Easy homemade shredded chicken tacos right in your Instant Pot! Made from mostly pantry ingredients these Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos are an easy weeknight meal.
Saucy, flavourful and with just the right amount of spice, these Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos are a weeknight hit.
Cooking chicken breasts in the Instant Pot was a game changer for me. I can't get over how perfectly moist and juicy they are every single time! That's why it's the perfect place for making shredded chicken tacos.
When I dig into any taco I'm expecting big flavour, tender meat and lots of juice in every bite. These Instant Pot shredded tacos do not disappoint! They are kind of spin off of salsa chicken, but with some extra oompf because chicken with just salsa seems a bit bland for a taco if you're asking me.
This recipe is made from mostly pantry ingredients, and many of them I'm sure you already have on hand. Canned tomatoes, spices, garlic, limes, stock, and chipotles. If you don't have chipotles you can definitely leave them out - they just add a nice bit of spice to the dish.
How to make them
Set your Instant Pot to saute and cover the bottom of it with oil, then mix the chili powder and cumin together. Use about ¼ of the spice mix to rub the outside of the breasts then season them with salt and pepper.
Place the breasts in the pot and sear the first side for 2-3 minutes then flip them over and sear the other side.
Remove the breasts from the pot then add the onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes then add the tomatoes, stock, remaining spice mix and the sea salt.
Place the breasts in the pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When the cooking time is up quick release the pressure then remove the chicken from the sauce.
Set the pot to saute and allow the sauce to cook down a bit as you use a couple of forks to pull the chicken breasts into shreds then place the pulled chicken back into the pot.
Add the juice from the limes and the chopped cilantro then give everything a good stir.
How to serve them
I served these tacos on hard shells but soft shells would be just as good if that's what you prefer.
Must have toppings for these tacos are:
- pico de gallo - my absolute favourite topping for any taco.
- sour cream! - chicken breasts are really lean, so adding some fat really does wonders for the flavour of the dish.
- shredded lettuce - I love love love greens on my tacos
This list is just a start though, and you could top them with anything from pickled jalapenos to pickled onions.
If you want to add some extra spice factor to these chicken tacos check out our roasted jalapeno salsa.
More recipes you'll love!
If you like these instant pot shredded chicken tacos you might want to check out some of our other delicious taco recipes!
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken breasts - 4-5 breasts
- 1.5 Tablespoons chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon cumin
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 onion - diced
- 2-3 chipotles - diced
- 3⁄4 cup chicken stock
- 14 oz diced tomatoes - or tomato paste?
- 2 limes - juice of
- 1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro
- 12 taco shells
Toppings
- pico de gallo
- shredded lettuce
- sour cream
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts and sear both sides on the saute setting with some olive oil.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, then add the garlic and onion and saute while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the insert.
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, remaining seasonings and give a good stir. Place the chicken on top of the sauce.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken breasts and set the Instant Pot to saute. Allow the leftover sauce to reduce while you shred the chicken with a couple of forks.
- Put the shredded chicken back into the sauce, add the lime juice and the cilantro, then stir well to combine it all.
- Serve in shells with toppings.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Chef Dennis says
These Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos look absolutely divine!
Courtney says
Thank you!
Christine says
I am so excited I found this recipe. The chicken actually has flavor. This is my go to for chicken tacos now. Amazing!