Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
These Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos are loaded with Instant Pot pulled chicken cooked in salsa verde, monterey jack cheese, and baked to perfection for an extra crispy shell. This is one of my favorite easy weeknight dinners. And don’t forget to garnish these with lots of pickled jalapeños, onions, sour cream, and extra cilantro!
Servings: 12 tacos
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2*
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves & stems
- 1 lime juiced
- 12 corn tortillas*
- 1 ½ - 2 cups 6-8 ounces shredded monterey jack cheese*
- oil spray
Instructions
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- Place chicken in the Instant Pot. Pour salsa on top and sprinkle the salt, garlic, and cumin on top.
- Select Pressure Cook (manual) and High Pressure. Set to 15 minutes. Let the pot release pressure naturally (valve still switched to sealing) for 10 minutes. Then, quick release (valve switched to venting).
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while the chicken is cooking. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred. Add the cilantro and lime juice to shredded chicken.
- Grease a baking sheet generously with olive oil. Microwave corn tortillas covered with a damp paper towel for 30-60 seconds or until pliable. Assemble each taco.
- Place on a grease baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with oil or spray.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Flip. Bake for another 5 minutes. Broil on high for a few minutes for extra crispy tacos.
Notes
Chicken Breasts: Substitute for boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Corn Tortillas: Substitute for store-bought hard taco shells. You will only need to bake these for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Monterey Jack Cheese: Substitute for mild cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack cheese.
Be sure to let the pot naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. During this time the chicken is still cooking and getting more tender. Keep the valve on sealing for 10 minutes after pressure cooking.
Use a hand mixer to shred your chicken. This is a super quick and easy way to shred chicken breasts. It may sound odd, but it does the trick.
Do not add any of the cooking liquid back into the chicken. The excess moisture will cause the taco shells to become soggy in the oven. Remove the chicken from the liquid before shredding.
Corn tortillas break easily. This is why you have to microwave them. This helps them stay pliable. You can also use a wet paper towel to add some moisture back into the tortillas if they keep cracking.
Grease the baking sheet. Be sure to spray the sheet with nonstick cooking spray or rub a little oil onto it so the tacos do not stick.
Broil for extra crispy tacos. I like my tacos to get slightly charred on top so I usually broil them for a few minutes at the end. Watch them closely or set a timer because they will brown quickly. You can also skip this step.