Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

If you need a quick, tasty and infallible way to get tacos on the table, these instant chicken tacos are the answer. The chicken is juicy, tender and full of smoked and citrus goodness, perfect for the filling in hot tortillas with all your favorite condiments.

Instant chicken tacos served on a dining dish seasoned with radishes and lime.

If there is one thing that I will never tire of, they are Tacos. And if there is a kitchen gadget that is basically my life saver for dinner, it is the instant pot. Put them together and you have these instant chicken tacos, a meal that I regularly make for the family.

In just 10 minutes, chicken legs or experienced chicken breast and quickly marinated in this recipe are cooked at pressure to be perfectly tender and the chopped taco filling without any effort. All you need are some seasonings for the pantry and you are ready.

Because I love this recipe

It’s ridiculously easy: The intent Pot manages everything, so you have to just lift a finger. It is my type of dinner of the week.
Great flavor without confusion: Chili dust, lime juice and smoky paprika make chicken as you did much more effort than what you have actually done.
Excellent for leftovers: You do extra and eat it all week on homemade tostada shells, burrito bowls, quesadillas and salads.

Ingredients you need

Chicken thighs or breasts: I am a big fan of the chicken legs in Tacos because they are juicy, destroyed well and absorb so much flavor. I recommended to use the variety without boned skin to minimize fat. However, if you don’t have your thighs in the refrigerator, you could also use the chicken breast.
Olive oil and white wine vinegar: The oil helps to maintain the chicken juicy (especially if you use the chicken breast) while the vinegar helps to keep and add a little codole. If you have no white wine vinegar, it will also work distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Lime juice: Just squeezed for a bright and citrus kick that also helps to keep the chicken.
Spaces: A mixture of pepper powder, pepper of ancho, smoked paprika, ground cumin, powdered garlic, onion powder, salt and black pepper gives the bold chicken, smoked and certainly boring flavors.
Broth: A little liquid is needed to help the chicken to cook to the bottom in the pressure of the instant. The chicken broth will improve the flavor but you could also use water or any other broth you have.

These are just some of the key ingredients. For the complete recipe, consult the recipe card below.

Grateful cooked chicken inside the prosec.

Suggestions for recipes

Do not jump the marinade, if possible. That batter of 30 minutes makes a big difference in flavor, but it’s okay if you don’t have time.
Keep it hot. Use the setting for the heating of the instant pot during tacos assembly so that the chicken remains hot.
Do you want crunchy pieces? Distribute the chicken legs grated on a pan and cook it for a few minutes for that slightly charred and crunchy consistency.
Make it spicy. Add the chipotle powder or a diced chipotle in adobe for extra kick.

Frequent questions

Can I use frozen chicken?

YES! Just add 5 minutes more to the cooking time. There is no need to marinate: just add all the ingredients to the instant pot.

How do you archive the leftovers?

Keep the remaining chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a maximum of 4 days or freezes for 3 months.

Serve suggestions

Create Classic Tacos: Load Tortillas of hot corn or tortillas of flour with the grated chicken, some Mexican onions in brine, coriander, sour cream, grated cheese or crumbled cotija or fresco of this and a lime narrow.
Build bowls of burrito: Serve on rice lime of coriander or Mexican rice with black -shaped black beans or hob, avocado and sauce be beans.
Crunchy some this questions: Stuff in a large tortilla with grated cheese, then fresh in a pan until it is crunchy like my chicken dicesadilla recipe.
We have toasted, soups and Huarache: At the top of the chicken on some authentic Mexican dishes such as on homemade toasted shells for chicken tostadas, or prepare sobri and Huarache with Masa Harina.

Two instant chicken tacos served on a plate with lime and radishes as condiments.

Memorizes, freezing and heating

In the fridge: Keep in an airtight container for a maximum of 4 days.
In the freezer: Freeze in a sealed bag or in a container for the freezer for a maximum of 3 months. Thaw during the night in the fridge before heating.
To heat: Heat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of chicken or microwave oven at 1 minute intervals until they are heated.

More instantaneous recipes

Have you prepared these instant chicken tacos? Make sure to leave an evaluation and a comment below! I love feeling your experience and also helps others.

Cooking methodsPrevent the screen from becoming dark

Add all the ingredients except the chicken broth in an average bowl. Mix together to cover, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Add the chicken with all the marinade juices and the chicken broth instantly. Cover, seal the pressure valve and cook at high pressure manual for 10 minutes, then leave the pressure release of course for 5 minutes, then carefully release the pressure manually using the quick release valve.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and destroy with two forks. Transfer again to Instant Pot and mix together with all the juices to cover.
Serve in hot tortillas with lettuce, cheese, coriander, sour cream and your favorite Taco condiments.

Short time? You can skip 30 minutes marinated and add everything to the instant dish. The chicken will not be as tasty as if I left it seafarer, but it will still be delicious!
Also chili powder: I love to use it as it adds a little more of a depth of flavor, but if you don’t have it, you can use more normal in chili dust or completely omitting.
Spice level: These tacos are not spicy, but the rapid marinade adds a lot of flavor. If you are worried about the spice level, you can cut the chilli powder in half and use only 2 tablespoons in total.
To use frozen chicken: Just add 5 minutes more to the cooking time. There is no need to marinate: just add all the ingredients to the instant pot.

Nutritional information is calculated automatically, so they should be used only as approximation.

Leave a comment and an evaluation of the stars below!

This post was originally published in February 2021 and has been updated with more useful suggestions and a better overall recipe in February 2025.