Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe

Pressure cooker chicken tacos recipe with boneless skinless breasts or thighs are cheap to make in an Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi and a healthy dinner option that everyone loves.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

I have all of the different brands at home, they all work basically the same. Whether you’re using an IP, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi the high pressure function is present. You just throw all the ingredients in to make this one pot meal and it’s done in 25 minutes.

If you want super EASY just use our 4 ingredient Instant Pot salsa chicken recipe. This one adds a bit of cream cheese to make the sauce thicker and creamier. Both are great but of course the first one is healthier with fewer calories and fat.

Ninja Foodi Chicken Tacos

Let’s talk about chicken breasts shall we. There is a big difference if you look at them at the store. For me, typically the store brands that are super cheap are HUGE and have NO flavor at all. You don’t want those. Yes you do want boneless skinless so it cooks thru evenly but you don’t want them an abnormally large size either.

With other proteins I can’t tell as much of a difference as I can with poultry. I’ll spend a few extra dollars to buy organic because they’re more flavorful, have less fat and are free from hormones (which is what makes them gigantic in the others). Ok so there’s my two cents, take it as you may……

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos with Frozen Chicken

You can, we cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot quite frequently and for this there really isn’t a difference in cook times either. Biggest tip when using these is to separate them if you pull them out of the bag and they’re all stuck together in one big clump. Run them under cool water and break apart, then throw them right in.

Can you cook frozen chicken breasts in Instant Pot?

I usually have a bag of these in my deep freeze at all times just in case it’s like 4 and I haven’t pulled out anything to cook that night. Seriously, nobody ever knows the difference when it is presented on the table. Since it is submerged in a sauce when cooked either way the meat comes out fork tender and super moist.

Now let’s talk about salsa, you want it chunky. Remember that it will break down fast so it will basically become a liquid during the cook time. Yes you want and need some liquid to it but I like salsa pico de gallo or you could even use Qdobo salsa verde for a different taste some nights. Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients

1. Medium size breasts or even large chicken thighs could be used
2. Salsa con queso for really cheesy or just tomato based for lighter version
3. Broth
4. Taco seasoning
5. Diced tomatoes
6. Cream cheese

Then serve this inside taco shells in air fryer made from homemade.

What type of chicken is best for tacos?

That depends whom you’re asking. We have used both, boneless skinless breasts or thighs to make this. If you like super tender then I would go with dark meat, thighs, which are actually smaller than white meat so they don’t take as long either.

Does the Instant Pot Make Good Shredded Chicken?

Yes!! The high pressure will break down the connective tissues and literally fall apart. The longer it cooks the more tender it gets. You will not need a knife to cut it rather with two forks it will pull or shred apart really easily to toss with any sauce of your choice.

If you haven’t heard of the queso salsa variety it is kinda’ like a softer Velveeta basically. Once the time is up the proteins will be so soft you’ll be able to use two forks to just shred right in the pot. That is why the size is so important. If yours are super huge it won’t get this tender.

In the chance that you follow the instructions exactly, lift, try to shred and it doesn’t fall apart without knives they were too big. If this is the case you can save it, don’t worry. Just keep the lid off and set to saute. Let it bubble and cook in order to break down the connective tissue. Keep trying and once it falls apart turn the pot off.

How many pounds of chicken do I need for 30 tacos?

That depends on a bunch of things like how full you fill them and the size of the shells. In general, 2 pounds of boneless skinless poultry will typically do the trick. Once shredded it saves quite well though so making a bit more is always safer in the long run.

There’s a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post you can save if you wish. OR just come back whenever you need it because we love to “see you” time and time again. Quick look at Instant Pot chicken con queso steps are here.

How to make Pulled Chicken in Instant Pot

• Pour your broth into the electric pressure cooker. Place defrosted (preferably) or fresh breasts inside.
  • Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken and then cover with the salsa (or con queso style).
• Dump the diced tomatoes (with or without chilies) and lime juice on top. Dot the top with smaller chunks of the cream cheese. Do not stir!!
• Seal the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing. Set for 15 minutes on high pressure cooking mode. When the cycle is complete, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
• Shred Instant Pot shredded chicken with two forks and serve.

This will take about 30 minutes from start to finish. It needs a bit of time to pressurize too so remember that when planning.

What do you do with it once it is done? You don’t just have to serve these inside tortillas y’all. This is one of my favorite Foodi recipes because you can do so much with it. Pile it on top of tortilla chips with 1/2 cup of cheese melted on top of that! pressure cooker chicken taco bowls are great served over rice with avocado slices on top too.

Do chicken and cheese go together?

Yes, surprisingly you will love our Chicken Con Queso recipe here. If you do taco Tuesdays often you already know that the combination is out of this world so go for it. We like Mexican blend if using shredded.

How else can you use this? We have a ton of leftover chicken breast recipes listed here too. The thing you need to remember when you’re done initially is to let it cool completely before transferring it into a bag. Suck ALL of the air out of that and place it into the fridge. You will need to use it within 2-3 days.

How to freeze leftovers

If you aren’t going to cook it again that quickly then you should put that freezer bag in the freezer instead, that way it will last a few months. When you’re ready to thaw that out just leave it in the fridge overnight and then use the next day. Easy peasy right? I hate wasting food so we are all about making delicious meals with what’s left too.