Any night of the week can be taco night with this simple Southwestern shredded chicken. Make this mostly hands-off recipe in your Instant Pot or slow cooker.
The healthy well-seasoned meat is the perfect filling for tacos and burritos, or pile it on top of salads, nachos, and maybe, air-fryer fries. In addition, it’s high-protein, low-carb, low-fat and freezes well, so you can make a big batch for meal-prep.
I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you as part of the Amazon Affiliate program.
Ingredients (5)
- Chicken breasts or thighs, skinless, boneless
- Onion, chopped or sliced
- Bell pepper, diced (optional)
- Taco seasoning
- Water
- Tomato paste
If you count the water, you’ve got a total of five, maybe six ingredients! 😲
🐔 Chicken: The main ingredient needs to be skinless and boneless. You can choose any other details such as hormone-free, organic, cage-free, air-chilled, or natural.
🧅 Onion: Use whatever you have in the fridge. If you’re fresh out, grab a shaker of minced onion from the pantry to sprinkle over the chicken. (I usually have a bag of diced onions in the freezer for a weeknight situation.)
🌮 Taco seasoning: Use a handy packet from the store if you happen to have one around, or try this flavor-packed recipe for Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning that has no salt.
🍅(affiliate link) Tomato paste: This helps flavor the taco meat and turns the chicken an appetizing brick-like color. You can substitute tomato sauce, tomato soup, or tomato puree.
It’s best not to sub a can of diced tomatoes because you’ll end up with tomato chunks in the meat. Fresh tomatoes strewn over a taco are better than cooked, canned ones in the meat.
Either the canned tomato paste or the sort that you buy in a tube will work fine.
How to Make, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Begin by washing your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds, lathering up with soap, and rinsing with warm running water.
1️⃣Scatter onions (and bell pepper, if using) across the bottom of the chosen cooker.
2️⃣Place chicken breast in the cooker.
3️⃣Sprinkle the chicken with half the taco seasoning. Turn chicken over so the underside is now facing up. (It’s okay if a few onions stick to it.) Sprinkle with remaining seasoning.
Note: If you are using no sodium homemade seasoning, you may want to salt the chicken at this point.
4️⃣Whisk together water and tomato paste. Pour around the chicken breasts. Avoid pouring it over the top of the meat because this will remove the seasoning.
5️⃣Set it (the Instant Pot or slow cooker) and forget it.
For more details, such as how much time it will take in the (affiliate link) Instant Pot or (affiliate link) slow cooker, check the recipe card below.
6️⃣ Serve chicken taco meat in tortillas or hard corn taco shells warmed in the oven. The meat also makes a great filling for burritos and makes a yummy taco salad on a bed of greens with salsa, cheese, corn, chips, and beans!
❄️Storage
Chicken taco meat keeps in the fridge for three days. For longer storage, place in a (affiliate link) freezer bag or container for three months.
✍🏼 Tip: Keep a sharpie and masking tape handy so you can easily jot down the date on your freezer and fridge containers.
How to freeze in bags
Silicone or Ziploc (affiliate link) freezer bags are great for storing the shredded meat for future use. To easily load the cooled, cooked meat into the bags, stand them up and roll down the top edges so the zipper stays clean.
Quart-size bags can be stood in a tall drinking glass. For gallon bags, stand the bags in a tall pitcher.
When you’re ready to thaw, run the bags under warm to hot water to loosen the contents. Then, you can pour them into a container to finish thawing in fridge or microwave.
Of course, it’s best to pull the bag out and place it in the refrigerator the night before, but I don’t always know what’s for dinner the next day! 😵💫
Cooking tips and variations
Sofrito: Use the optional chopped bell pepper along with the onion to make a more savory base.
Overcooking: If this is a concern for you, choose boneless, skinless chicken thighs which have more fat and are naturally more tender.
Instant Pot vs Slow Cooker
Both will do a fantastic job of cooking the chicken and getting it ready to shred.
When to use the (affiliate link) Instant Pot
- You are in a hurry and want to have the chicken taco meat ready to eat, start to finish, in under 30 minutes.
- You like to brown the chicken before cooking it through. (Use the Sauté setting.)
- You like more juices with your chicken taco meat.
Instant Pot Concerns
- Over-cooked chicken. The high temperature and pressure of the pot can make the chicken rubbery and tough if it cooks for too long.
- Some people find cleaning the pot is more annoying than cleaning the slow cooker since it’s best to remove and wash the small pieces in the lid and the rubber gasket. (I put most of these parts in the dishwasher.)
When to use the (affilate link) slow cooker
- You are not in a hurry and can put the chicken in three to four hours before you plan to eat or when you are simply making a batch of taco meat for meal prep.
- You like your chicken meat with fewer juices, and don’t mind adding a bit more liquid after shredding the chicken if it is too dry.
- Cleaning the large, heavy liner is not a problem.
Truly the slow cooker liner is easy to wash because there are no nooks and crannies (unlike the lid of the Instant Pot). However, the size and weight can make it awkward.
With either method, the taco meat is delicious.
Some people like to brown their chicken first to add flavor. With the Instant Pot, you can use the Sauté setting before cooking; however, the taco seasoning is so robust that I don’t find it necessary.
Are Chicken Tacos Healthy? ⚕️
Of course! Although thighs have a little more fat than breasts, either type of skinless, boneless chicken is low-fat and loaded with protein, minerals, and vitamins. So, it will be a satisfying meal that can help with weight management and building muscle.
Many of the accompaniments for tacos have health benefits, too.
Soft tortillas: Choose whole-wheat, corn, or low-carb/high fiber tortillas which contain whole grains and fiber to help with gut health. They often have some protein, too, which helps balance the carbohydrate count.
Hard corn shells: These are not a bad choice either since they are essentially whole-grain. Usually, they do contain more saturated fat than soft tortillas and clock in at 60 to 100 calories per shell.
What to serve with tacos
Beans and rice are traditionally served with tacos, and beans in particular are healthy carbohydrates. If you do serve rice, go for whole-grain brown rice.
Also, offer a fresh toppings plate with shredded lettuce or cabbage, chopped tomatoes, avocado slices, and cilantro.
Other sides include:
- Cheese
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Guacamole
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Finely chopped onions
- Lime slices
FAQ ❓
Of course! It will slash the amount of salt, and it's more convenient if you don't keep taco seasoning packets at home. You can use my Taco Spice Blend as a guide, or put together your own mix with chili powder and cumin asaffiliate link anchor spices.
Add other dry spices such as coriander, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, and any specialty dried chiles, whole or ground, that you enjoy. Make it as hot or as mild as you wish!
The short answer is that browning is not necessary.
There is no doubt that browning adds flavor; however, since boneless, skinless chicken is a tender, quick-cook protein, browning it is almost overkill. It will be nearly cooked by the time you finish searing it.
You can use the Sauté setting in the Instant Pot. Reduce the time at pressure to 5 minutes, if you brown it.
The traditional method is to pull it apart with two forks. If you have a (affiliate link) hand mixer or (affilliate link) stand mixer, you can use that to shred it, no elbow grease necessary.
You can also use your fingers, but only if the chicken is cool enough to handle.
No! By law, chicken is allowed to contain a certain amount of salmonella bacteria. Washing it simply spreads that bacteria around the sink and perhaps other spots in the kitchen.
Always be sure and wash hands and any tools or surfaces that touched the raw chicken with hot soapy water or disinfectant immediately after contact.
Yes. Because this chicken is boneless, it is most likely safe to cook in the slow cooker from frozen although the USDA recommends that you thaw before cooking.
Make sure that you use the high setting on the slow cooker and cook to an internal temperature of 165 F. For a pound of chicken, estimate that will take about 4 hours.
In the Instant Pot, it's perfectly fine to start with frozen chicken. However, it will add a few minutes to the cook time. Instead of 7-8 minutes per pound, plan for 12-14 minutes.
Other recipes you might like...
🌶️If you love the Southwestern flavor of tacos, try this Pork Pozole, a hearty gluten-free stew loaded with hominy corn and chiles.
How about no-shell tacos? These Pepper Boats with Taco Stuffing are uber-filling and use a bell pepper quarter to hold a savory rice-and-ground-meat filling.
🥑Need some guacamole on the side? My recipe for Macamole features energy-boosting maca powder used by Incan warriors before heading into battle. It's delicious with or without the maca powder.
If easy chicken dinners are a winner in your household, try my Parmesan Garlic Chicken Thighs, a sheet pan meal that is out of the oven in less than 30 minutes!
Shredded Chicken Taco Meat
Equipment
- 2 large forks or
Ingredients
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- ¼ cup bell pepper, diced (optional)
- 1 lb chicken breasts, skinless, boneless or use skinless, boneless thighs
- 1 packet taco seasoning, storebought or homemade
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Before starting to prep the chicken, wash hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with warm water for about 20 seconds.
- Scatter diced onions and bell pepper (if using) over the bottom of the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
- Place raw chicken on the bottom of your chosen cooker.
- Sprinkle the top of the chicken with half the salt. Turn it over (bits of onion and pepper may stick to it, and that's okay). Sprinkle with remaining salt.
- Sprinkle half of the taco seasoning on the side of the chicken facing you. Turn it over, and use the rest of the seasoning on the other side.Note: If using homemade taco spice mix, use ¼ teaspoon of salt on each side of the chicken at this time.
- Whisk the tomato paste into the water and pour it around the chicken. Be careful not to dislodge the seasoning.
- If using the Instant Pot, put the lid on and seal the vent. Set the pressure for 7 minutes. When the time is up, open the vent and release the pressure quickly.
- If using the slow cooker, put the lid on and set it on low for 3.5 to 4 hours. Note: For safety, the chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165.
- When the cook time is up, you can shred it with two forks, a handheld mixer inserted into the cooker, or a stand mixer. Fingers are fine for shredding, too, when the chicken is cool enough.
- Freeze for meal prep, or serve in taco shells or tortillas with shredded lettuce or cabbage, diced tomatoes, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and any other fixin' enjoyed by your family!
Notes
Nutrition
Copyright © 2024 Jani H. Leuschel
Leave a Reply