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Easy Chicken Tacos | Instant Pot and Stove Top {with video}

14 Comments

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Easy Chicken Tacos uses unexpected ingredients for a fresh, unique taco you’re sure to love. The chicken gets poached in orange juice, Worcestershire, garlic and chipotle peppers in adobo with cilantro and lime, as well. Directions for Instant Pot and stove top.

Here’s a unique and fresh recipe for Easy Chicken Tacos with instructions for your stove top or Instant Pot.  Chicken breasts get poached in a delicious combination of orange juice, Worcestershire, garlic, and smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Cilantro goes in at the end for extra brightness and flavor. I know, when you think of making chicken tacos, you don’t normally think of adding orange juice or Worcestershire. Trust me, you’re going to love this moist, juicy, chicken dish so much, it may easily become the summer favorite. Especially given how easy the recipe is to bring together.

chicken tacos on white plate with pickled red onion on side

 

Shredded chicken on a white plate


The sauce that’s created for this recipe is so good, I can’t expound enough. I actually double it sometimes just to have more for pouring over the shredded chicken. Excellent in the tacos or on top of a salad or over rice.

Close up of chicken tacos with jalapeño and pickled onions with sour cream

As I mentioned, the printable recipe will show how to make the Chicken Tacos in the Instant Pot as well as how to make the dish in a skillet on the stove. I found both methods to yield equally tender chicken and vibrant flavor; the Instant Pot eliminated some of the hands on time required on the stove and shaved off about 15 minutes total cooking time.

 

Chicken Taco with toppings

I’ve made these tacos many times over and they’re so flavorful that serving the chicken in flour tortilla wraps is often enough, but they’re also a hearty meal served with a full-on taco bar of condiments and veggies.

I’ll be sharing my recipes for Pickled Red Onions and Jicama Slaw soon. Also, my recipe for Classic Mexican Rice is perfect on the side.

Jicama slaw as a garnish with tacos

A full feast of Easy Chicken Tacos, Classic Mexican Rice, Jicama Slaw, and Pickled Red Onions is about to become my go-to meal for family get-togethers, as well as something to take to a friend or neighbor in need. Because the Easy Chicken Tacos, apart from being what the name claims, are fresh, surprising, and not like any other taco dish you’re used to. Leftovers are fantastic especially when you double the sauce so the chicken can continue to marinate in the juices in the fridge. In fact, feel free to make a day ahead of time. I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you make it, be sure to let me know what you think!

Authentic Mexican Rice in a black bowl

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5 from 9 votes

Easy Chicken Tacos | Instant Pot and Stove Top

The ingredients in the "sauce" for this recipe are unconventional but the combined flavors of orange juice, Worcestershire, garlic and chipotle peppers in adobo create a stellar freshness you're sure to love. Below I offer instructions for creating this dish in a snap using either your pressure cooker or stove top.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 446
Author Sally Humeniuk

Ingredients 

  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice, or undiluted frozen concentrate
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (1 ½ pounds)
  • ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • 12 flour tortillas, (6-inch)

Instructions

For the Instant Pot or pressure cooker (see note #4 below):

  • Select Sauté function and melt 3 Tablespoons butter, add 4 minced garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup orange juice (see note#1), and 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire. Once mixture starts boiling, add 4 chicken breasts in a single layer. Turn the chicken over once, this will distribute the sauce mixture and garlic over the top of the chicken. Or spoon a little on top. Turn the Instant Pot off (cancel)
  • Place the lid on Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Turn vent to Sealed position, select Manual and 8 minutes cooking time. Once the cooking is finished, release the steam with Vent immediately. After steam has released completely, remove the lid and remove chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks (or your hands if the chicken is not hot), shred the chicken and set aside for a few minutes.
  • Turn the Sauté function back on the Instant Pot/pressure cooker, add ½ cup of the cilantro to the liquid in the pot and allow everything to boil and reduce and thicken slightly, adding in 1 teaspoon mustard right at the end. Add the chicken back into the pot with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortillas.

For Stove Top:

  • Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup orange juice, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire, and ½ cup cilantro and bring to boil. Add chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until meat registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
  • Increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in 1 teaspoon mustard. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to skillet. Add remaining cilantro to skillet and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortillas.

Equipment

Instant Pot

Notes

  1. Fresh squeezed orange juice or orange concentrate provides more orange flavor and intensity to the recipe. Bottled orange juice is still great if that's what you have on hand, just with a milder result.
  2. I frequently double the garlic, chipotle, orange juice, and Worcestershire because the sauce in the recipe is so flavorful. Everyone loves it and comments on how it makes the tacos.
  3. The chicken tacos are perfect alone in flour tortillas. We also add onions, cotija cheese, grape tomatoes, and lettuce for a "fuller" meal.
  4. Some of you may be concerned about the small quantity of liquid used in the Instant Pot for this recipe. I've made it a few times in my 6 quart Instant Pot with complete success. I cannot speak to the success of a larger pot or other brand of pressure cooker. If you're concerned, there is no harm in increasing the orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle peppers and garlic even further.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Chicken Tacos | Instant Pot and Stove Top
Amount Per Serving
Calories 446 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 654mg28%
Potassium 849mg24%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 37g74%
Vitamin A 475IU10%
Vitamin C 36.1mg44%
Calcium 87mg9%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country

Easy Chicken Tacos Pinterest pin

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Published on May 21, 2018

Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Patty says

    November 7, 2022 at 11:26 AM

    May I substitute olive oil for the butter?

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      November 8, 2022 at 7:53 AM

      Hi Patty, olive oil can be used in this recipe in place of the butter.

      Reply
  2. amy peterson says

    May 21, 2022 at 10:15 AM

    5 stars
    I LOVED this chicken and my family did too. I still have a few cups of it leftover and wonderif this would be good in an enchilada….

    Reply
  3. hanna says

    May 16, 2022 at 6:15 AM

    5 stars
    You did it again Sally, These were amazing! so easy to make and perfect for a quick meal. served our with Spanish rice. Delicious!

    Reply
  4. MOLLY M says

    April 19, 2022 at 6:42 AM

    5 stars
    Yummy, easy recipe! We all loved it. I followed the directions except I didn’t have fresh garlic so I used garlic powder instead of cloves. I will definitely use this recipe again! Great with avocado, cilantro, and onion.

    Reply
  5. ashley whitman says

    April 19, 2022 at 6:40 AM

    5 stars
    Super easy in the insta pot and VERY tasty! Wasn’t sure about the orange juice, but we loved the flavor!

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      April 19, 2022 at 10:35 AM

      Right?! The orange juice does have a lot of people scratching their head but it makes the recipe. Thanks for commenting, Ashley!

      Reply
  6. sunnyh says

    April 19, 2022 at 6:37 AM

    5 stars
    I added 1 tsp of cumin but beyond that I followed the recipe exact and it was amazing!! I ate mine over shredded cabbage for a super healthy and tasty Baja bowl. Squeezed some extra lime over the top and was in heaven. Wonderful recipe Sally, thank you!

    Reply
  7. jan sampson says

    April 19, 2022 at 6:35 AM

    5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely delicious! I used all boneless chicken breasts and followed directions exactly. The flavor was amazing and chicken was moist and tender. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.

    Reply
  8. JILL MAE says

    February 7, 2022 at 6:25 AM

    5 stars
    We’ve made this 2 times over the past 10 days, and it’s amazing!! I love how easy it is and very flavorful.

    Reply
  9. Paul m says

    February 7, 2022 at 6:21 AM

    5 stars
    Can you do this recipe in a slow cooker??

    Reply
  10. mary w says

    January 20, 2022 at 6:56 AM

    5 stars
    I made these last night in the Instant Pot. I sautéed some red pepper and onion first and then placed the chicken on top and It was so delicious! Having the video to go back and refer to also helped as I’m still trying to figure out my isnta pot lol. Thanks Sally!

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      January 20, 2022 at 8:30 AM

      Mary, I love this! Thanks for taking the time to comment and I love your additions. Welcome to life-changing Instant Pot cooking!

      Reply
  11. Margaret says

    December 20, 2020 at 3:12 PM

    Love, love this chicken! It’s easy and SO good. Highly recommend!

    Reply
About Sally - Good Dinner Mom.

About Good Dinner Mom

My name is Sally and I love to be in the kitchen. Making fresh, unique dishes is my way of showing love for family and friends and I hope that here you’ll find recipes of both healthy and indulgent dishes that will inspire you to cook more at home while sharing some love of your own. more about me

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