This Instant Pot Chicken Taco Chili is a bold and flavorful one-pot, dump-and-go pressure cooker dinner recipe. You’ve got tender shredded chicken in creamy and thick tomato stew spiced with Tex Mex spices, plus beans, sweet corn, and a few jalapenos for extra heat. Finish with your favorite chili toppings.
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Chili
There are many reasons you will love this Instant Pot Chicken Taco Chili.
It’s a scrumptious and comforting dinner that will please the whole family any time of the year.
It’s an easy-to-make, one-pot dish – the Instant Pot dump recipe – as we like to call it, in which you dump all the ingredients in the pot, put the lid on and start cooking.
The dish features succulent shredded chicken in a rich and creamy tomato stew infused with tantalizing Tex-Mex spices, plus sweet corn, beans, and spicy jalapenos to give this dish an extra kick of flavor.
But the real fun begins when you get to customize your chili with all your favorite toppings. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado, and cilantro? Yes, please! Want extra crunch? Add some tortilla chips. Freshen it up? Top with chopped tomatoes, onions, and a drizzle of lime juice.
This Instant Pot chicken chili version is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser and a recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
What You Need For Taco Chicken Chili
Chicken – you can use skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs; if using chicken thighs, the pieces can be left whole but if using chicken breast, cut it into halves or three pieces through the thickest part of the breast.
Veggies & legumes – red bell peppers (you can use any other color), we recommend two types of beans such as black beans and then either white beans or kidney beans, both out of a can and strained; sweet corn can be frozen or canned.
Spices – you can use individual spices such as smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt and pepper; to simplify this recipe even further, use 5 teaspoons of pre-made taco seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
For the broth – good quality chicken stock or broth is ideal but water can also be used.
Jalapenos -pickled green chilies of mild spiciness can be used here, you can modify the amount to suit your palate.
Tomatoes – any crushed canned tomatoes can be used but fire-roasted ones will give you a sweeter, more smoky flavor.
Cream cheese – softened cream cheese is added right at the end to add creaminess and to thicken the chili further; it also mellows down the spices and the heat, giving you a more rounded flavor. Be sure to get the full-fat version; lower fat can curdle or break. Make sure the cream cheese is soft and not straight out of the fridge. The easiest way to soften cream cheese is to submerge the sealed cream cheese block or the container in some warm water and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes or so.
No chili is complete without the toppings! You can keep it simple with one or two additions or load it up with the whole ensemble.
- Cilantro – this taco chili loves plenty of this bright, aromatic herb but feel free to add as little or as much as you like.
- Shredded cheese such as Cheddar is delicious on top of this chili.
- A dollop of sour cream will add extra tang and a cool tough.
- Tortilla chips or corn chips for dipping and to crunch over the top for varied texture.
- Diced avocado is lovely with its creaminess and nutty flavor as well as all those healthy fats and nutrients. Cilantro – A sprinkle of fresh cilantro gives the chili a bright and herbaceous note.
- A drizzle of fresh lime will freshen up the chili with a little extra acidity, which you could also do with some freshly chopped tomatoes or fresh tomato salsa.
- A little diced raw onion will add extra sharpness.
How To Make Chicken Taco Chili In Instant Pot
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.
There are two stages to making this chicken chili in the pressure cooker. The first stage is to dump all ingredients in the pot, except for the cream cheese, and pressure cook the stew. The second stage is to shred the cooked chicken and whisk in the cream cheese into the chili.
Let’s break it down with step-by-step photos and video. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.
Step 1. Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot except for canned tomatoes and stir through.
Step 2. Spread the crushed tomatoes over the top but don’t stir through all the way.
Step 3. Set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes on HIGH with Natural Release (or at least 10 minutes of NPR).
Step 4. Soften the cream cheese if straight out of the fridge. You can cut it into cubes and let it come to room temperature or submerge the whole sealed block or container in a bowl of hot/warm water for 5-10 minutes. It doesn’t need to be melted, just slightly softer.
Step 5. Remove the chicken and shred or dice. Return to the chili mixture in the pot.
Step 6. Divide the cream cheese into a few large chunks or cubes and add to the chili. Whisk through until melted. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.
Step 7. Serve in bowls topped with grated cheese or/and sour cream, diced avocado and tortilla chips or anything else you like.
Chili can be served as is with some bread or on top of rice.
What To Serve With Chili
As with most other chilies, you can serve this dish on its own with the suggested toppings or with a side of rice, quinoa, or baked potatoes. Cornbread or grilled cheese sandwiches are extra comforting and great for dipping into the chili.
If you want to add some vegetables to the meal, serve a simple garden or green salad with a light, acidic dressing to complement the richness of the dish. You can also serve some grilled zucchini, green beans or broccoli on the side.
Storage & Leftovers
Make sure to cool the chili before storing it in an airtight container. It should keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
If you want to freeze this dish, make sure to leave the cream cheese out as dairy tends to curdle when frozen. Add the cream cheese once the chili is thawed out and reheated thoroughly.
Leftovers can be used in many ways such as making a chili rice or chili quinoa bowl, chili fries, chili nachos, loaded baked potatoes, stuffed peppers, and more.
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Instant Pot Creamy Taco Chili
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 lb skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast meat (if using chicken thighs, the pieces can be left whole but if using chicken breast, cut it into halves through the thickest part of the breast) 500 g
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 can black beans drained (14-16 oz)
- 1 can kidney beans or white beans, drained and rinsed (14-16 oz)
- 1 ½ cups sweet corn frozen or 1 can drained
- ⅓ cup green jalapenos pickled chopped including a tablespoon of the pickle juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 cans tomatoes crushed or diced undrained, if you can find fire-roasted tomatoes, please use those for extra flavor (14-15 oz each)
To finish:
- 8 oz cream cheese full-fat, softened, 1 package (see notes)
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped (coriander)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot except for canned tomatoes and stir through.
- Spread the crushed tomatoes over the top but don’t stir through all the way.
- Set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes on HIGH with Natural Release (or at least 10 minutes)
- Soften the cream cheese if straight out of the fridge. You can cut it into cubes and let it come to room temperature or submerge the whole sealed block or container in a bowl of hot/warm water for 5-10 minutes. It doesn’t need to be melted, just slightly softer.
- Remove the chicken and shred or dice. Return to the chili mixture in the pot.
- Divide the cream cheese into a few large chunks or cubes and add to the chili. Whisk through until melted. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.
- Serve in bowls topped with grated cheese or/and sour cream, diced avocado and tortilla chips or anything else you like.
Notes
Nutrition
MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES FOR YOU
- Instant Pot Beef & Rice Casserole
- Best Instant Pot Taco Meat
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Instant Pot Pork Al Pastor & Rice Casserole
This chili was so delicious! I kicked it up a bit with some chipotle powder and maybe next time I make it will cut the water down to 3/4 cup for it to be thicker like I like, but outside of that, it was amazing and will definitely be making this again! YUM