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May 18, 2020

Instant Pot Tacos (2 Ways)

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Today I’m sharing two ways and two methods to make tacos. You can make both of these recipes in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. The first recipe is a flavorful recipe for meatless lentil tacos. The second recipe is for chopped chicken tacos with lots a seasoning. Both taste amazing and both are super fast and easy to make.

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two different ways to make tacos

Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

Sharon, a reader of 365 Days and a great home cook, gave me a stove top recipe for tasty lentil tacos and asked how I would make it in the Instant Pot. I took a quick glance at the recipe and knew that it would be a perfect fit for the Instant Pot (or slow cooker). Lentils and other legumes and the Instant Pot are a match made in heaven. Instead of covering and simmering for more than 40 minutes on the stove you can make them in the Instant Pot in 12 minutes. I love lentils because they don’t require any soaking either. Bonus!

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lentil tacos

My family was a little skeptical of the idea of lentil tacos, especially Greg. However, he was the one who went in for seconds. He actually preferred the lentil tacos over the chicken tacos! We served the lentils in hard taco shells with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.

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Instant Pot Lentil Tacos


  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 12 tacos 1x
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Description

Flavorful mashed lentils are scooped into tacos shells and topped with all your favorite toppings. A meatless way to enjoy tacos!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 cup salsa
  • For serving the tacos–12 taco shells, 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce, 1 cup chopped tomato, 3/4 cup shredded cheddar, 12 Tbsp sour cream

 


Instructions

  1. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion. Saute for about 4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and saute for 20 seconds. 
  2. Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot. Turn off the saute setting. Sprinkle in the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
  3. Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
  4. Mash the lentils lightly and stir in the salsa. 
  5. Spoon about ¼ cup into each taco shell and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

Notes

To make in the slow cooker: Saute the onion in the oil over medium heat in a pan on the stove for about 4 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for 20 seconds. Add mixture to slow cooker. Add broth, lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until lentils are tender. Remove the lid. Mash the lentils lightly and stir in the salsa. Spoon about ¼ cup into each taco shell and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. Use the same recipe for an 8 quart or a 3 quart pot.

  • Category: Meatless
  • Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

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Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Because we loved the flavor of the lentil tacos so much I decided to try the same recipe but with chicken instead. The flavor was great! I personally like the tenderness of boneless, skinless chicken thighs over chicken breasts. But really you can use either one (or use a combination of the two).

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chicken tacos

After the chicken was cooked I placed it on a large cutting board and used this scraper tool as a chopper* and chopped up the chicken. Then I added the chicken back into the juices and seasonings in the Instant Pot and stirred the chopped chicken to coat it well. The longer it sat the more flavor it absorbed. The leftovers were really tasty!

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Instant Pot Chicken Tacos


  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 12 tacos 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Seasoned saucy chopped chicken spooned into taco shells with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.  


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (or a combination)
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 cup salsa
  • For serving the tacos–12 taco shells, 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce, 1 cup chopped tomato, 3/4 cup shredded cheddar, 12 Tbsp sour cream

 


Instructions

  1. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion. Saute for about 4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and saute for 20 seconds. 
  2. Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot. Turn off the saute setting. Add in the chicken and sprinkle it with the chili powder, cumin and oregano.
  3. Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes (thawed chicken) or 15 minutes (frozen chicken). When the time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
  4. Place chicken on cutting board and chop. Add it back into the Instant Pot. Pour in the salsa. Coat the chicken with the sauce. 
  5. Scoop into taco shells and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

Notes

To make in the slow cooker: Saute the onion in the oil over medium heat in a pan on the stove for about 4 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for 20 seconds. Add mixture to slow cooker. Add broth, chicken, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the lid. Place chicken on cutting board and chop. Add it back into the Instant Pot. Pour in the salsa. Coat the chicken with the sauce. Scoop into taco shells and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. Use the same recipe for an 8 quart (increase broth amount to 1 cup) or a 3 quart pot.

  • Category: Chicken
  • Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @365dayscrockpot on Instagram

My ideal taco would be some of the lentils with some of the chicken and lots of tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream on top. One idea that I had was to make the lentil recipe above with a couple pieces of chicken on top (and maybe a little extra seasoning). And then mash the lentils a bit and shred the chicken and stir it all together. Next time I’ll try that!

Other ways to serve the lentils or chicken

  • Taco salad
  • Soft flour tortilla
  • On top of rice
  • Lettuce wraps

How to store leftovers

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Or you can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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6 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Can Be Gluten Free, Chicken, Instant Pot, Meatless, Mexican, Slow Cooker

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Comments

  1. Deborah says

    July 19, 2021 at 7:39 am

    Karen, if i want to double the lentil recipe, would the cooking time change? I know that coming to pressure would take longer.

    Thanks,

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 20, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      You could probably use 1 or 2 less minutes if you double.

      Reply
  2. Sharon says

    August 28, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    There are no stars available for rating the chicken tacos either. Anyway, I’d give it a 5. I used only 1 tsp. of cumin since it’s not my favorite spice, and used Mexican oregano in place of regular oregano. Be sure to use a slotted spoon to serve the chicken filling. It was good topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese and salsa.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 31, 2020 at 6:27 pm

      Mexican oregano! Good idea!

      Reply
  3. Sharon says

    May 26, 2020 at 7:32 pm

    Turned out great. For some reason, the stars were not available for rating purposes. I browned the spices along with the garlic. Due to my high altitude, will have to cook the lentil for a longer period of time. It was good in the taco shells with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. Thank you again for redoing the recipe.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 27, 2020 at 11:37 am

      Thanks for providing the recipe! I want to make these again soon!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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