To feed a crowd at family get-togethers, a taco buffet line is often the way we go. Everybody likes Mexican food and you can do meat-lovers or vegan. Those who like plain meat and a taco can do that, while others pile on the veggies and sauces.
We usually offer half-sheet trays of carnitas from a pork butt smoked in the Big Green Egg. Another choice is our Corona and Lime Shredded Mexican Chicken cooked in a slow cooker. Recently we needed chicken for tacos in a hurry. With no time for the slow cooker, we modified a recipe from Erin at Well Plated for Mexican chicken cooked in an Instant Pot.
If your crew doesn’t like spicy food, cut down on the chili powder and chipotle peppers.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half if large
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped (part of one little can)
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes in their juices
juice from 1 medium lime
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Plug in the Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté.
Put 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the Instant Pot. When it’s hot, add chicken to cover the bottom of the pot. Sear both sides of the chicken until brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pot and put in a bowl or on a plate. Cook the rest of the chicken in the same way.
With the Instant Pot empty and still on Sauté, put remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil into pot. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir to avoid burning the garlic (the Instant Pot’s Sauté is equivalent to Medium-High on a stovetop and will burn the garlic unless you stir.) Cook about 2-3 minutes, until onion softens.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. (On my Instant Pot, you press Cancel.)
Stir chipotle peppers and tomatoes into onion mixture in the Instant Pot. Add chicken pieces back to the pot. Pour lime juice over the top.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid.
- Make sure the vent lever is set to Sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook.
- Set to High Pressure.
- Set the Instant Pot cook time for 10 minutes.
- Turn off Keep Warm if your Instant Pot has a separate Keep Warm button.
- When the Instant Pot beeps many times (mine beeps 8 times) to signal that cooking time is up, manually release pressure.
Open the Instant Pot and remove chicken to a large bowl.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté.
Bring cooking liquid to a simmer (it will be more like a boil since the Instant Pot sautés at such a high temperature) and let liquid evaporate until it is reduced by half.
Shred chicken with two forks or your fingers. Add shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot and stir to coat in the sauce.
- Turn the Instant Pot off (Cancel on my Instant Pot).
Serve chicken from the pot, or spread on a half-sheet and offer tongs so chicken shreds can be put onto the taco of your choice.