Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Taquitos are so easy to make in the pressure cooker and deliver big, bold flavors. Delicious as a main dish for taco nights or an appetizer for a Mexican-themed party.
Mexican food is a big favorite in our house, especially if it involves smoky and spicy chipotle. A few tablespoons of the adobo sauce or a couple of the peppers pureed into a sauce is a quick way to kick any dish up a notch!
I love to use chipotle in adobo sauce to flavor things up such as my slow cooker honey-chipotle chicken, pressure cooker creamy chipotle pasta, and chicken taquitos. Give them a try and you’d be stocking up on the canned peppers, too!
Pressure cooker chicken taquitos are a regular on our dinner rotation for good reason. Boneless chicken is easy to season up in the Instant Pot with chipotle sauce and like our slow cooker enchilada chicken, it can be enjoyed in many different ways.
The shredded meat makes a delicious filling for taquitos as well as tacos, burritos, tortas, and enchiladas. It’s also great as a topping for nachos, baked potatoes, green salads, and rice bowls.
It’s so moist and flavorful, you’d want it with everything!
Cooking tips
- The recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but leg and thigh meat will work as well.
- Trim off the chicken of fat and pat dry with paper towels to prevent any rendered grease or excess liquid.
- Replace the sour cream with a block of cream cheese if you prefer a creamier and richer taste.
- Turn the taquitos into flautas by swapping the corn tortillas with flour tortillas.
- To keep the corn tortillas from tearing, warm for about 10 to 20 seconds in a hot dry skillet over medium heat or in the microwave, covered with a damp cloth, for about 20 to 30 seconds until soft and pliable. Keep in a tortilla warmer or cover with a cloth to prevent from drying out.
- Do not overfill the tortillas so they’ll roll up nice and tight and won’t burst during frying. Secure them with toothpicks and place in the hot oil with seam side down.
- Fry at the optimal temperature of 350 to 375 degrees to ensure a crisp texture. Too low temperature, the taquitos will absorb a lot more grease, and too high, the tortilla will burn before sufficiently cooked.
How to cook in the air fryer
To cut down on the fat, you can cook the taquitos in the oven or in the air fryer.
- Arrange the taquitos seam side down in a single layer on the air fryer rack or basket. Do not overcrowd and cook in batches as needed.
- Spray the taquitos with cooking spray to help them brown.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400 F for about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and crunchy.
How to Freeze
The recipe below yields about 12 to 15 servings. You can cut the batch in half or freeze it for future meals. Your family and unexpected guests will thank you for having a bunch of these taquitos ready to serve at all times!
- To freeze, arrange unfried taquitos in a single layer with a little space in between on a baking sheet.
- Freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes or until firm before transferring to resealable bags or airtight containers. This step is to keep the taquitos from sticking together when frozen.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cook frozen.
Serving suggestions
- Serve the chicken taquitos as a main dish for lunch or dinner or as an appetizer with your favorite drinks.
- Enjoy with your favorite garnishings such as sour cream, diced tomato, salsa, chopped cilantro, avocado slices, shredded lettuce, limes, or cheese.
- They’re best enjoyed freshly cooked as they tend to lose crispiness over time. I suggest storing them unfried.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons chipotle sauce from the canned chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
- 20 corn tortillas
- canola oil
Equipment
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker insert, arrange chicken in a single layer. Add chipotle sauce, sour cream, and salt.
- Close the lid and set the valve to the SEALING position. Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes (8 minutes if using chicken tenders).
- When the Instant Pot beeps, do a natural release for 5 minutes and then QUICK RELEASE.
- Open the lid and carefully shred the chicken with two forks.
- Add the cheese and mix well.
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, add corn tortilla and heat for about 20 to 30 seconds, turning as needed, until soft and pliable. Or cover the tortillas with damp cloth and warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until pliable.
- Place tortilla on a flat surface and spoon about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of chicken mixture on one end of the tortilla.
- Starting from the end with filling, roll the corn tortilla around the filling into a tight log. Secure seam with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining corn tortillas and chicken mixture.
- In a wide heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, heat about 2-inches deep of oil to 350 F.
- Add the prepared taquitos in batches with seam side down and in a single layer. Fry, turning as needed, until golden and crispy.
- Remove from pan and drain on wire rack. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Nutritional info calculated at 2 taquitos per serving.
- The recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but leg and thigh meat will work as well.
- Trim off the chicken of fat and pat dry with paper towels to prevent any rendered grease or excess liquid.
- Replace the sour cream with a block of cream cheese if you prefer a creamier and richer taste.
- Turn the taquitos into flautas by swapping the corn tortillas with flour tortillas.
- To keep the corn tortillas from tearing, warm for about 10 to 20 seconds in a hot dry skillet over medium heat or in the microwave, covered with a damp cloth, for about 20 to 30 seconds until soft and pliable. Keep in a tortilla warmer or cover with a cloth to prevent from drying out.
- Do not overfill the tortillas so they’ll roll up nice and tight and won’t burst during frying. Secure them with toothpicks and place in the hot oil with seam side down.
- Fry at the optimal temperature of 350 to 375 degrees to ensure a crisp texture. Too low temperature, the taquitos will absorb a lot more grease, and too high, the tortilla will burn before sufficiently cooked.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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