Description
These Pineapple Chicken Tacos are a flavorful and vibrant meal featuring tender shredded chicken cooked in a sweet and spicy pineapple sauce. Made in an Instant Pot for quick, hands-off cooking, then finished under the broiler for a crispy texture, these tacos are perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner or casual gathering.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast (2 large chicken breasts)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, minced
- 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks with 100% juice
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add the chicken breasts, diced yellow onion, minced garlic, minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, pineapple chunks with their juice, water, taco seasoning, oregano, and kosher salt into the bowl of your Instant Pot. Mix everything together thoroughly to combine all flavors.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid and ensure the valve is set to ‘Sealing.’ Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK mode and cook for 8 minutes. Start the cooking process and allow the Instant Pot to do its work.
- Quick Release Steam: Once the cooking time completes, carefully perform a quick release by turning the valve to venting. Wait until all steam is released and the pressure valve drops before opening the lid to avoid burns.
- Preheat Broiler: While handling the chicken, preheat your oven’s broiler to HIGH so it’s ready for crisping the chicken mixture afterwards.
- Shred Chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken from the Instant Pot to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces for easy taco filling.
- Prepare for Broiling: Using a slotted spoon, scoop out as much pineapple, chipotle pepper, onion, and garlic from the Instant Pot liquid and add it to the shredded chicken on a sheet pan. Mix everything well and spread the mixture into a single layer.
- Broil to Crisp: Place the sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 5 to 8 minutes. Watch carefully and remove once the chicken begins to brown and crisp at the edges.
- Serve: Serve the crispy pineapple chicken mixture warm with your favorite tortillas and toppings such as fresh cilantro, sour cream, avocado slices, or any other taco garnishes you prefer.
Notes
- Be careful when doing the quick release on the Instant Pot to avoid steam burns.
- If you prefer less spice, reduce the amount of chipotle pepper or omit the adobo sauce.
- The broiling step adds texture but can be skipped if you prefer softer chicken.
- Use warm corn or flour tortillas for serving.
- Additional toppings like shredded cheese, lime wedges, or chopped jalapeños work well.
