These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos come together quickly and can be made from fresh or frozen chicken breasts or thighs (or both!)! Perfect for tacos, salads, or taco bowls.
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January on The Recipe Rebel is all about easy, most healthy family dinners — some that double as Superbowl party recipes because, what can I say? ‘Tis the season!
These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are one of those recipes.
I love making a bunch of tacos or taco meat (chicken and beef or even pork or seafood!) for a party because it’s easy for everyone to mix and match what they like.
They’re easy to make and easy to prep ahead, and if you set out a wide range of sides or toppings (lettuce for salads, cooked rice, different salsas and cheeses, chips and veggies, etc.), there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone.
On the other hand, shredded chicken tacos also make a super quick, simple and healthy weeknight meal.
And the leftovers? Just as easy to get rid of!
Make a salad, do up some nachos for lunch or date night, stir it into soup or a pasta dish. These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are so super versatile, they’re sure to be a crowd pleaser!
This is the best basic Instant Pot Shredded Chicken <– if you’re looking for juicy, delicious chicken with a great all-purpose seasoning blend that is awesome for your weekend meal prep!
Variations on these Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos:
- These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are naturally gluten and dairy free, just be sure to check your labels and pay attention to what you serve alongside.
- I like a little sweetness for cooking my chicken, so I like to use pineapple or mango juice! You can easily swap this for chicken or vegetable broth, or even water, though broth or juice adds a ton of flavor that water just won’t.
- I like to add my salsa as a topping on my tacos so that everyone can pick and choose with they like. If you prefer, you can stir the salsa right into the shredded chicken before serving.
- You can make these as mild or as spicy as you like by adjusting the spices or topping with extra spicy toppings. If you know you like your tacos extra spicy, try adding an extra teaspoon of chili powder or shredding with some hot salsa thrown in the mix.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken tacos from frozen chicken:
From frozen chicken breasts:
Cook on manual or pressure cook, high pressure, for 12 minutes.
From frozen chicken thighs (boneless, skinless):
Cook on manual or pressure cook, high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
How to make these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos ahead:
There are two ways to make these shredded chicken tacos in advance:
- Prep everything in the inner pot of the Instant Pot, then cover and refrigerate up to 1 day before cooking and continuing with the recipe.
- Prep and cook completely. Shred. Let cool slightly before covering and refrigerating. To reheat, simply use the microwave, stove top or Instant Pot on saute setting to warm through (or serve cold!).
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- tortillas, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and salsa as desired for serving
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Combine chili powder, garlic, onion, salt and cumin and sprinkle over chicken. Pour pineapple juice into the Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 8-10 minutes, then open the valve and remove the lid.
- Drain all but 1/4-½ cup of the juices. Shred the chicken in the juices and stir so the chicken soaks up the flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired (adding a bit more spice if you like!). Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Diana Lynn Collier says
This was so amazing and fast. In used lime juice instead. When I put the tacos together, in used corn tortillas, crema mixed with adobo sauce, queso fresco, and cilantro. So good, better than a restaurant. My husband ate 8 tacos!!!
Ashley Fehr says
I am so happy to hear that!
Lynne Jean says
I Love this recipe… so good and easy. I am making this again and I want to make 3 lbs of chicken breasts. Do you know how much time to cook 3 lbs for? The chicken breast I’m using are different sizes last time I made 2 lbs and the time you have listed worked great with my instant pot.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Lynne! I don’t think I would add much more for time! It may take longer to come to pressure when it is more full, but the cook time should be about the same!
Irma says
Quick question, Wondering if I need to use the Instapot rack to place the chicken on top of it, or not?
Ashley Fehr says
Nope! I just put it right in the liquid 🙂
Annie says
I just found this recipe 2 weeks ago and have made it 4 times since then and have now whipped up a huge jar full of the spice mix so I can make it quicker and regularly. Thank you! The pineapple juice adds a really nice deep flavor and the spices are a nice subtle Mexican flavor. We make lots of burritos and tacos in this household and this recipe has made me super happy.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Annie! I’m so glad you like it!
Beth Hilton says
Made these for a work function with 8 chicken breasts. These were so tasty and incredibly moist, even after leaving on warm for hours! I will definitely make these again and again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Beth! I’m glad to hear that!
Diana says
Can I substitute the pineapple juice with another kind of juice?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely, I would do mango or even chicken broth would be fine.
Chris Weeks says
The recipe says cook from frozen or fresh, breasts or thighs; the recipe directions only mention chicken breasts. What about thighs, from fresh or frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
You can swap the breasts for thighs and I cook them the same amount of time as breasts, unless the breasts are very large. I usually add a couple minutes to the cook time if using frozen.
Diana says
My daughter hates tacos but ate 3 of these chicken tacos last time i made it and requested it a week later! I had to increase the liquid a bit for my 8 qt instant pot, last time i got a burn notice. These are amazing and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing. This is my favorite go-to blog for instant pot recipes.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Diana! I am so happy to hear that and happy you’ve found some other Instant Pot recipes you enjoy as well!
Ashley Fehr says
It just depends if you like them soft or crunchy. If you want them tender you can add them at the beginning of the cook time, but they will be very soft. If you like them with more crunch, you may want to saute them separately and add them in.
Brandy Gunderson says
I haven’t tried this yet. what I wonder about is the shells. How do you warm them up? I don’t want to turn on oven in this heat
Ashley Fehr says
You can also warm them in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. We sometimes don’t warm them at all
Denise says
Looking to make my first recipe tonight (besides boiling water)! If I double it, should I double the pineapple juice as well?
Ashley Fehr says
You probably don’t need to double the juice as it might water down the spices, but it won’t hurt it!
Jan Sabey says
Do you need to double the time to cook if you double the amount of chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
No, it should be the same!
Sandie Akers says
How does the frozen chicken cook in 10 minutes? My others recipe says 25 for frozen.
Ashley Fehr says
I always cook frozen chicken breasts for 10 minutes, and they are always well over 165 degrees F, up to 180-200 degrees. If the other recipe is not guided by internal temperature, then sometimes it is overcooked just to ensure doneness. It also depends on the size of the chicken breasts, but I would never ever do chicken breasts for 25 minutes. They bake 25 minutes in the oven!
Pam says
This recipe is a keeper!! My family DEVOURED it! THANK YOU!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Pam! I’m so glad!
Allyson Zea says
Love using my instant pot! Trying this!
krissy says
This chicken is juicy and tender and perfect in a soft flour or corn tortilla! big hit with my kids!
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Krissy!
Aimee Shugarman says
Super easy dinner idea!
Julie Blanner says
This will be a great weeknight dinner! Thanks for sharing.
Florence Ochoa says
Hello,
I was wondering if I could make this recipe in a slow cooker?
If it is possible how long would I set cook time to?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, defintely! I would probably cook in low for 4-6 hours
Chef Blog says
I loved reading this post. I dont own an instant pot yet, but lately been thinking of buying one more and more. If ever I do buy one I will definitely be trying out this recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how you like them!
Linda says
My chicken shredded easily but was tough and hard to chew. Any idea what I may have done wrong? I cooked frozen breast’s for 12 minutes.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that Linda! Did you let the pressure release naturally?
Haleigh says
I haven’t made this particular recipe yet but tge chicken may have dried out a bit. It is recommended to let meat rest for at least 5 minutes after pulling it out of the instant pot or oven to allow tbe juice to settle. If you shred immediately you lose a lot of moisture! Also try brining the meat before cooking 🙂
Toni Bullock says
That’s funny, because cubed chicken always seems odd to me! My husband doesn’t tire of it…well, so far! I’m going to try this tomorrow. It sounds great. Nothing better than the taco! Thanks for the recipie, Ashley! I love your ideas and your creamy chicken noodle soup is divine! I’ve made it about 6x in 5 weeks!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Toni! I’d love to hear how you liked them!
Catherine says
I found this recipe through your “creamy italian instant pot chicken breasts” recipe, which my boyfriend and I both love. It’s become a weekly meal! The shredded chicken tacos look amazing too! Any reason why the chicken breasts need to cook for 10 minutes when it’s 8 minutes for the creamy italian instant pot chicken breasts?
Ashley Fehr says
You can reduce the time to 8 minutes if you prefer! I find a couple extra minutes helps them to shred even more easily, but it’s not necessary for them to be cooked
Tamaira says
This look tasty! We aren’t big fans of the texture of shredded chicken but I am going to try this recipe 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how it goes! You can definitely just chop them too 🙂