These Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are juicy, creamy, and full of flavor. They are easy to make and are perfect for wrapping in a tortilla, putting in a bowl, or any other recipe using shredded chicken.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
Nothing beats a quick weeknight meal and tacos win in our house for a fast dinner option. I use my Instant Pot to make this taco recipe as it’s hands-off for the most part. Plus the Instant Pot is awesome for making shredded chicken.
My family thanks me everytime I make this recipe, but my kids love tacos. This happens to be one of their favorites and lucky for me, it's so easy to make.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
First, place ½ cup chicken broth, 1.5 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breast, and 1.5 Tablespoons of taco seasoning in the Pressure Cooker insert. Lay 1 cup of salsa on top of the chicken breast, making sure the salsa is placed on top of your chicken. This order of placement is important to prevent a burn signal.
Cover and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Press “Cancel” on the Instant Pot.
**You'll notice that the amount of liquid has increased after pressure cooking. That's because the chicken has released some juices as it cooked. The amount of liquid released will depend on the chicken and the amount of liquid added, if any. The chicken in this photo is organic with no liquid added.**
Once done, remove chicken from the Instant Pot and place it in a separate bowl. Use two forks or a hand mixer to shred the chicken. Set aside.
Then press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Allow the liquid to simmer until it’s reduced by half, this should take about 5 minutes. Add in chicken, 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, and ½ cup of Mexican Crema and stir until incorporated. Press “Cancel” on the Instant Pot and serve chicken on tortillas, in rice bowls, or lettuce wraps.
There you have it! Creamy Chicken Tacos that are perfect for taco night.
Pro Tips:
- I like to use this homemade taco seasoning and this salsa recipe for this recipe. You can use these recipes or the store brands would work as well.
- This recipe was made in a 6qt Instant Pot. Although the minimum liquid requirement on ta 6qt Instant Pot is 1 cup, I reduced the liquid to accommodate the fact that chicken breast and salsa both produce liquid.
- How much liquid is released in the pressure cooking cycle will depend on your choice of chicken. Some chicken breast is injected with water solutions. I use organic no water added chicken for this recipe.
- Mexican Crema can be found in most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, you can use sour cream or make your own with this Mexican Crema recipe.
Looking for other Mexican inspired recipes? Try these out:
Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast boneless and skinless
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1.5 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Mexican Crema
Instructions
- Place chicken broth, chicken, and taco seasoning in Instant Pot insert. Lay salsa on top of chicken breast.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Once done, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Press “Cancel” on the Instant Pot.
- Once done, remove chicken from Instant Pot and place it in a separate bowl. Use fork or hand mixer to shred chicken. Set aside.
- Then press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Allow the liquid to reduce until it’s reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add in chicken, cream cheese, and crema and stir until incorporated. Press “Cancel” in the Instant Pot and serve chicken on tortillas, in rice bowls, or lettuce wraps.
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Notes
- This recipe was made in a 6qt Instant Pot. Although the minimum liquid requirement on the pot is 1 cup, I reduced the liquid to accommodate the fact that chicken breast and salsa both produce liquid.
- How much liquid is released in the pressure cooking cycle will depend on your choice of chicken. Some chicken breast is injected with water solutions. I use organic no water added chicken for this recipe.
Hannah says
This recipe is a family favorite!
How can I go about doubling it in the instant pot?
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Hannah! For the IP, I usually just double the ingredients and keep the cook time the same.
Julie Stout says
I just made this the other night and it's totally going into my rotation. The flavors were out of this world! Something I could really get addicted to. I used a salsa that I recently bought at Costco for the fresh look to it, but I didn't realize that it was rated "hot" so it was great after balanced with the cream cheese and sour cream. Super yum! Adding in the taco seasoning added that nice savory element, so a very good call on that! I layered it over some crumpled tortilla chips, some rice that I made with chicken boullion paste, a fresh lime, garlic powder and salt, some mexican street corn and some cut up cherry tomatoes. Wish I had also had some avocado in the house.
Tanya says
Thanks so much Julie! Happy to hear you liked the recipe 🙂
T Sullivan says
Hi can I make this recipe in a crockpot/slow cooker?
Tanya says
Hi, T Sullivan, I haven't made it in the slow cooker but I'm sure it would work. Here's a similar recipe in the slow cooker. https://easychickenrecipes.com/creamy-crockpot-salsa-chicken-recipe/
Dana McCurdy says
Perfect find for a taco Tuesday.
I am enjoying all your air fryer and instapot recipes.