Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas

The best Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas recipe are a quick, easy, healthy and flavorful dump-and-go meal perfect for busy weeknights! 

Instant pot chicken fajitas

If you are wondering why you would make fajitas in a instant pot, here’s why you’ll never go back to traditional stove top!

1. No marinating necessary. Just like with Instant Pot Sloppy Joes, using an electric pressure cooker infuses maximum flavor in a fraction of the time.
2. Extremely effortless! Simply dump in chicken, peppers, onions, seasonings, and cook for 4 minutes. Sit down to a fast and easy weeknight meal in less than 20 minutes!
3. Instant pot fajitas with chicken are healthy and works with a number of diets, like gluten free, low carb, keto, whole 30, and paleo, depending on how they are served. Use corn tortillas, lettuce wraps, or serve as a fajita bowl with rice or cauliflower rice.
4. It makes a great freezer prep meal. Place everything in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, dump in, and cook!

If you love easy Mexican-inspired recipes, give Slow Cooker Carne Asada or Blackened Fish Tacos a try!

Ingredients needed

This recipe uses a simple mix of spices to flavor the chicken, but feel free to substitute a packet of fajita seasoning to make the recipe even quicker.

If following a gluten-free diet, be sure to read the ingredients label, and enjoy in corn tortillas or these soft almond flour tortillas.

• Vegetable oil
• Bell peppers
• Onion
• Chicken breasts
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Lime juice

How To Make easy instant pot fajitas

Ready for this? Dump all the ingredients in, stir, cover, and cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. Yep, it’s that easy.

If 4 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, I can assure you the chicken is adequately cooked because it is cut in thin strips first. Cooking longer isn’t necessary and softens the vegetables too much.

Don’t I have to add more liquid to build pressure?

You may be surprised there isn’t any liquid added to the pot besides a little lime juice for flavor. The onions, peppers, and chicken release enough liquid to build pressure and have the instant pot operate correctly without a BURN notice.

What to do with leftover liquid?

Even without adding liquid, you will still be left with some after the chicken and veggies are done cooking. If you’d like to put all that liquid flavor to use, make instant pot fajitas and rice!

1. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken, veggies, cover and keep warm.
2. Add long grain white rice and any additional water needed to cover the rice by 1/2 inch.
3. Secure on lid and pressure cook for 4 minutes with natural release for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

What if I like more crisp veggies?

The peppers and onions do get softer when cooked under pressure. For crisp tender veggies, use the saute function and cook the peppers and onions first in a little bit of oil. Remove to keep warm, and proceed with the recipe as written.

Can i make shredded chicken fajitas in the instant Pot?

Yes. To make shredded chicken, cook for 1 minute longer and let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before letting out additional steam.

Use 2 forks to shred chicken in liquid. The onions and peppers will be softer and mix in with shredded chicken. If you prefer the veggies not as soft, saute them first in the pot and remove them before adding chicken.

Can I use frozen chicken?

I have not tested Instant Pot fajitas using frozen chicken because the chicken is cut in thin strips first.

However, you could mix everything together and store it in ziplock freezer bags for a meal prep freezer meal. Thaw the bag overnight in the refrigerator and then proceed with cooking instructions.

If the chicken or veggies are partially frozen, that is fine, but it may produce more liquid.

Can I use fajita seasoning?

Yes. Instead of using a blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, you may substitute a packet of fajita seasoning to make the recipe even quicker. If following a gluten free diet, be sure to read the ingredients label.

Either add the 2 tablespoons lime juice for extra flavor or replace with an equal amount of water instead.

Click here to see the
step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

Intimidated by using an Instant Pot? Learn in minutes with this Easy Start Instant Pot Guide full of tips, hacks, and tricks.

More easy instant pot Recipes 

• Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff
• Instant Pot Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
• Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
• Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

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