Welcome to today’s Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe. These tacos are made with crispy corn tortillas, tender, well-seasoned chicken, fresh vegetables, and a tangy lime sauce.
This recipe may call for a longer list of ingredients, but it only takes half an hour to make.
Before we start cooking, here are a few facts about our tacos:
Are Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Healthy?
Yes, they are.
For starters, we use boneless skinless chicken breast as the primary source of protein for today’s recipe. We love to use this particular cut of poultry because it’s lean, low-fat, low-calorie, and high in protein.
How can a taco be complete without a selection of vegetable toppings? Thanks to all the veggies, one serving of our chicken tacos contains about 13% of your recommended daily fiber intake.
If you love similar healthy Mexican-inspired recipes, be sure to check out our Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe later. It’s another delicious dish, and only takes 35 minutes to make from start to finish!
Main Ingredients
These are the ingredients for today’s Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe:
- Protein: As mentioned, we used boneless skinless chicken breast as it is low in calories and packed with protein.
- Corn tortillas: When baked, corn tortillas have a nice crunch that intensifies the texture of the tacos.
- Vegetables: We used a combination of juicy tomatoes with crunchy red cabbage. Both are vibrant in color and will make the tacos more visually appealing as well as adding more nutrients.
- Lime sauce: This sauce is nice and simple with freshly squeezed lime juice, Greek yogurt, and Japanese mayonnaise.
Of course, you will need to season the chicken to make it flavorful and savory. We will come to the seasonings in a minute.
Can You Use Frozen Chicken for Chicken Tacos?
Yes, frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast works well in this Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe. We recommend defrosting it in the microwave for 2 minutes prior to cooking so that it’s easier to marinate.
Seasonings
Here are the spices we used to season our chicken:
- Powder spices: Cumin, chili, onion, and garlic are the most basic and common ingredients in Mexican cuisine.
- Dried herbs: We only used oregano for today’s recipe, but you can add more to tailor the flavor profile to your taste.
- Salt and black pepper: These enhance the flavor of the meat.
- Cayenne and paprika: Cayenne adds heat to the dish, while paprika is a lot less spicy and serves to add a touch of smokiness.
As always, our recipe is a basic guide for you to refer to. You can alter the recipe (seasonings especially) to make these chicken tacos better suit your palate.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftover
1. How to Store
Since there are tomatoes and sauce in our tacos, they may become soggy quickly. If you have leftover taco ingredients, it’s best to keep them in separate containers.
You can put the lime sauce in a bottle and it will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Refrigerated cherry tomatoes can last for 2 to 3 days, depending on whether you’ve cut them or not (uncut tomatoes will stay firmer and fresher for longer).
Jalapeño peppers and red cabbage have a lower moisture content than tomatoes. They can last up to 5 days.
Both grated cheddar cheese and cooked chicken can stay good for a week, but they may become dry. It’s best to wrap them in cling film or store them in an airtight container to help retain their moisture content.
Check the expiration date on the corn tortilla packet to see when they need to be used by. You may need to transfer them to a Ziploc bag to keep them from drying out.
2. How to Reheat
The only things you need to reheat are the chicken and corn tortillas:
- Put the chicken in the microwave for 2 minutes to warm.
- Bake the tortillas in the oven for 4 minutes at 390°F until warm and slightly crispy.
You can serve the tacos with cold vegetables. Or, you can leave the veggies out on the counter for an hour to let them come to room temperature.
What to Serve With
Today’s meal consists of our Instant Pot chicken tacos and guacamole.
Our guacamole also comes with crispy Doritos. You can serve the guacamole and chips on the side or put them directly into the tacos and enjoy.
Here are the combined nutrition facts of today’s meal:
More Tasty Instant Pot Chicken Dishes to Try
These juicy, savory chicken chunks glossed in a spicy-sweet sesame sauce can add a wonderful kick of flavor to your weeknight dinners. And surprise not, it takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.
Although cooked in less time than the traditional stovetop method, this soup is creamy, rich, and full of flavors. On a long, cold winter day, it will warm you up and comfort your soul.
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe
Our Instant Pot chicken tacos recipe will show you how to make a simple, healthy Mexican-inspired dish meal. All done in about 30 minutes.
- cook TIME 16 mins
- prep TIME 15 mins
- total TIME 31 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Mexican
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 498 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 26 oz skinless boneless chicken breast
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 4 oz red cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 6 oz cherry tomatoes (sliced into thirds crosswise)
- 1 oz cheddar cheese (grated)
- 0.5 oz jalapeño pepper (deseeded, thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp cilantro (roughly chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinate the chicken: Season 26 oz skinless boneless chicken breast with 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Rub to marinate evenly. Once finished, set aside and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Sear the chicken: Turn on your Instant Pot to the “Sauté” mode and wait for it to heat up. Add 1 tbsp unsalted butter and chicken. Sear the chicken for 2 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.
Pressure cook the chicken: Add 1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth to the pot and cover with the lid. Turn the valve knob to “sealing position”. Set your device to the “Steam” program and cook for 5 minutes.
Reduce the broth: Carefully turn the valve to quick-release steam before opening the lid (it’s a good idea to use a wooden spoon or the like to do this). Set your device to the “Sauté” mode again and cook for 5 minutes or until the broth is completely reduced and coats the meat. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Turn off the device and remove the chicken from the pot.
Heat up the tortillas: Place 8 6-inch corn tortillas onto a stainless steel taco holder and put them into a preheated oven. (If you don’t have a taco holder, you can improvise by turning a muffin tray upside down). Bake for 4 minutes at 400°F. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Make the lime sauce: In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, and 2 tbsp Greek yogurt. Mix well to combine.
Cut the chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut it into thick slices.
Arrange the tacos: Hold a tortilla in one hand. Use the other to put the thinly sliced red cabbage on the bottom of the tortilla, then place the sliced chicken, tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, jalapeño pepper, and lime sauce on top.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the tacos to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer