Instant Pot Chicken Mole Tacos
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Mole chicken is a classic Mexican dish that usually takes hours to cook. Now you can make this recipe in under an hour for an easy weeknight dinner!
Instant Pot chicken tacos are a great option for when you want a delicious meal without a ton of work. Using a pressure cooker creates tender, juicy meat thatās infused with flavor. And thereās no constant checking to make sure itās cooked all the way through.
This meal comes together with a delicious mole sauce thatās a mix of savory, sweet, and spicy.
What is Chicken mole?
A mole is a Mexican sauce thatās made with toasted nuts, dried fruit, chiles, chocolate, and various other flavoring ingredients.
Itās typically simmered for six hours, but sometimes you just donāt have time for that!
Making it in the Instant Pot allows the flavors to meld together in a fraction of the time. Plus, the chicken itself gets infused with all that flavor as well.
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 28Ā ozĀ whole roasted tomatoes
- 1Ā medium onionĀ roughly chopped
- 1/2Ā cupĀ sliced almondsĀ toasted
- 1Ā tbspĀ sesame seedsĀ toasted
- 1/2Ā cupĀ dark baking chocolate
- 1/4Ā cupĀ raisins
- 1 1/2Ā cupsĀ chicken stock
- 2Ā chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1Ā tbspĀ ground cumin
- 1Ā tspĀ cinnamon
- 1Ā tspĀ Mexican oregano
- 3Ā garlic cloves
- 2Ā lbsĀ chicken thighsĀ bone-in, skinned (See Note 1)
- 1/2Ā tspĀ salt
- 16Ā 6-in. corn tortillas
- 1/4Ā cupĀ Cotija cheeseĀ crumbled
- 1/4Ā cupĀ cilantro leavesĀ chopped
- 2Ā limesĀ cut into wedges
- In a bowl cover ancho chiles with boiling water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and discard stems and seeds.
- In a small sautƩ pan toast the almonds and sesame seeds for 3 minutes. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor add seeded chiles, tomatoes, onion, almonds, sesame seeds, chocolate, raisins, chicken stock, chipotles and adobo sauce, cumin, cinnamon, Mexican oregano and garlic in a food processor until smooth.
- Season chicken with salt and place inside Instant Pot. Pour in mole sauce mixture. Cover, seal vent and hit Manual setting, High Pressure, 25 minutes.
- Open vent and allow steam to release. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board to remove bones. If sauce is thin, cook on SautƩ to reduce and thicken while you shred chicken.
- Shred chicken into large pieces then return to Instant Pot and mole sauce. Reserve 2 cups of the mole sauce for another use.
- Toast and slightly char corn tortillas on both sides over medium-high directly on burner or toast on both sides in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Top tortillas with chicken mole sauce, cheese, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Making chicken mole tacos
Now itās time to assemble these Instant Pot chicken tacos! Youāll need:
- Corn tortillas
- Cotija cheese
- Cilantro
- Limes
First, toast the tortillas on both sides. You can do this directly over the burner for a more charred flavor, or toss them in a skillet just to give them some texture.
Then, add some chicken and sauce to the tortillas. Sprinkle some cheese and cilantro over the top and serve with lime wedges.
RECIPE NOTES
- If you canāt find chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, you can make your own version at home. Here are my recipes for dried chipotle peppers and homemade adobo sauce.
- Flour or gluten-free tortillas can be used in place of the corn, depending on your preferences or dietary needs.
- Reserve leftover mole sauce to use in enchiladas, drizzled over eggs, or added to soups and chilis.
MORE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Roasted Chicken with Almond Banana Mole
- Pork Mole Negro Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Flank Steak Tacos
- Mojo Carne Asada Tacos
Share this recipe on Pinterest!
Love this recipe? Share it with the world on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my Newsletter, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for all my latest recipes and videos.
Instant Pot Chicken Mole Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 28 oz whole roasted tomatoes
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
- 1/2 cup dark baking chocolate
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skinned (See Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 16 6-in. corn tortillas
- 1/4 cup Cotija cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 2 limes cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a bowl cover ancho chiles with boiling water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and discard stems and seeds.
- In a small sautƩ pan toast the almonds and sesame seeds for 3 minutes. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor add seeded chiles, tomatoes, onion, almonds, sesame seeds, chocolate, raisins, chicken stock, chipotles and adobo sauce, cumin, cinnamon, Mexican oregano and garlic in a food processor until smooth.
- Season chicken with salt and place inside Instant Pot. Pour in mole sauce mixture. Cover, seal vent and hit Manual setting, High Pressure, 25 minutes.
- Open vent and allow steam to release. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board to remove bones. If sauce is thin, cook on SautƩ to reduce and thicken while you shred chicken.
- Shred chicken into large pieces then return to Instant Pot and mole sauce. Reserve 2 cups of the mole sauce for another use.
- Toast and slightly char corn tortillas on both sides over medium-high directly on burner or toast on both sides in a small skillet over medium heat.Ā
- Top tortillas with chicken mole sauce, cheese, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistās advice.
Holy smokes, that sounds amazing!! SO much flavor! š
Thank you so much! You have to try it!
This totally saved me from my “oops, I forgot to figure out dinner tonight”! Quick and easy and totally delicious!! Thank you!
That is great! I am glad it got you our of a pinch!
This Mole chicken is looks incredibly delicious!
You have to try it!
I want to make this next week? Do you think it would work with boneless skinless breasts?
Definitely Ali, made it myself!
If we wanted to do this recipe with pork shoulder, how long would we cook for?
I’d say for a 3-4 pound boneless pork should I would cut into 3-4 pieces and Pressure Cook/Manual Button for 60-65 minutes. Let it pressure release on it’s own.
Can this recipe be adapted to the crockpot?
I have not tried it… yet. BUT, a general rule is: if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe calls for 8 hours on the low setting or about 4 hours on the high setting, it should be fully cooked in about 25 to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. Hope that helps Jane.
I made these last night and he’s right – very easy and delicious! We had leftovers for lunch today and my boyfriend texted saying that we have to make them again! One question though – I got the ‘Burn’ message on my Instant Pot and I think it’s because the sauce is on the thicker side. Has anyone else had this issue? Do I just need to blend it longer to thin out the sauce?
I have the InstantPot Max and I also got a ‘Burn’ message before the pressure valve closed. I opened the lid and poured about 1/2 cup of chicken stock and stirred it. I didn’t see any food burnt. A part of the chicken was stuck to the bottom of the pot but that was it. I started again and got the ‘Food Burn’ message again. I transfer it to the ceramic pot instead of the steel one and give it one last try. The ‘Food Burn’ message kept coming up and then going away. Finally it pressurized and it cooked for the 25min without a problem. It was one of the best moles I ever had. I call my my mom if I had to cook it in the stove how long should I cook it for (because I was about to give up on the Instant Pot) and she said about 30min. So the Instant Pot offers no advantage in this case, and the ‘Food Burn’ message can be deceiving because there was no food burnt. I grew up in Mexico and had lots of mole, this recipe is as good as it gets!
Thanks so much for trying and coming back to let me know Gustavo. I recently picked up a new Instant Pot (I now have two) to see how it is, features, etc. I have found it is considerably more sensitive compared to my first one from early 2016 when it comes to the BURN notice. Don’t know why either as I have never had burnt food, and like you, checked to see and nothing. Glad this meets with your seal of approval. Cheers! š
Your recipes look amazing. Thank you for sharing
Thank YOU Kimberly for stopping by!
These look perfect! I love the complexity of flavors you have going on in the sauce.
Best part is it’s super easy and the IP makes it happen in no time Kelly. š
I can never say no to tacos! These look so good, Kevin! I think I could eat the entire batch š
The mole sauce is quite delectable Dawn. I had extra and spooned it over warmed corn kernels…. heavenly!