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Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat is made with just a few simple ingredients, but it packs a ton of flavor and is done in about 25 minutes!
Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
The easiest and most flavorful chicken taco meat made in the instant pot (or slow cooker) with chicken breast or thigh meat to turn Taco Tuesday into something to celebrate! Seriously – so much flavor, so fast. What’s not to love?! Chicken taco meat is something that I love to throw in the mix when we get tired of our standard ground beef tacos. This recipe is one of my favorites because it’s full of flavor thanks to chipotle sauce and it’s so simple – anyone could throw it together. Long live eating all the tacos! And fun fact, you can cook your corn on the cob to serve with (or on the tacos) right along with the chicken. Instructions follow.
I could write a whole lot about tacos because you know I love them. I love me some easy chicken tacos (think food truck), lentil tacos, and crispy pork tacos (made in the Instant Pot). There’s just something magical about wrapping up really flavorful food in a warm tortilla and slathering it with all the guacamole and salsa it can hold. Why is it so good?!
I Love My Instant Pot
I contacted the folks at Instant Pot a while ago to see if we could work together. It was their busy season and I didn’t hear anything back so I just purchased two Duo 8 Quart Instant Pots so that I could start using them in my kitchen and develop recipes for you all. I have LOVED them. I have a few kitchen gadgets, but my Instant Pot gets used as much as my slow cooker and blender which is really saying something. It makes perfect hard boiled eggs (even from my fresh backyard chicken eggs which are normally a nightmare to peel), I use it to cook beans in bulk (and then freeze them for later use), and I love to make broths and stocks in it. It is awesome.
Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat Tips and Tricks
- You can make this in the slow cooker by combining all the ingredients together and letting them cook on low for 5-6 hours until the chicken is tender and ready to be shredded.
- My tiny store carries the chipotle sauce, so I think it will be easy for you to find. It’s delicious! Here’s what you are looking for. We didn’t find this recipe to be overly spicy. If you’d like more heat, add more of the chipotle sauce! Double the amount if you’d like it hotter.
- I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because I think they stay more tender and moist. It did work great with chicken breast too, though, so use what you have on hand.
- You can use all kinds of salsa for this recipe and that really changes the taste! I used a homemade green salsa I made and froze last summer in one batch and it was awesome. I also tried it with store-bought chunky traditional salsa and with homemade cooked and canned salsa. Use your favorite – you can’t go wrong.
Cook corn on the cob with the chicken in the Instant Pot!
I love corn on the cob with or on tacos, and you can cook it along with the chicken in this recipe. You’ll want to prepare the recipe as directed but set the cook time on the Instant pot to 12 minutes. Then do a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully open the lid and place in your cobs with the husks removed. Replace the lid and set the cook time to 2 minutes. Do a quick pressure release again and when you can remove the lid, remove the corn, set aside, and continue with the chicken recipe. How easy is that? It adds a few minutes to the prep time as you have to wait for the Instant Pot to come down from pressure twice, but you don’t have to get another pot dirty to cook the corn!
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Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons chipotle sauce
- 1 cup prepared mild salsa
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the insert of your instant pot.
- Sprinkle the salt, cumin, and garlic powder over the chicken. Add the chipotle sauce and the salsa.
- Use tongs to combine and mix the ingredients well, covering the chicken on all sides.
- Lock the lid in place, make sure the vent is set to seal, and select high pressure and 15 minute cook time.
- When the cooking time ends, use the quick pressure release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken and place in a shallow dish or bowl and shred it.
- While you are shredding the chicken, turn the instant pot to the saute setting and allow the remaining liquid in the pot to come to a boil.
- Let the liquid simmer for around 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, turn off the Instant Pot, and stir to combine well.
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings, in a salad, on nachos, in enchiladas, or however you like best.
Video
Notes
- You can make this in the slow cooker by combining all the ingredients together and letting them cook on low for 5-6 hours until the chicken is tender and ready to be shredded.
- My tiny store carries the chipotle sauce, so I think it will be easy for you to find. It’s delicious!
- I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because I think they stay more tender and moist. It did work great with chicken breast too, though, so use what you have on hand.
Nutrition
Other recipes I love to make in my Instant Pot
- Easy Crispy Instant Pot Pork Taco Recipe
- Unique Ideas for Cooking Baked Potatoes (oven, instant pot, slow cooker and more!)
- Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Cajun Beans and Rice Recipe
- The Best Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Enjoy this delicious Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat recipe, from my kitchen to yours.
Hi Melissa..I don’t have an instant pot, but the recipe sounds great! However I wanted to reply to your comment on peeling fresh boiled eggs. Once they are done, you shake the eggs in the pan with a lid on it so you don’t get burned and the shells are either already off or slip right off even on fresh eggs. I was surprised how well this works. What a time saver!
Great tips Cheryl! Thank you for sharing that with me and everyone else, we appreciate that!
I do not have an instant pot but would love to win one.
Being a busy working mom its becoming a desperate plea for help lol ?
My family loves chicken so we would like to make whole chickens, healthy bone broth, chicken wings, chicken tacos.
I love gadgets and this is one that I do not have. I would like to make mashed potatoes or apple sauce for my mom.