This easy Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe is the ultimate weeknight dinner hack. With just three simple ingredients, minimal effort, and a quick cooking time, you'll have the most flavorful, juicy chicken taco meat ready to pile into warm tortillas or use in burrito bowls, taco salads, and even chicken enchiladas!
Why You'll Love It
These instant pot chicken tacos are a game changer!
If you're looking for a great recipe that delivers big on flavor with barely any effort, you've come to the right place!
The boneless skinless chicken thighs cook in a zesty green enchilada sauce (the one by Siete is my go-to!), making the most deliciously tender and juicy shredded chicken.
The best part? It’s totally versatile! Use it for taco night, meal prep, or even freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for later.
Want to make it with frozen chicken? No problem—just add a little water, chicken broth or extra sauce to prevent the dreaded burn notice in your electric pressure cooker.
And don’t even get me started on toppings! Load up your tacos with your favorite taco toppings like cherry tomato pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, sour cream, hot salsa, or some hot sauce of your choice.
And conveniently enough, this recipe also works in your slow cooker and has been one of my favorite ways to make chicken tacos for the longest time.
Whether you prefer hard shells, soft flour tortillas, or corn tortillas, brown or white rice, this chicken taco recipe is a guaranteed family favorite. Let's dig in to these easy chicken tacos!
Ingredients & Substitutions
FOR THE CHICKEN
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: These stay juicy and shred beautifully, but you can swap for boneless skinless chicken breasts if that’s what you have.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Brings all the flavor! You could also use red enchilada sauce or try some tomato sauce mixed with homemade taco seasoning (or a packet of taco seasoning) for a different vibe.
- Kosher salt: A must for enhancing the flavors, but you can adjust to taste.
- Optional Additions: Want to boost the flavor? Try adding some cream cheese, chili powder and garlic powder once you add the cooked chicken back into the instant pot for a creamy version of this recipe.
FOR THE TACOS
- Corn Tortillas: If corn tortillas aren't your thing, try flour tortillas, crispy tortillas, nachos, brown rice, white rice or even lettuce for a bomb dot com chicken taco salad.
- Onion: I typically use white onion when making tacos but red onion, sweet onion or even pickled onion also works perfectly.
- Cilantro: If you're not a cilantro fan, you can leave it out.
- Salsa and Hot Sauce: If you haven't tried my homemade salsa, get on it!! This spicy salsa is so easy to make and it's absolutely delicious! I also have a cherry tomato salsa if you prefer something more chunky.
- Limes: A squeeze of lime juice does wonders for these instant pot chicken tacos.
How to Make It
ADD SAUCE: Pour half of the enchilada verde sauce into the bottom of the pot of your Instant Pot.
PLACE CHICKEN: Add the chicken thighs on top and sprinkle with kosher salt.
ADD MORE SAUCE & COOK: Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Lock the lid, set the vent to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
NATURAL RELEASE: Let the remaining pressure release naturally (or wait 10 minutes before doing a quick release).
SHRED CHICKEN: If you're using a hand mixer you can shred the chicken right in the instant pot. But if you're using a stand mixer or forks to shred them, remove the chicken and do it in a bowl or on top of a cutting board then place it back in the instant pot.
REDUCE SAUCE: Turn on the sauté function and let the sauce and chicken reduce slightly for extra richness.
MIX: Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and mix well. Serve in taco shells, soft flour tortillas, or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings!
SERVE: Assemble tacos by heating your taco in the microwave or oven an open flame on your gas stove. Then add a scoop of the chicken (straining it if there's too much sauce), some chopped onion, cilantro and salsa.
SAVE: You can place any leftovers from this instant pot taco chicken in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
What to Serve with Chicken Tacos
- Homemade Spicy Salsa
- Black Beans and Rice
- Elote in a Cup Recipe (Esquites - Mexican Street Corn Salad)
- Easy Brown Beans Recipe (The Best Pinto Beans)
- Mexican Street Corn Soup
- Quick and Easy Fajita Veggies Recipe (Peppers & Onions)
Recipe
Shredded Instant Pot Chicken Taco Recipe (3 Ingredients)
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2.5 lbs Chicken Thighs Boneless Skinless
- 15 oz Green Enchilada Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
FOR THE TACOS
- Taco Shells hard or soft, corn or flour, warmed
- ½ cup White or Red Onion roughly chopped
- ½ cup Fresh Cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 recipe Spicy Salsa
- 1 large Fresh Lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the instant pot.
- Add the chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top, secure the lid and steam valve, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Let the pressure cooking process finish with a natural release (or wait 10 minutes before a quick release).
- Shred the chicken. If you're using a hand mixer you can shred the chicken right in the instant pot. But if you're using a stand mixer or forks to shred them, remove the chicken and do it in a bowl or on top of a cutting board then place it back in the instant pot.
- Turn on the sauté function to cook the shredded chicken in the sauce for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings like onion, cilantro, salsa, and hot sauce with a squeeze of lime juice.. If the amount of liquid makes the chicken too saucy, you can use a slotted spoon to separate the chicken from the sauce.
