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It’s no surprise that I love my Instant Pot. It may not actually be “instant,” but what I like about it is that it doesn’t take a lot of active work (or thought) from me. I can get something going and then do other things, or even leave the house, while it’s cooking. I can even pre-set it to turn on at a certain time and have it be ready when I get home from an errand! There are lots of pros and very few cons.
There are a lot of all-in-one recipes for the Instant Pot that have you making a sauce, searing chicken, adding things halfway through, etc. and those aren’t my favorite because of having to be so involved. I tend to use my Instant Pot to prep simple ingredients that I can use in something else. This Instant Pot taco chicken is a perfect example. It takes about 5 minutes of active work and I can make up to 5-6 lb of shredded taco chicken that I can use for dinner or freeze in smaller portions for future recipes.
Instant Pot Taco Chicken
All you need for this recipe is boneless, skinless chicken thighs and some spices.
Place the chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and add 1-2 cups of water (you don’t have to measure).
Set it to cook for 10 minutes.
Once it beeps, you’ve got cooked, flavorless chicken that is very tender but needs some help before it’s going to taste good.
You’ll need garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano and salt to season it. (You can also use prepackaged taco seasoning; 1 packet per lb of chicken).
The ratio is 1 tbsp. chili powder to 1 tsp. everything else, per pound of chicken. I cooked 4 lb, so I used 4 tbsp. chili powder, and 4 tsp. of all the other spices.
Put the chicken in your stand mixer and add the paddle attachment. Then dump in the seasoning and about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the Instant Pot.
Turn the mixer on and add more liquid if you need to or if the chicken seems overly dry.
After a couple of minutes, with very little work by you, you will have a huge bowl of Instant Pot taco chicken, shredded and ready for whatever recipe you want to use it for! I like it in my chicken enchiladas and sometimes even just eat it on a salad!
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. oregano
Directions
- Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and add 1-2 cups of water.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook for 10 minutes.
- Mix together the seasonings.
- When the chicken is done, place it in a stand mixer and add the seasonings and 1/2 cup of the liquid from the Instant Pot.
- Turn the mixer on to shred the chicken, adding more liquid if necessary.
