Green Chile Chicken Tacos are perfect for a family-friendly dinner, and you can make the chicken in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker. For a low carb meal use low-carb tortillas, or eat the slightly-spicy green chile chicken in lettuce wraps for Keto or gluten-free!

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Green Chile Chicken Tacos close-up photo of finished tacos on plate

Kara and I absolutely swooned over these Green Chile Chicken Tacos when we worked on the recipe recently! We loved the spicy green chile chicken, the slightly-spicy slaw with finely chopped Poblano peppers, and the squeeze of lime we added at the table. And when Kara took the leftovers home, her family devoured the tacos too.

So I was happy I had finally had an Instant Pot version of this recipe that I first made a few years ago in the slow cooker. The tacos were originally inspired by my love of Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, something I’ve used often since I first tried it. And any recipe that’s got limited carbs and involves tacos and green chile enchilada sauce is going to be something I’m going to enjoy!

Either version of Green Chile Chicken Tacos will turn out super tasty, and even the slow cooker method only takes a little over three hours to cook, so this is pretty easy for a chicken taco dinner no matter which method you choose!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What are Poblano Chile Peppers?

Poblano chile peppers are large dark green peppers that are mild but have a really delicious flavor. In U.S. grocery stores they are sometimes called Pasilla Peppers.

Making Green Chile Tacos for Weekend Food Prep:

If you’re making this for Weekend Food Prep and planning on leftovers to eat later, it would be best to only put dressing on half the slaw if you want it to stay crisp. Refrigerate slaw ingredients and taco meat separately, then heat the chicken and tortillas and add dressing to the rest of the slaw right before you eat the rest of the tacos.

Which method did we like best for Green Chile Chicken Tacos?

For the slow cooker version we recommend reducing the sauce so the finished result isn’t too watery, but using the Instant Pot made it super-easy to reduce the sauce after the chicken had cooked. So for that feature only I’d say I liked the Instant Pot method a bit better.

What Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Did I Use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes! For the slow cooker version I used my favorite Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) but any size that’s close to that will work.

Green Chile Chicken Tacos Instant Pot version process shots collage

How to Make Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken Tacos:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Trim chicken, put in Instant Pot, and season with salt and pepper. 
  2. Pour Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) over the chicken, along with the diced green chiles (affiliate link) if using.
  3. Lock lid on the Instant Pot and set to MANUAL, HIGH, 10 MINUTES. 
  4. When the cooking time is up let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
  5. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred, leaving the sauce in the Instant Pot.
  6. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM and reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes while you shred the chicken apart.
  7. Then put the shredded chicken back in the Instant Pot to keep warm and let the chicken absorb the sauce.
  8. While chicken cooks, chop the poblanos, green onions, and cilantro.
  9. Whisk together mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to make the dressing.
  10. Chop up green and red cabbage, and mix in the chopped poblano, green onion, and cilantro (if using).
  11. Then toss the slaw with dressing until it’s a wet as you prefer.
  12. We used Mission Carb Balance Low-Carb Tortillas (affiliate link) with 4 carbs each. (The package has changed since I made these tacos in the slow cooker.)
  13. We heated each tortilla in a hot dry pan, just about 10-15 seconds per side.
  14. Fill each taco shell with 1/8 of the spicy chicken and 1/8 of the slaw, and serve right away.
  15. We loved this with a squeeze of lime to add at the table!

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Tacos process shots collage

How to Make Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Tacos:

(This is only a summary; please scroll down for complete printable recipe.)

  1. Simmer Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) until it’s reduced to 3/4 cup, about 45 minutes. 
  2. While sauce reduces, trim chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise, put in slow cooker, and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Put the reduced sauce (and 1 can additional diced green chiles if desired) over the chicken. 
  4. Cook on high about 2 1/2 hours.  
  5. When the chicken is tender and starting to fall apart, remove to a cutting board and shred, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker.
  6. Put the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and turn to low to keep warm and let the chicken absorb the sauce.
  7. I used Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Fajita Shells with 3 carbs each for this version, and heated the foil-wrapped tortillas in a toaster oven.
  8. Mix together ingredients to make dressing for the spicy slaw.
  9. Chop poblanos, green onions, cabbage, and cilantro and make the spicy slaw right before you’re ready to eat the tacos.
  10. To serve, fill each taco shell with 1/8 of the spicy chicken and 1/8 of the slaw.
  11. The original version was served with Cotija cheese. (Through the years I’ve made these tacos more often without it, but it’s tasty if you have some.)

Green Chile Chicken Tacos shown on serving plate with cut limes on the side.

More Spicy Mexican Dinners:

Green Chile Chicken Tacos thumbnail image of finished tacos
Yield: 8 tacos

Green Chile Chicken Tacos

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Make Green Chile Chicken Tacos in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker; serve with Poblano-Cabbage Slaw and eat in low-carb taco shells or lettuce wraps.

Ingredients

Chicken Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • one 15 oz. can Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (see notes)
  • one 3.5 oz. can diced green chiles plus juice (optional)

Tacos and Slaw Ingredients:

  • 8 Mission Carb Balance Low-Carb tortillas or Mr. Tortilla 2 Net Carb Multigrain Tortillas
  • 1/2 large fresh Poblano chile, finely chopped (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 3 T mayo
  • 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
  • Salt to taste, preferably Vege-Sal

Instructions

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Trim chicken breasts, cut each one in half lengthwise, put in Instant Pot, and season with salt and pepper.  Pour Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) over the chicken, along with the diced green chiles (affiliate link) if using. Lock lid on the Instant Pot and set to MANUAL, HIGH, 10 MINUTES.
  2. When the cooking time is up let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred, leaving the sauce in the Instant Pot.
  3. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM and reduce the sauce for about 20 minutes while you shred the chicken apart. Then put the shredded chicken back in the Instant Pot to keep warm and let the chicken absorb the sauce. 
  4. While chicken cooks, chop the poblanos, green onions, and cilantro. Whisk together mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to make the dressing. Chop up green and red cabbage, and mix in the chopped poblano, green onion, and cilantro (if using). Then toss the slaw with dressing until it’s a wet as you prefer. 
  5. We used Mission Carb Balance Low-Carb Tortillas (affiliate link) with 4 carbs each. (The package has changed since I made these tacos in the slow cooker.) We heated each tortilla in a hot dry pan, just about 10-15 seconds per side.
  6. Fill each taco shell with 1/8 of the spicy chicken and 1/8 of the slaw, and serve right away. We loved this with a squeeze of lime to add at the table!

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Put the green chile enchilada sauce into a small non-stick saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until enough liquid has evaporated that the sauce has reduced to 3/4 cup.  This will take about 45 minutes, or less if you’re watching it carefully and use higher heat. While the sauce is reducing, trim chicken breasts and cut each breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 long strips.  (Cut larger breasts into 3 strips and smaller ones into 2.)
  2. Spray the inside of slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray and put the chicken strips in the bottom. When the sauce has reduced to 3/4 cup, spread sauce over the chicken pieces and add the small can of diced green chiles if you want a bit more heat. Cook on high for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken shreds apart easily with a fork.
  3. When the chicken is done, use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces to a cutting board, leaving the sauce in the bottom of  the slow cooker. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken apart into bite-sized pieces and put shredded chicken back in the slow cooker, stirring to coat the chicken with sauce. Turn slow cooker to low to keep the chicken warm while you prepare the rest of the tacos.
  4. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F/200C. Remove plastic packaging from the low-carb tortilla shells, wrap in foil, and heat the tortillas in the toaster oven while you make the slaw.
  5. Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, and Green Tabasco sauce to make the dressing. Cut the Poblano chile in half, remove seeds, and finely chop half the chile (reserving the other half for another use.) Thinly slice green onions, green cabbage, red cabbage, and chop cilantro (if using.) Put the slaw ingredients in a bowl and toss with the dressing.
  6. To serve, fill a heated tortilla with 1/8 of the chicken mixture and top with a generous scoop of slaw.

Notes

I used Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link), Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Fajita Shellsfresh-frozen lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and Vege-Sal (affiliate link) for these tacos. Poblano chiles are called Pasilla chiles in some stores

Nutritional information was calculated by Nutritionix using the products I specified.

This recipe created by Kalyn and Jake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 7.6gSaturated Fat: .5gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 650mgCarbohydrates: 12.3gSugar: 3.2gProtein: 23g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Square image of Green Chile Chicken Tacos shown on serving plate with limes in back.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The small low-carb flour tortillas used in these Green Chile Chicken Tacos have only 2 – 4 net carbs each (depending on which brand you choose), making them a good choice for low-carb diet plans. If you’re following the original South Beach diet choose a low-carb tortilla that fits that plan and look for Green Chile Enchilada Sauce with the lowest amount of carbs you can find. You can eat the Green Chile Chicken inside lettuce wraps for a lower-carb or Keto option.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes or Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Green Chile Tacos were first posted in 2014, and I have made the recipe many times since then. The post was last updated with more information in 2023.

Pinterest image of Green Chile Chicken Tacos

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