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.
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!
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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
Description
Flavorful mashed lentils are scooped into tacos shells and topped with all your favorite toppings. A meatless way to enjoy tacos!
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
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).
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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
Description
Seasoned saucy chopped chicken spooned into taco shells with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
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.
Karen, if i want to double the lentil recipe, would the cooking time change? I know that coming to pressure would take longer.
Thanks,
You could probably use 1 or 2 less minutes if you double.
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.
Mexican oregano! Good idea!
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.
Thanks for providing the recipe! I want to make these again soon!