Pressure Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Tacos are an easy weeknight dinner recipe for the family. Sweet Chili Lime chicken is shredded and served in crunchy flour tortilla shells topped with vegetables for a quick and healthy 30 minute meal!
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
If you love how easy and delicious Pressure Cooker Chicken is, then you are going to love these Instant Pot Chicken Tacos! I don’t think I’ve met an adult or child who doesn’t get excited about tacos for dinner.
There is something about wrapping warm meat topped with a spicy sauce and some vegetables in a tortilla that just appeals to the masses. Tacos don’t just have to be Mom’s version with taco meat and shredded cheddar.
Unique Taco Recipe
There are hundreds of ways to add unique variety to your taco loving family’s menu! From Tortilla Crusted Fish Tacos to Greek Chicken Tacos with Whipped Feta, the flavors and possibilities are endless!
This sweet chili lime chicken version is a great way to change up Taco Tuesday and add a little excitement to the standard tacos we all grew up loving.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos
To get started, add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth to your inner pot along with the juice from one lime. Whisk in 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce.
Season your chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper and place in the pot with the liquid. Place the lid on the electric pressure cooker and turn the knob to seal.
How long to cook chicken in Instant Pot
Cook the chicken on high pressure for 10 minutes. When the cooking time has completed and the button has beeped, allow them to sit for an additional 5 minutes to release some of the pressure naturally.
Keep in mind these cooking times are for average sized split chicken breasts. If you are using the gigantic chicken breasts you can get in some stores, you should either cut them in half or increase your cooking time by 5 minutes.
Allow the rest of the pressure to release by carefully turning the knob to vent. Do this with an oven mitt to avoid burning your hand.
When all of the pressure has released and the pin on the top of the lid has dropped, twist off the lid.
How to shred chicken for tacos?
Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place on a cutting board. Allow them to rest for a few minutes before shredding them. While the chicken is resting, turn the pot to sauté function.
Cook the juices on high heat while the chicken rests and we bake the tortillas. This will cook down the liquid and condense the flavors.
When it comes to shredding chicken, I like the simplicity of using two forks to shred the meat. This leaves me with heartier bites of chicken.
Some people like to use the shortcut of adding the chicken to a bowl and using an electric mixer to shred it up. I’ve tried this method, but I feel like you are left with stringy chicken that gets dried out too easily.
Turn the Instant Pot off and return the shredded chicken to the reduced liquids. Give it a quick stir so the meat absorbs some of the flavor and moisture. Pour off any excess liquid and serve the shredded chicken in bowl covered with tinfoil to keep it warm.
Don’t discard that extra chili lime liquid just yet. Save it to make some flavorful rice to serve on the side. You can also freeze the liquid in a freezer container to use to make rice at a later time.
Crispy flour tortilla shells
While the chicken is cooking, we are going to make crispy flour tortilla shells to house our flavorful meat. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to the vessel they like to consume their tacos with, but a crunchy flour tortilla is pretty universally enjoyed.
Spray the tortillas with olive oil or lightly brush the oil on each tortilla. Turn a muffin tin upside down and place the tortillas, folded in half, in between the muffin tin.
Bake the tortillas at 350° for 6-8 minutes, or until they are nice and crunchy on the outside.
Feel free to serve these chicken tacos with whatever tortilla your family prefers. Whether that is soft whole wheat tortillas or grilled corn tortillas. This sweet chili lime chicken is versatile and works great in any taco shell!
Chicken Taco Toppings
While the chicken and taco shells are cooking, it’s time to prep the toppings for the tacos. This is the probably the biggest reason that tacos are such a hit for dinner. Everyone can customize their taco with the vegetables and cheese that they like.
I served these Pressure Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with the following toppings,
- Easy guacamole
- Refried beans
- Diced red onion
- Shredded lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Wedges of lime
- Sweet chili sauce
- Jalapenos
- Cilantro
Healthy Chicken Tacos
From the lean chicken breasts to all the wholesome vegetables piled on top, These Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos are a healthy dinner for the family you can feel good about.
You can easily use whole wheat flour tortillas for the taco shells if you are wanting a healthier option. I almost exclusively serve my kids flour tortillas and they don’t mind one bit!
More Unique Taco Recipes!
If you are looking for more ways to change up your Taco Tuesday, we’ve got you covered with these delicious and unique taco recipes!
- Steak & Whipped Bleu Cheese Tacos
- Leftover Turkey Tacos
- Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
- Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Fry Bread Tacos
Pressure Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
- garlic salt
- black pepper
Baked Tortilla Shells
- 1 12 count package mini flour tortillas
- olive oil spray
Toppings
- 1 package Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 container cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 package shredded lettuce
- sweet chili sauce
- refried beans warmed
- guacamole
- jalapenos sliced
- cilantro chopped
- 2 limes cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Add the lime juice, chicken broth and sweet chili sauce to the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker. Give it a quick whisk to combine.
- Season the chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot with the liquid. Add the lid and turn the knob to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking time is complete, allow the pot to sit for 5 minutes to naturally release some of the pressure. After 5 minutes, carefully turn the knob using an oven mitt to vent to release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid from the pot. Remove the chicken breasts and set them aside to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.
- Turn the pressure cooker to sauté on high heat. Let the liquids reduce while the chicken is resting.
- Meanwhile, while the chicken is cooking, spray the tortillas with olive oil. Fold them in half and place them between the slots of an upside down muffin tin. Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until they are crunchy.
- After the chicken has rested for a few minutes, use two forks to shred the meat.
- Turk off the pressure cooker and return the shredded meat to the reduced liquid so it can absorb some more flavor and moisture. Give it a quick stir and pour off any excess liquid. (Save the liquid to make some flavorful rice later!)
- Serve the shredded chicken in a bowl on a board along with the remaining toppings and crispy flour tortilla shells. Enjoy building your own tacos!
Malinda says
This was so easy to make and the whole family loved it! Adding this to my menu rotation!! Thanks!
Alison LaFortune says
We love pressure cooker meals in our house! The lime zing in these tacos was perfect.
Julie says
This was a huge hit for my family tonight! We loved how flavorful and simple this was, thank you!
Megan says
We love chicken tacos so making them quick and easy in the Instant Pot was perfect! These were great, we’ll be making them again and again!