Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos

These Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos make the ultimate week night dinner. This dish is ready in just 30 minutes and it’s a meal the entire family will love. Making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot is easy and relatively hands off. Just dump everything in, start the pot and have a seat!

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Ingredients

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Jalapenos
• Garlic Cloves
• Green Pepper
• Chicken Bouillon Cube
• Tomato Paste
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Paprika Powder
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Oregano
• Cayenne Pepper
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Granulated Garlic
• Lime
• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Tortillas
• Avocado
• Cilantro

How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos

1. First start by prepping your vegetables. Cut and dice your onion, tomatoes, green pepper and jalapenos. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos unless you want a super spicy dish. Chop and mince your garlic cloves. Dump the chopped vegetables into your instant pot.
2. Go ahead and season your chicken breasts generously. Pat them dry with a paper towel and add olive oil,  lime juice from a freshly squeezed lime, salt, ground black pepper, paprika powder, cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Go ahead and place them in your instant pot. You may use the trivet if you would like, however I did not since there was enough liquid in this dish.
3. Next, add your chicken bouillon cube, tomato paste and water to the pot. Stir to combine your ingredients.
4. Set your Instant Pot at 8-12 minutes high pressure depending on how large your chicken breasts are. Mine were fairly large so I cooked them for 12 minutes.
5. Immediately transfer your chicken to a plate once it has finished cooking. Shred the chicken breasts using 2 forks or you may use a hand mixer to speed up this process.
6. Place the shredded chicken breasts back into your Instant Pot and set the function to saute, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. This will allow your sauce to reduce and thicken up.
7. Now begin chopping your condiments of choice for serving. I used diced avocado and cilantro. You may also make a homemade pico de gallo as well.
8. Warm up your tortillas in a pan for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. This step is optional but will make for a sturdier and tastier tortilla.
9. Check your sauce for flavor and add more salt or seasoning to your liking.
10. Finally, assemble and serve your shredded salsa chicken on a warm tortilla, add diced avocados, cilantro, sour cream and cheese or any other toppings you prefer.

Can I Use Frozen Chicken Breasts?

You may use frozen chicken breasts. Simply increase the cooking time for your chicken. I would add an additional 5-8 minutes depending on their size and how frozen they are.

Why Is My Chicken Rubbery and Difficult to Shred?

If your chicken feels like rubber when you remove it from the instant pot to shred, it is not done. Place it back into your instant pot and set for another 3-5 minutes. Your chicken should be very juicy, soft and easy to shred.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead?

Absolutely! Simply cook your chicken thighs for an additional 3-4 minutes, of course depending on their size. Chicken thighs are definitely juicier than chicken breasts. However, I’d say this all comes down to personal preference. Use what you have on hand!

Tips for Making Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos

• Make this a low carb meal by using low carb tortillas instead of regular ones. You may also use either corn or flour tortillas for this recipe.
• Omit the cayenne pepper if serving to children or if you simply do not enjoy a spicy dish. I would also recommend to season this meal to your liking. The seasoning measurements used here are just a general guide.
• If you do not have chicken bouillon cubes, simply replace the water with chicken broth. Always make sure you have enough liquid to cook in your instant pot to avoid a burn notice.
• For this dish, I used an 8 qt instant pot. If using a larger or smaller size, either reduce or increase the quantity of liquid you are using.
• This meal can be made on a stove top. Cook the chicken in a stove top pressure cooker or saute them in a pan.Once they are finished cooking, shred as you would and continue following the rest of the steps in the recipe.

Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Tacos

This is a quick and easy week night meal made in under 30 minutes! Cooking your chicken breasts in the instant pot will make them super juicy and easy to shred. Make this a low-carb meal by using low-carb tortillas. Either way this dish is sure to exceed your family's expectations!

Print Pin

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 275kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 medium tomatoes chopped and diced
• 1/2 medium onion chopped and diced
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 2 jalapenos seeded and diced
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp lime juice preferably from a freshly squeezed lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• shredded monterey jack cheese for topping
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping
• diced avocados for topping
• cilantro for topping
• 4-6 tortillas

Instructions

• First start by prepping your vegetables. Cut and dice your onion, tomatoes, green pepper and jalapenos. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos unless you want a super spicy dish. Chop and mince your garlic cloves. Dump the chopped vegetables into your instant pot.
• Go ahead and season your chicken breasts generously. Pat them dry with a paper towel and add olive oil,  lime juice from a freshly squeezed lime, salt, ground black pepper, paprika powder, cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Go ahead and place them in your instant pot. You may use the trivet if you would like, however I did not since there was enough liquid in this dish.
• Next, add your chicken bouillon cube, tomato paste and water to the pot. Stir to combine your ingredients.
• Set your Instant Pot at 8-12 minutes high pressure depending on how large your chicken breasts are. Mine were fairly large so I cooked them for 12 minutes.
• Immediately transfer your chicken to a plate once it has finished cooking. Shred the chicken breasts using 2 forks or you may use a hand mixer to speed up this process.
• Place the shredded chicken breasts back into your Instant Pot and set the function to saute, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes. This will allow your sauce to reduce and thicken up.
• Now begin chopping your condiments of choice for serving. I used diced avocado and cilantro. You may also make a homemade pico de gallo as well.
• Warm up your tortillas in a pan for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. This step is optional but will make for a sturdier and tastier tortilla.
• Check your sauce for flavor and add more salt or seasoning to your liking.
• Finally, assemble and serve your shredded salsa chicken on a warm tortilla, add diced avocados, cilantro, sour cream and cheese or any other toppings you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1749mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 414IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg