I’m not one to stray from the typical flavors of a taco – beef or chicken with cheese – mostly because I never cared for tacos. Like ever. Excluding the college years, when the ‘Doritos Loco Taco’ was the only thing available at 2 am and seemed to shine brighter in the pre-dawn hours. Perception. Sensory perception. Anyways, these Hawaiian style tacos with a contrasting sweet and spicy flavor in every bite will not only broaden your culinary horizon but awaken your taste buds to a whole new level of possibilities.
IF YOU LIKE EASY ONE POT MEALS, YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS RECIPE!
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Again, as with most of my recipes thus far, I have provided modified instructions for most households…Instant Pot or not. It just so happens that I am on a pressure cooker quick meal fix right now. So don’t miss out on this tasty meal because you prefer your slow cooker – I got you covered.
Let’s start with the highlight of this recipe: Creamy Jalapeno + Lime Dressing. Seriously life-changing…I was envisioning what else I could start using it on. Salads? Steak? Chicken? …yes to all of the above! Need to gain extra weight?! Add some to your dinner every night. LOL.
THE CREAMY JALAPENO & LIME DRESSING:
Blend together a shallot, avocado oil (or EVOO), vinegar, fresh or dried dill (don’t omit), jalapeno (remove seeds if you don’t want it too spicy -I won’t judge. maybe), juice of a lime, salt & pepper (lots of pepper – I like to see the specks in every drop) and mayo. Now, before you start counting calories in that mixture, the mayo can easily be substituted with sour cream or greek yogurt. The mayo is highly recommended. *Make the dressing first so that it has time to chill in the refrigerator prior to serving.
FOR THE TACOS – THROW EVERYTHING IN THE POT AND PRESS START! It’s THAT EASY!
I Used Organic Boneless Chicken Thighs 
Throw all the ingredients in and set on manual high pressure for 10 minutes
THE INGREDIENTS: Start with 1.5lbs – 2lbs of quality boneless chicken (boneless thighs, breasts, tenderloins or cutlets). No cutting the chicken- simply add some oil & salt, then place in your instant pot or crockpot. Dump the other ingredients right over the chicken: Diced pineapple, finely chopped red onion, sliced jalapeno, 1 cup water, mustard, chili powder, granulated garlic and pepper.
Optional: I add 2 tablespoons of hot chili honey to this mixture. It comes pre packaged or make your own using honey + red chili flakes
Cook in your instant pot for 10 minutes on high pressure then quick release and shred the chicken.
USING A HAND MIXER TO SHRED COOKED CHICKEN IS A GAME CHANGER! The mixer doesn’t pulverize the other ingredients – it simply shreds the chicken without changing the recipe to baby food consistency.
Now, as an optional/over the top step ….that I do for this ….you can broil the taco mixture for a few minutes to give it a rich carmelized taste. I highly recommend this step.
If you have an air fryer lid simply replace the Instant Pot lid with it and broil at 500 degrees F. for about 15 minutes (it takes longer than oven broiler because the mixture is far from the element in the bottom of the pot). I also added the tortilla/ corn shells, directly on top of the chicken in the pot, for the last minute to warm them up! Or transfer mixture to oven and broil on a baking sheet- warm shells up at the same time.
I use this Air Fryer Lid because IP does not make one separately for my 8 qt pot. ALSO, This air fry lid does not have the plastic and Teflon coating that the other ones do. This is by far the best lid that I have found, made from glass and stainless steel. The 2nd best quality is the glass lid that allows you to peek at the food, to avoid overcooking your recipe!!!!
If you are in the market for an air fryer lid or on the fence about purchasing just check out this Mealthy Air Fry/ Crisp Lid for 6 & 8 qt Instant Pots.
Add about 2 TBS dressing to a bowl of finely shredded cabbage and combine until it’s lightly coated. Top slaw over tacos and enjoy 🙂
This recipe is so versatile – you can make a BBQ Chicken pineapple version, or add other peppers.
Hawaiian Chicken & Pineapple Tacos!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Tacos
- Method: Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker
Description
With a creamy jalapeno lime cabbage slaw.
These versatile tacos can be made in the oven or slow cooker- No IP necessary!
Ingredients
- 1.5–2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, breasts or tenderloins
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
- 1 red onion, finely chopped – reserve half for toppings
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1.5 cup water
- optional: 2 tablespoons “hot honey with chilies” (honey + red pepper flakes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy Jalapeño Lime Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise (sub: sour cream or Greek yogurt)
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (sub: EVOO)
- 1 lime – juice of
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 jalapeño (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 tablespoon onion
- 3 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- optional: 1 avocado
1/2 head cabbage, for slaw
Corn or Flour tortillas (I prefer the white corn tortillas for this recipe)
Avocado, Tomatoes or any other topping you’d like!
Instructions
- Place all dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse until creamy. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Place all of the main chicken ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (fresh chicken) see notes for frozen chicken.
- Allow a full Natural Pressure Release and shred the chicken directly in the pot. (Using a hand mixer to shred chicken is quick and does not affect the consistency of other ingredients)
- Optional Broiling step – to give taco filling a rich, caramelized taste. Remove the pressure cooker lid and replace it with air fryer lid. Set to 500 degrees (broil) for approx. 10-15 minutes. OR Transfer shredded chicken to a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil for 5 minutes until browned.
- Toss a few tablespoons of dressing with finely shredded cabbage to make the slaw.
- Serve chicken in warm tortillas with slaw and an extra drizzle of dressing and other toppings of your choice: lime juice, avocado, extra pineapple, cilantro, red onion, etc.
Notes
Slow Cooker: Make the dressing ahead of time following the above directions. Add all chicken ingredients to slow cooker pan and set on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Shred chicken in the pan and transfer to a lined baking sheet and broil.
Stovetop: Make the dressing ahead of time following the above directions. Sauté the onion & jalapeno. Add the chicken, spices, pineapple, and liquids. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. Shred and brown using the above directions.
Frozen chicken: Have a block of frozen boneless chicken? No problem! In your pressure cooker add all ingredients and spices with the frozen chicken and set time to Manual High Pressure for 15 minutes. NPR
