These Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos are the perfect dinner recipe for taco night! Shredded juicy chicken in a delicious chipotle broth with a kick of spice from poblano pepper and diced green chiles. Serve on warm tortillas with all your favorite toppings!

As is the case with most pressure cooker recipes, this Instant Pot chipotle chicken tacos recipe puts dinner on the table in just 30 minutes, just like our Instant Pot Mississippi Roast and Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese! While this easy recipe may taste complicated, it’s super simple! The broth is filled with savory flavors, and the hint of spice melds deliciously with the tender chicken. 

These tacos are delicious as they are versatile, making them an ideal easy weeknight meal. You can even use the cooked chicken in chicken enchilada soup! Perfect for taco Tuesday or meal prep, these easy Chipotle Chicken Tacos will become your new personal favorite recipe!

Platter of Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos lined up and garnished.

What Are Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos?

We love using the Instant Pot to cook recipes as it’s a pressure cooker and makes the recipes in a fraction of the time as traditional cooking methods! Whether we’re making Instant Pot Birria or Instant Pot Country Style Ribs, the Instant Pot is our favorite tool for making delicious recipes in no time. That’s why we chose it for these Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos!

These easy chicken tacos feature juicy shredded chicken cooked in a tasty chipotle broth with a spicy kick from poblano peppers and green chiles. Throw it all on tortillas, add your favorite toppings, and boom—dinner’s served!

Ingredients for chipotle chicken tacos organized in a tray

Shredded Chicken Chipotle Tacos Ingredients

  • Chicken Breast – We use boneless chicken breasts. If you’re using bone-in, you’ll want to add a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.
  • Chipotle BBQ Sauce – We use Head Country Chipotle BBQ Sauce. Alternatively, use canned chipotles in adobo. Use less of the adobo sauce as it is spicier than the barbecue sauce.
  • Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
  • Chicken Broth
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Poblano Pepper
  • Diced Green Chiles – Be sure to drain the can so you don’t have too much liquid.
  • Lime – A squeeze of fresh lime juice adds a delicious brightness to the chicken. You can also garnish with lime wedges if you prefer.
Chicken in an instant pot with liquid, chipotle peppers and more.

How to Make Tender Chipotle Chicken Tacos

  • Place chicken in the instant pot with BBQ sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, broth, onion, garlic, poblano peppers, and canned chiles. 
  • Set the timer for 12 minutes and cook. Once the chicken is done cooking, release the steam naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release the rest.
  • Use two forks to shred the chicken, then add in lime juice and stir.
  • Serve the prepped meat on flour or corn tortillas with all your favorite taco toppings!
Shredded chicken in broth in a pot.

girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips

  • Serve with a slotted spoon. This chicken has a lot of liquid. When you serve it, use a slotted spoon so the excess moisture can drain out. You don’t want soggy tortillas!
  • If the chicken isn’t shredding easily right away, put the lid back on and cook for another 4 minutes. 
  • If you use bone-in thighs, add just a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.
  • Play around with various seasonings like garlic powder and onion powder for extra flavor!
  • Feel free to use rotisserie chicken if you have it!
Fillings piled atop shredded chicken tacos.

What to Serve With These Chipotle Chicken Tacos

We love to serve the chicken meat on corn or flour tortillas with any or all of these taco toppings:

  • Jalapeños
  • Avocado slices
  • Pickled Red Onions
  • Cotija cheese
  • Fire-Roasted Corn
  • Diced Cherry Tomatoes
  • Poblano Crema
  • Sour Cream
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Fresh salsa or chimichurri

Leftovers & Reheating

Any leftover chipotle chicken will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. 

To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then microwave or warm on the stove until heated through.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos served in a wooden tray with pickled onions and colorful garnish.

More Taco Recipes

These Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos are the perfect way to elevate your taco game! With simple steps and the convenience of the Instant Pot, you can enjoy a delicious meal that’s easy and filled with bold flavors.

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Chipotle Chicken Tacos in the Instant Pot

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Smoky shredded chipotle chicken ready in the slow cooker to pile high into tacos, burritos, nachos, and more for effortless weeknight wins thanks to just 9 ingredients and very little hands-on time.

Ingredients  

For the Shredded Chicken Filling:

  • 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • ½ Head Country Chipotle BBQ Sauce
  • 1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • ¼ Onion chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic minced
  • ½ poblano pepper
  • 3 tbsp canned diced green chiles drained
  • 1 lime

For the Tacos

  • Tortillas
  • Jalapenos sliced
  • Avocado sliced
  • Pickled red onion
  • Cotija
  • Fire-roasted corn
  • Diced cherry tomatoes

Instructions 

Prep the chicken

  • Place the chicken in the instant pot and toss with the Head County Bar-b-que sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, broth, onion, garlic, poblano peppers, and canned chiles.
  • Set the pressure cooker to 12 minutes and allow it to cook.

Release steam

  • When done, allow the steam to release naturally for 5 minutes before carefully releasing the remaining steam manually.

Shred Chicken

  • With 2 forks, shred the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
  • Squirt the juice of one lime over the chicken and stir.

Assemble tacos and Serve

  • Assemble your shredded chicken tacos by using a slotted spoon to drain additional juices from the chicken before filling tortillas.
  • Top with desired toppings like sliced jalapenos, avocados, pickled red onion, crumbled fresh cotija, fire-roasted corn kernels, and cherry tomatoes.
  • Drizzle additional chipotle BBQ sauce over top if you’re feeling feisty.

Video

Notes

  • If you don’t have chicken breasts, chicken thighs work perfectly in this recipe as well. 
  • Forgot to thaw the chicken? Cook right from frozen! Just be sure to add 5 more minutes to the pressure cooker time.
  • If you open your pressure cooker and find the chicken not easily shredded, shut the lid and cook for another 4 minutes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Latin
Author: Kita Roberts

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Recipe FAQs

HOW DO YOU SHRED CHICKEN?

You can shred the chicken super easily using two forks. Simply hold one fork in each hand and pull the chicken apart, or use one fork to hold the chicken in place while you pull pieces off with the other.
Another option is to use your hand mixer to shred it. With the mixing blades attached, shred the chicken directly in the pot of your pressure cooker. 

CAN YOU USE FROZEN CHICKEN?

Yes! You can cook chicken straight from frozen in the instant pot. Simply follow the recipe as instructed, but add 5 extra minutes to the cooking time.

CAN YOU USE CHICKEN THIGHS?

Yes! If you don’t have any chicken breasts on hand, you can swap them for boneless chicken thighs and get the same results. 
We love using chicken thighs in most cases, but it is hard to find them boneless. If you prefer thighs, you can de-bone them before placing them in the instant pot or just remove the bones after they’re cooked.

CAN YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE WITHOUT AN INSTANT POT?

Definitely! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can just throw everything into the crockpot instead. Cook it for 5-6 hours, and your slow cooker chicken tacos will come out perfectly!

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Well, Hey, Y’all.

Kita is a multi-talented individual, boasting numerous accomplishments such as being an award-winning recipe developer, world-traveled professional photographer, and journalist. As the lead creative force behind Girl Carnivore®, she is widely recognized as an authority on all things meat.

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