I’ve technically made versions of this three or four times over the past year, including one Mega Batch (thanks, eight-quart Instant Pot!) for a fifteen-person dinner party. The variation that I’ll be posting below is slightly fancier than what I use for massive quantities, but it still makes enough to feed both of us for a few days eating two tacos each. All in all, this is one of my favorites.
This recipe makes six servings or twelve tacos.
Ingredients:
- 8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 green bell peppers
- 12 oz (about 1 can) chopped tomatoes and green chilis
- 4 oz (about 1 can) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 oz (about ½ block) cream cheese
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp fajita seasoning (see my recipe here!)
- ¼ cup cilantro, fresh, divided
- 2 tsp lime juice, divided
Directions:
- Slice and rinse bell peppers. Set aside.
- Add chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cream cheese, 1/8 cup cilantro, and 1 tsp lime juice into a small food processor or blender. Pulse until a smooth puree has formed.
- Add chicken thighs, fajita seasoning, tomatoes and green chilis, chicken broth, brown sugar, and chipotle puree into your Instant Pot. Stir to ensure that chicken is completely coated.
- Seal Instant Pot and set to manual/pressure cook for 10 minutes (if using thawed chicken) or 15 minutes (if using frozen chicken). Let naturally release for 5 minutes before flipping the switch to quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove chicken thighs to a bowl and shred.
- Add bell pepper slices to the remaining liquid left in the Instant Pot and set to manual/pressure cook for 2 minutes. Quick release immediately.
- Return shredded chicken to the Instant Pot and stir in the remaining 1/8 cup cilantro and 1 tsp lime juice. Serve on tortillas with cheese, guacamole, creamy jalapeno sauce, and a hot sauce of your choosing.
This recipe stores well in the fridge for up to a week when its components–the chicken/peppers mix–are separated from the toppings and fixings. It reheats beautifully in the microwave, and the pictures included in this post are actually leftovers that I plated for lunch today!
Instant Pot Shredded Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Servings: 12 tacos
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 green bell peppers
- 12 oz chopped tomatoes and green chilis
- 4 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp fajita seasoning
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, divided
- 2 tsp lime juice divided
Instructions
- Slice and rinse bell peppers. Set aside.
- Add chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cream cheese, 1/8 cup cilantro, and 1 tsp lime juice into a small food processor or blender. Pulse until a smooth puree has formed.
- Add chicken thighs, fajita seasoning, tomatoes and green chilis, chicken broth, brown sugar, and chipotle puree into your Instant Pot. Stir to ensure that chicken is completely coated.
- Seal Instant Pot and set to manual/pressure cook for 10 minutes (if using thawed chicken) or 15 minutes (if using frozen chicken). Let naturally release for 5 minutes before flipping the switch to quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove chicken thighs to a bowl and shred.
- Add bell pepper slices to the remaining liquid left in the Instant Pot and set to manual/pressure cook for 2 minutes. Quick release immediately.
- Return shredded chicken to the Instant Pot and stir in the remaining 1/8 cup cilantro and 1 tsp lime juice. Serve on tortillas with cheese, guacamole, creamy jalapeno sauce, and a hot sauce of your choosing.
