Instant Pot chicken tacos are a quick, easy dinner made with just a handful of ingredients. Chicken tenders, chicken broth, salsa, and taco seasoning combine in this hands-off meal that the whole family will love.
Taco night is a favorite in our house, and when we are looking to make it as easy and quick as possible, we lean heavily on this four ingredient Instant Pot chicken taco recipe. It is just a few minutes of hands-on time, and the chicken cooks perfectly every single time. If your plate is already full and you are looking for a brainless dinner that everyone will love, look no further than this instant pot salsa chicken. It is amazing in tacos, but such a great meal prep option to use in dozens of recipes throughout the week.
Why This Recipe Works
- Made with only four ingredients.
- It is done in 30 minutes.
- Using chicken tenders makes the juiciest shredded taco chicken.
- This taco chicken is amazing in so many different recipes.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Combine the chicken tenders and chicken broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Then add in the taco seasoning and the salsa. Seal the pressure cooker and set it to cook for five minutes at high pressure.
- After the chicken finishes cooking, shred it with two forks right in the Instant pot.
- Once the chicken is fully shredded, give it a final toss so everything is well combined.
Ways to Use Taco Chicken
- Tacos: We love to make a taco bar with this chicken, taco toppings, and shells.
- Quesadillas: Taco chicken gives them an extra boost of flavor that my kids are obsessed with.
- Chimichangas: Combine salsa chicken with beans and cheese, like I do with my beef chimichangas, and bake it (or fry it) all together in tortilla shell.
- Burritos: When you combine this recipe with my cilantro lime rice and your favorite burrito fillings, it is magical.
- Taco Salad: Romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, beans, corn, salsa, and taco chicken make the perfect weekday lunch.
Tips and Tricks
- Stick with chicken tenders. This recipe will work with chicken breasts and chicken thighs, but chicken tenders are part of what keeps this recipe juicy and tender.
- Use homemade salsa. If you are looking to do more from scratch cooking, this blender salsa is easy to make and great for recipes like this.
- Use homemade taco seasoning. My recipe for homemade taco seasoning uses spices you probably already have in your pantry and three tablespoons of it perfectly replaces a grocery store packet of taco seasoning.
- Use your stand mixer to shred the chicken. I love using the paddle attachment of my stand mixer to quickly shred chicken. It is worth the extra bowl to wash every time.
Meal Prep
This is an ideal recipe to make Sunday night to use throughout the week. It works in different recipes for weekday lunches and its a great option for teenagers who come home from practice starving.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave, covered. Add more salsa as needed during reheating to keep the chicken from drying out.
Freezing
These leftovers freeze really well. Freeze them in the liquid you cooked them in. This will help the chicken stay really moist as it thaws and reheats. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding more salsa if needed.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
I love making a full spread when we have taco night. Here are some of my favorite recipes.
- Pico de Gallo: This will always be my very favorite taco topping.
- Guacamole: This simple recipe is always the first thing gone when I bring it to a party.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: My kids love having rice with their tacos or using it to fill a burrito.
- Margaritas: This recipe is a fan favorite with both my readers and my own friends and family.
If you make these Instant Pot shredded chicken tacos or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I always love hearing how your family enjoyed my recipes.
Instant Pot Taco Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ounce taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa
- 18 small flour tortillas
- shredded cheese for topping
- diced tomatoes for topping
Instructions
- In the base of the Instant Pot, combine the chicken tenders and the chicken broth. Top with the taco seasoning and salsa.2 pounds chicken tenders, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 ounce taco seasoning, 1 cup salsa
- Seal the Instant Pot, with the steam release set to sealed. Set the Instant Pot to manual, high pressure for five minutes.
- After about 10 to 15 minutes, the Instant Pot will reach pressure, and then it will cook for 5 minutes. At the end of the cook time, turn the steam release to venting. Once the float valve drops, about five minutes, open the pressure cooker.
- Shred the chicken tenders and mix to combine them with the liquid. I sometimes like to remove the chicken tenders, shred them using the paddle attachment of my stand mixer, and then return everything to the pressure cooker. Toss it all to combine well and then use the chicken to make tacos, using your favorite toppings.
Notes
averie @ averie cooks says
I can literally see how tender the chicken is and great to hear it is way more tender and juicy this way than in your slow cooker!
Right?? Sooooo good!
danielle says
Hello. I want to make this recipe for my sons birthday. Problem is I have not used my instant pot yet. I need to make enough for 25 people. Help!!!! Any tips? Also…How many does 1lbs of chicken make? Thx.
Yikes! That’s a LOT of people to make this for. So I feel comfortable telling you to double it and it won’t change the cooking time much, but you would probably need to make 5x what it calls for. I would suggest you either make it in two batches or check out my slow cooker version.
Sara says
3 cups of liquid seems like a lot! Is that accurate?
Yup!
Heather Hamby says
So you use 3 cups of liquid and it ends up looking like the chicken in the pot in the photo? Or is that after you take the chicken out and shred it and dump the liquid and put the chicken back in the pot? ;)
I pulled out the liquid because it made for a prettier photo ????
Robin says
New insta pot user here. ????♀️ Can I put the chicken in frozen or do I have to thaw it first?
I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen chicken yet! If you give it a go, let me know!
Debi C says
Yes, you can use frozen chicken with the same results. I would also reduce the amount of liquid to 1 cup per pound of chicken.
Bettina says
The recipe is great, but a little too much liquid and I had to add more taco seasoning for the extra liquid. I made a wonderful chicken bowl with rice, corn, onion, black beans, chicken, extra juice and cheese. Definitely a keeper
Jeannette says
It sounds like you are doing a quick release since you said to turn the knob to venting. My pot takes maybe a minute to release the pressure this way. Since you said it would take about ten minutes for the float to drop do you mean natural pressure release?
Thanks! The recipe sounds delicious so I don’t want to mess it up.
Yes to everything you said. I must have learned different Instant Pot terminology!
G says
I’ve made this twice now and it’s delicious. I batch cook on sundays and it freezes well. Everyone likes it from my picky eating 8 year old to my keto dieting husband.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Janna says
How long do you cook it for if you’re making more than 1 lb?
The same amount of time
April De Haan says
new follower….for these tenders, I am doubling it. So 2#’s. I see the note about making sure they are covered with stock, but do I need to adjust the time at all for two pounds vs one? Thanks!
No, I’ve done two pounds in the same time and it worked great.
Alissa Rogers says
What’s the cooking time if you use chicken breasts?
It’s the same!