tacos in instant pot

Step 4

Serve Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Optional: If you’re serving these Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos with corn tortillas, you can heat up the corn tortillas.

If you’d like to serve these pressure cooker chicken tacos with Pico de Gallo. Here’s our Fresh Salsa Recipe.

shredded chicken tacos instant pot

Add shredded chicken on top of the warmed corn tortillas with a spoonful of salsa.

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos | Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos: add shredded chicken on corn tortillas

Add more toppings like cheese, guacamole, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice if desired.

instant pot taco chicken

Serve these deep-flavored Instant Pot chicken tacos immediately.

What to Serve with Chicken Tacos

This chicken tacos Instant Pot recipe makes tasty snacks or flavorful meal. You can enhance your meal with other Mexican or Tex-Mex main dishes like Instant Pot Chili Verde, Instant Pot Salsa Chicken, Instant Pot Chili, Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, or tamales.

Delicious Mexican side dishes you can serve with chicken tacos:

Wrap up your meal on a sweet note with Mexican desserts like Instant Pot Arroz con LecheInstant Pot Flan, or Instant Pot Dulce De Leche.

Enjoy your Instant Pot Chicken Tacos!

4.94 from 32 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Author: Amy + Jacky
Easy to make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos (Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos). Deep flavored tender juicy chicken in a warm crisped tortilla, topped with refreshing salsa. Brightened with a zesty burst of lime. Deliciously satisfying snack or tasty meal.
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Servings 8 - 12
Total Time 40 minutes
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Ingredients

To Serve

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Instructions 

  • Marinate Chicken: Add 1 tsp (2.5g) ground cumin seed, ½ tsp (1.5g) cinnamon powder, 1 tsp (2.8g) garlic powder, 1 tsp (2.4g) onion powder, 1 tsp (2.5g) paprika, 1 - 2 tsp (2.5 - 5g) chili powder, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot. Add in ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock. Give the sauce mixture a quick mix. Add in 2lbs - 3lbs bone-in chicken thighs (skin side up). Marinate chicken for 10 - 20 minutes. 
    Amy + Jacky's Tip: If you're marinating the chicken for a longer time, put the whole inner pot in the fridge.
  • Pressure Cook Chicken: Close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes, then Natural Release for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to the Venting position. Remove the lid carefully.
  • Shred & Season Chicken: Place cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl. Shred the meat with 2 forks. You can remove the skin when shredding chicken.
    Amy + Jacky's Pro Tip: If you think the tacos sauce is too oily, use a Fat Separator to remove the oil. 
    Bring the tacos sauce mixture back to a simmer by pressing the "Cancel" button, then "Saute" button. Let the sauce simmer and thicken a bit while you shred the chicken. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with more salt. For reference, we used 3 large pinches of salt. Place shredded chicken back in the sauce.
  • Serve: Heat up the corn tortillas (optional). Add shredded chicken on top of the warmed tortillas with salsa. Add your favorite toppings like cheese, guacamole, fresh lime juice. Serve these finger-licking chicken tacos immediately. Enjoy!~

Notes

1. Chicken: We developed the recipe with skin-on chicken thighs because the chicken skin helps keep the meat moister during the cooking process.
  • Boneless Chicken Thighs: reduce 3 minutes pressure cooking time
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: reduce 2 minutes pressure cooking time
  • Chicken Breasts: Chicken breasts won't be as juicy. Pressure cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 8 minutes.
2. Cinnamon: One of our secret ingredients! A touch of cinnamon adds a unique taste that enriches the chicken's flavors. Different brands or types of cinnamon vary in intensity, flavors, aroma, and heat. So if your cinnamon is very strong or has a richer taste, you may use less cinnamon powder. You can omit it if you wish, the chicken tacos will still be tasty.
3. Regular Soy Sauce: It’s not a traditional Mexican ingredient, but it’ll add another layer of umami flavor to the chicken tacos.
4. Unsalted Chicken Stock: We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients so we can better control the flavors. If you’re substituting with salted chicken stock, the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Adjust accordingly.
5. Half Recipe (using 4 thighs (1 pound)): For this recipe, use the same pressure cook time.
6. Double Recipe: Decrease the pressure cooking time by a minute, because Instant Pot will take longer to "get-up-to-pressure".
7. Total Cooking Time: Total cooking time didn't include inactive marinating time.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Calories: 261kcal
Course: Appetizer, Main, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chicken tacos instant pot, instant pot chicken tacos, instant pot shredded chicken tacos, instant pot taco chicken, pressure cooker chicken tacos, shredded chicken tacos instant pot

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1.2mg
instant pot chicken tacos | instant pot shredded chicken tacos | instant pot taco chicken | pressure cooker chicken tacos
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