Easiest Chicken Tacos Ever
My sister came to visit me last week and we were talking food (what else do I talk about) and she told me about this new appliance that she is obsessed with. The appliance is an electric pressure cooker called Instant Pot. I was totally intrigued by this thing (it has almost 10K positive reviews on Amazon!) so I snapped one up and decided to discover what all the fuss was about. Well long story short, I am sold. The Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker is a tool that every busy person should have. Why? Because it makes food really quickly -let me re-phrase that -delicious food really quickly. Case in point, these chicken tacos.
Lets break down this recipe
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are pressure cooked in a mixture of onions, garlic and salsa verde. The chicken is then shredded and topped with lime juice, avocado and cilantro
Why this recipe works
There are a couple reasons - first pressure cooking by nature keeps everything it cooks nice and juicy. It also cooks things really quickly so these tacos took literally no time at all. Chicken thighs are always a winner for me because they have way more flavor than chicken breasts.
Tips/Tricks/Shortcuts
If you don't have a pressure cooker, no worries, you can do these in a dutch oven. I have included the modification in the recipe at the end.
Enjoy!
Chicken Tacos
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans/containers (about 7 oz each) salsa verde
Serve with corn tortillas, avocado, lime wedges and cilantro.
Pressure Cooker method
Set pressure cooker to sauté and add canola oil. Once oil is warm, brown chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, working in batches if needed. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion and garlic to the pressure cooker and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Return chicken back to pressure cooker and top with salsa verde. Sprinkle salt and pepper and add lid to pressure cooker. If using an electric pressure cooker, select chicken function. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, increase the heat to high and once it has come to pressure, reduce heat to low and cook for 9 minutes. For both stovetop and electric pressure cookers, release pressure manually by switching the pressure valve to vent.
Remove chicken from pressure cooker and shred with two forks. Toss chicken with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of braising liquid and taste for salt and pepper.
Dutch Oven method (for those without a pressure cooker)
Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
In a 5qt. Dutch Oven over medium heat, warm canola oil. Once oil is warm, brown chicken, working in batches if needed. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion and garlic to the pressure cooker and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Return chicken to Dutch oven and top with salsa verde and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Add lid to Dutch Oven and cook for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and beginning to fall apart.
Remove chicken from pressure cooker and shred with two forks. Toss chicken with about 1/2 cup of braising liquid and taste for salt and pepper.
Assemble the chicken tacos by adding chicken to tortillas then topping with avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.