Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many pounds of chicken do I need for 30 tacos? ›

I cooked 4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast and wound up with enough meat for 30 tacos/tostadas.

This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot. I also think their texture is best when you quickly release the pressure, rather than letting it naturally release.

We recommend grabbing 5 pounds of chicken if you're looking to have enough shredded chicken for 12 adult servings (think: 3 (4-serving) meals). If you're not looking to cook that much chicken, feel free to reduce the amount of chicken based on the amount you do need.

A 2 ½ to 4 pound whole chicken will serve approximately three to four people. Roasting Chicken: A 4 to 7 pound chicken will serve approximately five to seven people.

Safe Chicken Temperature and Resting Period

For chicken breasts always aim for rather 155F. Within 4-5 minutes the temperature will rise to 165F. If you aim for 165F right after opening the lid, you'r chicken will overcook during resting time.

If your chicken breast is rubbery after cooking in the Instant Pot, you likely over-cooked it. Make sure you're only cooking it for 5 minutes at high pressure followed by a quick release of the pressure by flicking the seal valve at the top with a spoon.

Note: You can submerge your chicken directly in the cooking liquid, especially if you want to make chicken stock. However, the steamer basket method ensures crispy skin and won't wash away the seasoning. Individual chicken pieces can be cooked in much the same way as a whole chicken.

What do you do with the liquid after cooking chicken in Instant Pot? ›

Save the liquid at the bottom of your instant pot after cooking for a yummy and flavorful homemade chicken broth! For shredded chicken: Remove the trivet after cooking, and leave about ½ cup of liquid at the bottom of your pot.

Meat, like chicken or salmon, can go straight from the freezer into the Instant Pot. The reason? A pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, quickly brings food to a safe temperature. This is different from a slow cooker, which can allow frozen foods to sit at an unsafe temperature for prolonged periods of time.

An improperly sealed lid can cause the Instant Pot to just cook and cook your contents as it attempts to reach pressure. This will lead to scorching and then a burn notice. Make sure that you're using enough liquid.

The white substance is actually protein, known as albumin, that is released during the cooking process. It is completely safe to consume and is a natural occurrence in chicken.

Chicken needs to reach 165 degrees F to be safe to eat. If the chicken is not at least 162 degrees F after pressure cooking, place the lid back on the pressure cooker and set the cooking time for 1-3 minutes based on how many degrees it needs to raise. Keep in mind that your chicken will rise a few degrees as it rests.

Planning and Prep

The most important thing when planning and prepping is to purchase enough ingredients. For instance, plan for about 3-4 ounces of ground beef taco meat per person, which means a pound of ground beef can feed roughly four people.

His advice was that 1 pound of boneless chicken yields about 6 tacos. He also said he usually assumes a ratio of 3/2/1 tacos for each man/woman/child. For calculating how much chicken I needed, I assumed two tacos per person because I wasn't using quite as much meat since I was adding peppers and onions as fillings.

Plan for ¼ pound of chicken per person. One pound of chicken will yield about 2 cups of pulled chicken. When you're making it for a large group, don't worry if you over estimate so you don't run out of food. You can always freeze any leftover pulled chicken to be used later.

How much ground beef per taco? Each taco shell or small soft taco-size tortilla fits about 2 ounces or 1/4 cup of meat. If you add diced onions, you could stretch a pound of ground beef to make about a dozen tacos. With just the meat and spices, you can make about 8 tacos from a pound of meat.