These Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos are so delicious – they've got less than 10 ingredients and they're ready in 30 minutes!
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How to make this recipe
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Dump all ingredients for chicken in Instant Pot, adding half of the cilantro and saving the other half for after. Add raw chicken breasts last. Pressure cook for 3 minutes.
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When done, remove lid and chicken breasts. Shred with two forks.
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After chicken is shredded, add the chicken back to Instant Pot sauce along with the remaining half of the fresh cilantro. Stir well until everything is combined. The chicken will be sitting in extra liquid so use a slotted spoon to serve.
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Add chicken to warm corn tortillas along with toppings of your choice.
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Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work for this recipe.
- Lime juice – fresh or bottled lime juice can be used for this recipe.
- Olive oil – a neutral oil like peanut oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil.
- Honey – coconut nectar, agave nectar or maple syrup can be also used as substitutes for honey.
- Taco seasoning – use a pre-made taco seasoning or a homemade blend using chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin and sea salt.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth can also be used if you don’t have chicken broth on hand.
- Cilantro – cilantro is a key element for this recipe but feel free to leave it out or replace it with parsley.
- Corn tortillas – flour tortillas or lettuce wraps will also work for this recipe.
Topping ideas (all toppings can be replaced with your preference choice or left out altogether)
- Red onion – sweet onions or green onions can be used in place of red onions. Leave out altogether if you don’t like onions.
- Lettuce – iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce or spinach can be used for this recipe.
- Coleslaw mix – coleslaw mix or just chopped cabbage can be used for these tacos.
- Cheese – any type of shredded cheese will work for this recipe.
- Salsa – use fresh tomatoes, pico de gallo or any salsa of your choice.
- Sour cream – greek yogurt is a low-fat substitution option.
- Avocado – add in tacos as chopped avocado slices or guacamole.
- Pickled jalapenos – use raw jalapenos for a spicier kick.
Storing and reheating
Store the leftover chicken and taco toppings separately in the fridge up to 5 days. When reheating the chicken, sprinkle some water overtop to make sure the meat stays juicy then reheat the chicken in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Once you've warmed the leftover chicken, assemble your tacos and add your toppings fresh.
Freezing the chicken
You can freeze the cooked seasoned chicken in an airtight glass container or in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy the chicken you will want to defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. To keep the chicken from drying out, make sure to sprinkle some water overtop before reheating.
More taco recipes
Meal prep tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe. - I love these corn tortillas!
- And this is my fave taco seasoning if you don’t feel like making your own!
- Get your square glass meal prep bowls here for packing up your leftovers.
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box!
is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos
These Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos are so delicious - they've got less than 10 ingredients and they're ready in 30 minutes!
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 383kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped cilantro (divided)
- corn tortillas
Topping ideas
- diced red onion
- Lettuce
- Coleslaw mix/chopped cabbage
- Shredded cheese
- salsa
- sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Diced tomatoes
- Pickled jalapenos
Instructions
- Dump all ingredients for chicken in Instant Pot, adding half of the cilantro and saving the other half for after. Add raw chicken breasts last. Set to manual and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes (add 2 more minutes if using larger breasts).
- Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to pre-heat and then the 3 minutes to cook. When complete, press cancel and do a quick release of the steam, waiting until the pressure gauge drops back down and the lid is safe to open.
- Remove lid and chicken breasts. Shred with two forks. Add back to Instant Pot sauce along with the remaining half of the fresh cilantro. Stir well until everything is combined. Chicken will be sitting in extra liquid so use a slotted spoon to serve.
- Add chicken to warm corn tortillas along with toppings of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1130mg | Potassium: 656mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 23.9mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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Yazmin says
Is there anything I could use to substitute honey?
thank you in advance
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Yazmin! You could sub in maple syrup instead or even brown sugar or coconut sugar!
Gayle says
Great meal, easy, feeds a lot of people. Had 8 adults and nothing leftover in chicken mixture.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you guys enjoyed 🙂
Haley says
Does the nutrition information include the tortillas as well? I’m trying to figure out where all of the carbs are coming from. I know honey has some, but not that much for one serving.
Taylor Stinson says
Yes it does include the tortillas! To make this recipe low carb, leave out the honey and turn the tacos into a salad/burrito bowl 🙂
Brittany says
Any recommendations on cook time if doubling the recipe?
Taylor Stinson says
I would add 3-4 minutes to the cook time!
Sara says
I think the cooking time is off. I just pulled my chicken out of the instant pot and it was still pink!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sara…it may depend on the size chicken breasts you used! I used medium-sized chicken breasts and have tested the time multiple times…maybe I will recommend a longer cook time to account for varying sizes of chicken breasts!
C says
I think it’s going to be more like 10-15 minutes if leaving the breasts whole. If you diced them, the timing on this recipe would work.
Heather says
Have you ever tried these with chicken thighs instead of breasts? Just wondering how the cook time would change.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Heather – unfortunately I haven’t but you could give it a try. Maybe add 2-3 more minutes to the cook time and use 5 medium-sized thighs. I can’t guarantee it because I haven’t tested it myself though!
D newman says
Tried it with thighs tonight. Cooked on high pressure for 6 minutes. The thighs were cooked through but were a little too greasy. The flavor of the broth is excellent. I believe this recipe is much better with breast