Oh, hi; it’s me again with another taco recipe. I just can’t help myself lately–tacos are such a quick dinner for us when we spend a little too much time by the pool. I keep saying we’ll be home by 5:30 to give myself 30 blessed minutes to make dinner, but I find myself dragging home around 6:30. Then, everyone is hungry and I’m scrambling in the kitchen. It usually goes a little something like this: I toss the chicken in my instant pot, pop Camille in the bath, and my husband starts cooking the tortillas. Whoever finishes first starts prepping the other taco ingredients. I use the Instant Pot mini because I cook for two, but this recipe works well doubled in the larger one! Side note: I’ve never had blonde hair in my life, and suddenly I can’t keep Camille’s precious baby blonde hair from turning green in the chlorine pool water–anyone have advice for this?
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos:
Ok, back to tacos: I use this instant pot shredded chicken in tortillas to make tacos quite frequently. However, I also use it in burrito bowls, too. Just make a bowl of rice, add a scoop of black beans, a scoop of this saucy shredded chicken, and whatever else you like on your burrito bowl! It’s versatile enough for rolling in tortillas for chicken enchiladas too, ok? Speaking of, it’s great in my Instant Pot Taco soup, too!
The ingredients are so simple: boneless skinless chicken breast, salsa, chicken broth (or water), salt, cumin, and cilantro for serving. I nearly always have these ingredients in my house, so I can make these instant pot chicken tacos weekly. You can absolutely use chicken broth or water here, and you can use 4 chicken thighs instead of 2 chicken breasts. When it comes to the salsa, make sure you’re using a watery one. If the salsa is too thick, it lacks moisture and you might get a burn warning in your instant pot! This happens with my Instant Pot Salsa Chicken to a few people, but once they switch to Pace or the glass jar of Trader Joe’s salsa, it provides enough moisture.
Ways to use instant pot chicken breast recipes:
-wrap the shredded chicken in a warm tortilla and top with your favorite taco toppings -pile over a bowl of rice and black beans, add a scoop of guacamole and shredded cheese for a burrito bowl -wrap in flour tortillas to make my Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas -spread between tortillas, top with cheese and make quesadillas -use this chicken as a meal prep ingredient -you can even use it as homemade chicken baby food (just omit the salt and use low-salt broth) When given the chance, we nearly always make instant pot chicken tacos with this meat, though. If you have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (I have the KitchenAid mini mixer), you can use it to shred chicken in seconds! Just fit the paddle attachment onto the mixer, add the chicken to the bowl (without the juices), and turn it on low for about 10 seconds. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can shred the meat with two forks.
Sinking your teeth into a soft chicken taco topped with shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream after a long day by the pool is heavenly. Other Mexican-inspired recipes: vegan Mexican black bean burrito bowls are the vegan version of this flavorful meal. If you lack an instant pot, try my ground beef for tacos made in a skillet!
I use the Instant Pot Mini 3-quart to make this recipe, but feel free to double it and make it in the 6-quart model.
Don’t miss all of my instant pot mini recipes on my site!
Instant Pot Ultra 3 Qt KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer (3.5 quart)
