Easy Chicken Tacos | Instant Pot and Stove Top

5 from 9 votes

Easy Chicken Tacos | Instant Pot and Stove Top

These Easy Chicken Tacos come together with simple ingredients and big flavor thanks to garlic, chipotle, fresh orange juice, and cilantro. Whether you make them on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, the chicken turns tender and shreds effortlessly into a bright, savory sauce. Serve in warm flour tortillas and add your favorite toppings for a fast, crowd-pleasing meal any night of the week.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Servings: servings

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Sally Humeniuk

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsps minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice or undiluted frozen concentrate
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (1 ½ pounds)
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp 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 butter, add garlic cloves and chipotle. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in orange juice (see note#1), and Worcestershire sauce. Once mixture starts boiling, add 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).
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsps minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 4 chicken breasts,
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.
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, 1 tsp yellow mustard, Salt and pepper, 12 flour tortillas

For Stove Top:

Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup orange juice, 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.
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsps minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 4 chicken breasts,
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.
¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, 1 tsp yellow mustard, Salt and pepper, 12 flour tortillas

Notes

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.
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.
The chicken tacos are perfect alone in flour tortillas. We also add onions, cotija cheese, grape tomatoes, and lettuce for a "fuller" meal.
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