Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch Slaw Recipe - Savory Sojourn
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Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch Slaw

169 reviews / 4.7 average

These Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos are out of this WORLD. Juicy pineapple and spiced chicken crisped under the broiler, tucked into tortillas, and rolled up with creamy jalapeño ranch slaw.

Can we just establish that my idea of a good dinner is one that starts with INSTANT POT and ends with juicy pineapple and spiced chicken crisped under the broiler, tucked into tortillas, and rolled up with creamy jalapeño ranch slaw?

These tacos are springy, delicious, and just plain happy. Er, maybe it’s me that’s happy? And probably because throwing some pantry ingredients together, pressing start on the Instant Pot, taking my crew for a walk, and coming home to dinner almost done is almost the same as winning a million dollars. Almost.

Instant Pot lovers, where you at?

Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken! Let’s Do This.

Okay, here’s everything nice and pretty in the IP.

Ingredients for Hawaiian Chicken Tacos in the Instant Pot before cooking.

And here’s the less-pretty situation after cooking.

Cooked Hawaiian Chicken Tacos in Instant Pot.

And here’s the pretty-again end result after popping the whole thing under the broiler for a bit (borrowing that one from these crockpot carnitas).

Broiled Hawaiian Chicken on sheet pan with tongs.

Don’t Forget About The Sauce!

Jalapeño Ranch? Won’t take you two seconds.

Everything goes in the food processor or blender till it’s smooth.

Toss that creamy goodness with cabbage, stuff it all into tortillas (these are La Tortilla Factory corn and flour blend tortillas – my not authentic but totally delicious favorites), drizzle with a little more sauce because SAUCE, and live your best spring life.

Hawaiian Chicken Tacos on a plate.

Juicy, sweet, and just a little bit spicy… that would be a yes, yes, and yes.

Hawaiian Chicken Tacos on a plate.

These Hawaiian chicken tacos would go great with some pitcher-style margaritas, plus a lil bowl of this 2 minute avocado dip (like guac but not guac) as an appetizer while you wait for those tacos to finish.

Chips and dip, drinks, and super fresh springy tacos… my favorite signs of warmer days ahead. 😍

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos: FAQs

Can I use canned pineapple instead of fresh?

Absolutely!

Can I use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs?

Sure! The cook time should be the same.

Is there a good substitute for the mayonnaise in the dressing?

Full fat Greek yogurt works well!

Print
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Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch Slaw stacked next to each other in a bowl.

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch Slaw


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Description

These Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos are out of this WORLD. Juicy pineapple and spiced chicken crisped under the broiler, tucked into tortillas, and rolled up with creamy jalapeño ranch slaw.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken

  • 1.25 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
  • half of a red onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1/4 cup water

Jalapeño Ranch

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 jalapeño (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill (or about 1/4 cup fresh)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives (or sub 1/2 teaspoon onion powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste

Extras:

  • Cabbage for the slaw
  • Tortillas
  • Any extra toppings you like

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees (broil setting).
  2. Instant Pot: Place all chicken ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (20 if frozen). Release the pressure and shred chicken directly in pot.
  3. Broil: Transfer shredded chicken to a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil for 10-15 minutes until browned. 
  4. Sauce: Pulse jalapeño ranch ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Toss some of the dressing with finely shredded cabbage to make a slaw.
  5. Done: Serve chicken in warm tortillas with slaw and an extra drizzle of jalapeño ranch, slices of avocado, extra pineapple, cilantro, red onion, etc.

Equipment

Notes

Making this in the slow cooker: Since chicken cooks quickly, set this to high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Then shred and brown.

Making this on a stovetop: Sauté the vegetables and spices, add the chicken, add a little more liquid (maybe 1/2 cup to 1 cup), and let it simmer down. Then shred and brown.

Freezer Meal Version

  1. Freeze Together:
    1.25 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
    2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
    1 jalapeño, minced (remove ribs/seeds for less heat)
    half of a red onion, minced
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 teaspoon chili powder
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 tablespoon sriracha
    1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  2. Instant Pot Instructions: Add 1/4 cup of water before cooking. High pressure 20 mins + quick release.
  3. Slow Cooker Instructions: Add 1/4 cup of water before cooking. High setting 4 hours (thaw first).
  4. Final Step: Shred chicken and serve with slaw tossed with jalapeño ranch in tortillas.
  5. Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Hawaiian-Inspired

Keywords: instant pot tacos, hawaiian chicken tacos, jalapeno ranch

Tacos! Tacos! Tacos!


One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy gluten-free recipes. Check it out!

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532 Comments

  1. Savory Sojourn Logo

    I so want to make this immediately!! Unfortunately, I’m in Italy without my Instant Pot at the moment. Any suggestions for how to make this without one??

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          whatever kind of tortillas you want. she gave the brand she uses (latortilla factory–a corn and wheat mix)

    1. Savory Sojourn Logo

      I used a crock pot. Cooked on low for 3 hours and used boneless chicken breast instead. Came out wonderful.

  2. Savory Sojourn Logo

    This looks so yummy! Quick clarification – is the mustard dried? If not, what kind of mustard should we use? (I tried to decipher from looking at the picture of everything in the IP, but couldn’t tell)

    1. Savory Sojourn Logo

      I don’t know if she updated since your comment but its yellow mustard like for burgers. Its a bit hard to tell in the pic but you can see the yellow mustard in the middle. 🙂

          1. Savory Sojourn Logo

            hi! i have a question about the fresh vs freezer meal versions of this recipes (plus a couple others, like the chicken tinga and the korean bbq beef): is there a reason for only recommending cooking on high in the crockpot, in the freezer versions? i noticed you give a high and low in the non-freezer versions, curious if a longer low setting could also work. thank you for everything you do!

          2. Savory Sojourn Logo

            Assuming everything is thawed, either low (for longer) or high (for shorter) should both work based on what time you’re working with!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        Hi, Kristen! We haven’t tested this out yet using bone-in thighs, but we think it could work. You just might need to adjust the cook time a bit since bone-in chicken tends to take a bit longer to cook. Let us know how this goes for you!

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          I made 2 batches in the IP, and broiled all of it together. 9 people devoured it, with sides. All 9 loved it….definitely a keeper, and inexpensive to put together. I made the sauce 2 days in advance, to meld the flavors…delicious.

  3. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Wait. Wait. Wait, one minute! How did you get those little beauties to sit so nice and pretty in the bowl? I love that presentation!!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        My Oma used to remind me that we “ate with our eyes” meaning that food presentation was key!

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          I absolutely loved this recipe! It was amazing and quick and easy, restaurant quality. Pleased the whole family. Will make again and not a thing beside maybe doubling the recipe!!

      2. Savory Sojourn Logo

        I omit most of the water and oil from the slaw dressing, it was just to thin. The flavor is out of this world though. This is in the monthly rotation.

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        If I used frozen chicken tenderloins, would the cooking time in the instant pot change??

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          Hi, Rachel! We haven’t tested out only frozen chicken and everything else fresh yet, so timing is a little hard to say. If everything else is frozen too, we’d recommend cooking everything for 20 minutes in the Instant Pot.

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          Ashley when I don’t have the fresh herbs on hand I mix the first 5 ingredients with a 1/2 packet of ranch dressing mix (in the packet). Not exactly the same but it has worked for us!!

          This is one of my favorite recipes! I’ve always get rave reviews from everyone!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        Delicious! I made it in my crockpot and used chicken breasts instead of thighs because it’s what I had on hand.

      2. Savory Sojourn Logo

        What did you serve as a side? I’m always so quick to add rice, but looking for other ideas!

  4. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Agree with the below! Is there anyway to make this without an Instapot or Slow Cooker?

  5. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Looks amazing. Would this be too spicy for kids (5 and 2!) perhaps leave out the jalapeño in the instant pot??

    1. Savory Sojourn Logo

      Lucy,
      How was it spice level for the kids? I have a 5 and 2 year old as well and was thinking the same thing.

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        We left out the seeds and ribs of the peppers, and used half the siracha. It was a very mild spice level. Those who wanted more spice, added siracha to their own tacos.

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          My family absolutely LOVES this meal. We use Naan bread instead of tortillas! It is super tasty and incredibly filling! Thank you again for the recipe

  6. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Following! I love this recipe but only have a slow cooker. Wondering about cook time for this. Guessing four hours on low? Maybe 🤔

  7. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Hi I was wondering if this could be made in a crockpot? if so what I’d do anything differently

  8. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Heading to the store immediately after work to pick up the ingredients for this, looks SO good!

  9. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Can this be made in a crockpot? If so, when would you put in the pineapples? Thanks!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        This was really good. I added an extra 1/4 cup of water out of fear of the “burn”, but after it finished cooking, I don’t think it was necessary. The broth was very good though as I found myself scooping spoonfuls out to enjoy. Thank you so much! You are one of my favorite bloggers!

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          For the instant pot recipe, is it quick release or natural release? Apologies if I missed it.

  10. Savory Sojourn Logo

    This looks delicious!!! Please share an alternative method for making these tacos for those of us who do not have an Instant Pot. Thanks in advance!!

    1. Savory Sojourn Logo

      This looks so amazing! I ran to the store to get the ingredients and am making this tonight for dinner. I love using my instant pot for meals so I really appreciate this new recipe.

  11. Savory Sojourn Logo

    I’m an instant pot lover – thanks for this great recipe.

    P.S. where do you find la tortilla factory tortillas?

  12. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Absolutely delicious! A hit at our house. Had to make with chic breasts because no thighs…still swoon worthy! Thanks, Lindsay!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        These are delicious! Very impressed, and I can’t wait to make the tinga tacos (or bowls) next!

  13. Savory Sojourn Logo

    omg WHAT. These tacos sound like an absolute dream. I don’t even like yellow mustard but I am trusting y’all here

  14. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Sounds delicious! I’m also wondering if this can be done in crock pot? How long to cook at what level? Should things be added later, etc.

  15. Savory Sojourn Logo

    These were so deliciously different!!! We made them according to the Instapot instructions and after every bite, we looked at each other and said, “this is amazing!” The dill was a unique flavour to a taco experience. Will definitely be adding this to our favourites list!

      1. Savory Sojourn Logo

        This recipe has become one of our favorites. So good!
        I was wondering, how long can we keep the sauce in the fridge?
        Thanks!

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          Very yummy! I changed it up just a tiny bit – I used canned pineapple tidbits & used the pineapple juice in IP instead of water. As chicken was in oven, I took the liquid left in IP and reduced it. By the time the chicken had 5 min left, I topped with thickened juice & stirred it in & finished cooking the last 5 min. We both really liked it & only have a little left – I think I’ll top a sweet potato with I little brown rice & leftover chicken & slaw! And bonus: I have another package in the freezer for another delicious & even quicker dinner!! Thank you for a great recipe!!

        1. Savory Sojourn Logo

          Any kind of green would work –kale, regular iceberg, or romaine. You could also try using a broccoli slaw mix or chopped jicama!

  16. Savory Sojourn Logo

    Made this for dinner tonight. It is delicious! Hard to describe the taste — calling it “Hawaiian” seems almost misleading — the flavor is much more complex (no disrespect to Hawaiian flavors!) than that would suggest.