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These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are saucy, savory taco perfection! Made with just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep!
The Instant Pot makes taco night even simpler!
Karly’s Notes
I could literally eat Mexican food (authentic or American-ized, like these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos) every single night of the week and you won’t hear one peep of a complaint about it from me.
These Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos have been on repeat lately, with the tender chicken and saucy goodness that happens with just 5 ingredients and a couple minutes of prep.
We like to serve these with our easy refried beans and Mexican rice for a budget-friendly, quick version of our favorite Mexican restaurant order.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try my crockpot chicken tacos instead! Basically the same recipe, but different cooking methods.
What Readers are Saying!
“Instead of a traditional Christmas dinner we opted for Mexican. These were on the menu and did not disappoint. One of my absolute favorite dishes I have found from your site. My husband never had a clue the ranch was part of the seasoning. If he had of known he would have never eaten them. Thank you for the amazing recipe!” – Brandy H.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Quick & Easy: The Instant Pot makes this shredded chicken recipe quick and easy. It’s a lot faster than making crockpot shredded chicken and just as tender and juicy.
- Customize: You can switch up the ingredients in this however you like. Try it with a spicier seasoning mix or spicier salsa if you want some extra heat, or add some sliced jalapeno. You can top these tacos with all your favorite toppings!
- Make Ahead: You can easily prepare this pressure cooked shredded chicken ahead of time and reheat it when you are ready to assemble the tacos!
Ingredients:
Chicken – We’re starting with boneless skinless chicken breasts to make these shredded chicken tacos, but you could also use boneless chicken thighs too! Either one will work well when pressure cooking.
Taco Seasoning – Use your favorite kind or try out our own homemade taco seasoning! You can adjust the spices to make it exactly the way you like. If using store bought we like Ortega taco seasoning the best.
Ranch Seasoning – We used this popular ranch seasoning. Be sure to use the seasoning mix and not the dip mix as the dip mix has a lot more sodium.
Salsa – Try out my homemade restaurant style salsa recipe or grab a jar of your favorite fom the store.
Chicken Broth – A bit of chicken broth or stock is needed to cook the chicken.
Tacos: Use your favorite tortillas (crunchy, soft, flour, corn…) and your favorite taco toppings, like our homemade guacamole or some creamy chipotle sauce along with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
Step by Step Photos:
Add the chicken, seasoning, salsa, and broth to the Instant Pot. Close the lid, set the vent to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, open the lid, and shred the chicken with a couple of forks or a hand mixer.
Serve the shredded chicken on tortillas with your favorite toppings, such as lettuce, shredded cheese, and sour cream. The chicken also goes great on our sheet pan chicken nachos.
My Favorite Instant Pot!
I absolutely love my Instant Pot! It’s great for recipes like these chicken tacos, or to cook perfect rice, cook chicken to shred (the best!), and so much more.
Serving Suggestions:
You’re going to want to serve these tacos with your favorite Mexican side dishes! These tacos are perfect for serving alongside my Mexican rice and some homemade refried beans!
My Mexican potato salad or Mexican street corn pasta salad also make excellent side dishes. And if you love street corn you will definitely want to try out this air fryer street corn recipe!
And don’t forget the drinks! We pretty much never serve Mexican inspired meals without my famous Margarita on the Rocks!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days.
The cooked, shredded chicken can be stored together in the freezer as well. Just let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe bag or container. It should last for up to a couple of months.
Thaw before reheating.
More Taco Recipes:
- Turkey Tacos: Less fat than traditional tacos but still lots of flavor!
- Taco Stuffed Shells: Pasta and tacos are an awesome mix.
- Chicken Taco Soup – Skip the tortilla or shell and try this taco soup.
- Fried Tacos: The ultimate taco recipe!
- Taco Tater Tot Casserole: Take your average tater tot to a whole new level!
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your pressure cooker and stir to combine.
- Close the pressure cooker and set the vent to 'sealing.'
- Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally before removing the lid and shredding the chicken.
- Serve with your favorite taco fixings.
Susan says
Love this. It is a go to for us! I would like to double this for a party. Do I need to change the cook time if I do?
Karly says
Nope, it’ll just take longer to come to pressure. 🙂
Brandy H. says
Instead of a traditional Christmas dinner we opted for Mexican. These were on the menu and did not disappoint. One of my absolute favorite dishes I have found from your site. My husband never had a clue the ranch was part of the seasoning. If he had of known he would have never eaten them. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Karly says
So glad you guys enjoyed them, Brandy!
Craig Marsh says
Taste was great but we kept getting a burn notice. We had to add extra chicken broth.
CK says
What salsa and ranch seasoning do you use? I assume you don’t need a trivet as well.
Karly says
We normally use the salsa linked in the recipe. I use Hidden Valley ranch, but any ranch seasoning should work. No trivet needed. 🙂
Erin says
Really want to try this recipe. Does anyone know how long this would take in a crock pot? We don’t have an instant pot.
Karly says
Hi Erin! It’ll take about 4-5 hours on low and 2-3 hours on high, depending on your crockpot. 🙂
Allen Moody says
Any ideas about using frozen chicken for this?
Karly says
Frozen chicken should work fine. It’ll just take longer to come to pressure.
Elizabeth says
Isn’t 18 minutes a really long time to cook the chicken? Every other chicken recipe I find is 8-10 minutes. I’m worried it will be really tough from over cooking!
Karly says
We don’t find this to be too long at all, but you can reduce the time and see how that works, if you like. 🙂
Luna Regina says
Tried this last weekend for my family, and everyone loved it a lot! It took me roughly 50 mins to put everything together. Definitely recommend this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Karly, hope you have an awesome week ahead!
Easyfoodsmith says
The tacos look so good and delish with those wonderful seasonings.