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If you’re looking for an easy Instant Pot or slow cooker meal for busy weeknights or game day, give these Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos a try!
Whether you’re a fan of the Instant Pot or slow cooker (or both!), you know how great they are for busy weekdays and entertaining alike. All you need to do is throw everything in the pot, walk away, and let the appliance do the work.
For these Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos, the chicken is seasoned in a combination of cumin, dried oregano, paprika, and garlic powder and then browned. Next, the chicken slowly simmers in a delicious chipotle mixture that is brightened up with a bottle of beer. If you’ve never cooked chicken in beer, you are in for a treat. It adds the perfect flavor to the sauce while also helping to tenderize your chicken. But don’t worry, the alcohol cooks off so this is still great for the whole family — my girls loved this recipe!
While your chicken is cooking, make a quick avocado crema that only further brightens this dish. Pile up your tortillas with your preferred toppings — I like to go all out with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, cilantro, and cotija cheese — then top with the avocado crema. Serve with some lime wedges and another beer for drinking and you are set!
To make this recipe even easier when serving your family or guests, set up a build-your-own taco station. Set the chicken out with all of the topping options and let everyone create their own perfect tacos or lettuce cups, making it even easier for you!
ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Dried Oregano
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Avocado Oil
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
- Tomato Paste
- Canned Mild Chopped Green Chiles
- Modelo Especial
- Ripe Avocado
- Jarred Jalapeño Slices
- Fresh Cilantro
- Garlic Cloves
- Limes
- Corn Tortillas or Lettuce Cups, For Serving
- Shredded Iceberg Lettuce, For Serving
- Radishes, For Serving
- Cotija Cheese, For Serving
step-by-step:
step one: season the chicken
In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder. Season both sides of the chicken with this seasoning mix.
step two: brown the chicken
Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté function and heat the oil. Working in batches, sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set browned chicken aside and continue cooking until all chicken is browned, adding additional oil if your Instant Pot runs dry.
step three: build the sauce
Add the chipotle peppers and tomato paste. Stir to toast the paste, about 1 minute. Add the green chiles and beer and whisk to combine.
step four: cook the chicken
Nestle the chicken back into the Instant Pot and turn the saute function off. Securely fasten the lid on top of the Instant Pot, making sure the vent is sealed. Select the “manual” or high pressure setting and set the time to 15 minutes.
step five: shred the chicken
When the cook time is complete, release the pressure manually by carefully turning the valve. When all of the pressure has been released, remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet (do not discard the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot). Using two forks, shred the chicken, then add back to the Instant Pot.
step six: make the avocado crema
In a small high-powered blender or using an immersion blender, combine the avocado, jalapeño slices and brine, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.
step seven: assemble and serve
Serve with tortillas, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, cotija cheese, and lime wedges, as desired. Top with the avocado crema.
recipe faqs:
Season the chicken as stated in step 1. Next, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden on each side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
In the bottom of a slow cooker, combine the chipotle peppers, tomato paste, green chiles, and beer and whisk until well combined. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6.
Follow the rest of the recipe as written!
You can try it but you may need to reduce the cook time since chicken breasts tend to cook more quickly than thighs and I wouldn’t want them to be dry!
If you’re looking for an easy and flavorful dinner that will feed a group, you need to try these Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos! Leave a comment below once you’ve tried them!
LOOKING FOR MORE DELICIOUS TACO-INSPIRED RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more as needed
- 2-3 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (4-ounce) cans mild chopped green chiles
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle Modelo Especial
For the Avocado Crema:
- 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1/4 cup jarred jalapeño slices
- 2 tablespoons brine from the jarred jalapeño slices
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional For Serving:
- corn tortillas or lettuce cups
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- radishes, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
- chopped cilantro leaves
- cotija cheese
- lime wedges
Instructions
Cook the Chicken:
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder. Season both sides of the chicken with this seasoning mix.
- Turn the Instant Pot on the sauté function and heat the oil. Working in batches, sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set browned chicken aside and continue cooking until all chicken is browned, adding additional oil if your Instant Pot runs dry.
- Add the chipotle peppers and tomato paste. Stir to toast the paste, about 1 minute. Add the green chiles and beer and whisk to combine.
- Nestle the chicken back into the Instant Pot and turn the sauté function off. Securely fasten the lid on top of the Instant Pot, making sure the vent is sealed. Select the “manual” or high pressure setting and set the time to 15 minutes.
- When the cook time is complete, release the pressure manually by carefully turning the valve. When all of the pressure has been released, remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet (do not discard the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot). Using two forks, shred the chicken, then add back to the Instant Pot.
Make the Avocado Crema:
- In a small high-powered blender or using an immersion blender, combine the avocado, jalapeño slices and brine, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.
- Serve with tortillas, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, cotija cheese, and lime wedges, as desired. Top with the avocado crema.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
Would pickled red onions work well with this? Looks so yummy!!
Definitely!
My family loves this recipe! I am planning to make this as a freezer meal for some friends who are getting ready to welcome a new baby. What is your suggested approach to freezing and reheating?
I’m thrilled to hear that your family loves the recipe! It’s so thoughtful of you to prepare it as a freezer meal for your friends. Here’s my suggested approach for freezing and reheating:
-let the recipe cool completely!
-store in freezer safe bags or food container
-When ready to enjoy, you can thaw the frozen chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Then, you can reheat it gently on the stovetop until warmed through. If you find the chicken has dried out slightly after freezing, you can add a splash of chicken broth while reheating to refresh it.
What is the corn tortilla brand you use? They look delish!
I usually get mine from Central Market/their in-house brand!
Delicious!!!! This was so quick and easy to make, perfect for a week night dinner! The whole family loved it 🙂
This was so delish and fed my husband and I for days!! I made the avocado crema with sweet and sour jalepenos from Trader Joe’s, and that was such a highlight! Will definitely be making this again.
Love to hear it!!! Thanks, Lucie!
These were some of the best chicken tacos I’ve ever had. My mom joined us to dinner and said she felt like she was eating at a gourmet Mexican restaurant. Truly amazing!!
Does the abobo peppers make this spicy? Can I omit them to make it kid friendly without changing the flavor too much?
I would say these are smokier than spicy and that my kids eat as is, but you could just do 1 pepper if worried!
This is so good, I make it frequently! Then I used the leftovers as a starting point for dd tortilla-less soup and it was even more delicious! https://thedefineddish.com/creamy-tortilla-less-soup/
Can you make the crema ahead of time and does it stay in the fridge for a few days? If so, how long?
You can make the crema ahead of time but keep in mind that it has avocado in it, so it browns a bit. Since it has the other ingredients mixed in, it doesn’t brown super quickly but I would use it within 1-2 days.
This is SO good. I used chicken breasts in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low and WOW so good! Another amazing Defined Dish recipe 🙂
Thank you so much, Grace! glad you loved it.