Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls
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Comes together in less than 10 min prep! The chicken is so tender and the flavors are so good.
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This is a burrito bowl recipe I keep coming back to again and again. And this was the first Instant Pot (IP) recipe I have ever tested that converted me to the pressure cooker fan club. With one pot, tender, juicy chicken and perfectly cooked rice with the easiest clean up in the history of the world, I was completely hooked with the IP magic.
reasons to make instant pot 20 minute chicken burrito bowls
- All-in-one Instant Pot dinner. With the help of the Instant Pot, this is the best kind of dump-and-go dinner recipe. There’s minimal prep time here – no sautéing, no nothing. Throw everything right into the pressure cooker, set your time, and walk away. Dinner will be on the table in lightning fast speed, 20 minutes to be exact.
- Family-friendly. Burrito bowls are a guaranteed hit with the entire family, adding in as little or as many toppings as desired, a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy.
- Great for meal prep. This keeps for 2-3 days, ideal for making these ahead of time for meal prep and reheating as needed.
- Flexible, forgiving recipe. Most of the ingredients can easily be swapped out or omitted as needed. Don’t have black beans? Use pinto or kidney beans. Don’t have canned corn? Skip it or use frozen corn kernels. Want to use thighs over breasts? Give it a quick swap.
tips and tricks for success
- Use chicken breast or thighs. Both will work beautifully here – breast will be leaner whereas thighs will have more fat, yielding more tender chicken than the former. Not a fan of chicken? Ground beef is also a great swap!
- White rice is ideal. Long-grain white rice such as jasmine or basmati rice is best. Brown rice will take too long to cook here.
- Make it spicy. Add in 1 diced jalapeno for a kick of heat!
- Add your favorite toppings. Diced avocado, shredded Mexican blend cheese, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, crispy tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips when you’re in a pinch are all great options.
- Reheat with a splash of chicken stock. When reheating, add a splash of chicken broth or water.
pro tip
Do not stir in the rice.
Adding in the rice at the very end without stirring will prevent the rice to sink to the bottom of the Instant Pot (this is what signals the dreaded burn notice). Layer and sprinkle the rice on top, patting down slightly to submerge. Do not stir. This will lead to burrito-goodness-flavored tender, fluffy rice.
what to serve with chicken burrito bowls
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls: Frequently Asked Questions
Black beans, pinto beans or kidney beans are all great here.
Absolutely! To make this a dairy-free chicken burrito bowl, skip the cheese.
Yes! Skip the chicken, add an additional can of beans and use vegetable broth instead.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa, homemade or store-bought
- 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Add chicken, chicken broth and taco seasoning to a 6-qt Instant Pot® and gently toss to combine.
- Stir in corn, black beans, salsa and green chiles. Without stirring, add rice.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 10 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions. Stir in cheese until melted, about 1 minute.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
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I love this recipe and I’ve made it so many times!! If I were to substitute brown rice, would you change the cook time or do anything different?
I made this with brown rice. I just soaked the brown rice in water for a few hours and then cooked for the same amount of time. I also made sure the brown rice was submerged in the liquid before cooking, by pushing the brown rice down a little.
I make it with brown rice all the time. I add a splash more broth, push the brown rice down into the liquid, and increase cook time to 22 min. I let it naturally release after the timer goes off. Comes out perfectly every time!
I have made this recipe, exactly as listed with no modifications, about 10 times. It has been perfect every time. I will say that I make sure the rice is spread around on top and not piled in the middle. I have a 6 quart InstantPot. This is my family’s favorite recipe for the InstantPot, which I received for Christmas in 2019. It is extremely quick and easy to put together and the results are outstanding.
I make this dish, often, with frozen chicken breasts. That way, I can pull chicken out of the freezer at anytime and make this. My family loves to eat it as a “Taco Soup.” I use 3 cups of Chicken Broth and double everything. *I leave the rice out. I put everything, except the chicken in the IP. Stir. Lay frozen chicken over the top. With this amount, I can use four chicken breasts. I cook it, from frozen, 35 minutes + NR 20 minutes. After opening the IP, I shred the chicken. I serve it with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream. It is amazing. (Special note: If you use rice, rinse it under cold water for 90 seconds. This will help the rice not be sticky or mushy.) My family begs for this dish.
The chicken stock needs to be increased to 3 cups. The first time I made this, it burned a lot and I had to keep adding liquid to cook the rice. The second time, I added 3 cups of liquid and it came out perfectly with no burning. I also like two cans of corn since I feel like one gets lost a bit. I think the green chilis add some nice flavor, but can be left out if you want. Overall, great, easy recipe that tastes delicious. Leftovers are awesome too. Just up the chicken stock!
Hi there! I just wanted to say thank you sooo much for this recipe. I’m an Instant Pot newbie and I was nervous trying this out but it came out FANTASTIC! My family loved it! Thank you times a million!
Got the burn message too. Can someone figure out this recipe for an 8 quart instapot? I read that the 8 quart instant pot gets the burn option more option. Also if you want to add more chicken.
Amazing and delicious! Easy too.
Burns easily, but tastes delicious. Any tips to prevent the burning? Followed recipe precisely.
Love, love this recipe! It is our family’s go to. We do the burrito bowls, salads and even stick the burrito bowl in a tortilla. We love our instant pot especially during the crazy time. I usually have to cook it longer because I like to add brown rice instead of white. So maybe 15-20 minutes longer and it comes out wonderful! Thank you so much!
I love this recipe. Made it with and without chicken and it turned out amazing. I double the recipe and sometimes the rice doesn’t all turn out cooked at the top, but I mix it well with the rest of the pot and the cheese and Let it sit for 10 min and it cooks through. Hog family fave! Thanks!
Easy and delicious. The first time I made it, the rice did not cook; mixed the rice in and re-cooked for 7 minutes and it was fine. The second time I followed suggestions from other people’s comments: I rinsed the rice before adding it and I pressed it down on top so that it was in the liquid – it came out perfect!
Made this last night for my family. It was absolutely delicious!! Such an easy meal, which was much appreciated since we’re having to cook so much right now. Will definitely make it again!
Excellent simple recipe. I’ve tried it a few different ways since my first time making it, and now it’s my go-to for burrito bowls, Cuban bowls, and teriyaki bowls! Just switch up the ingredients a little bit and the combinations are endless.
Hallelujah a meal everyone will eat!
This is my favorite chicken rice burrito bowl recipe. I have small children so instead of a whole can of green chilies, I used half a can. The flavor was incredible. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the rice was tender. Definitely going to use this recipe again! Thanks!
I don’t have an instant pot yet can this recipe be made in a slow cooker? It looks absolutely delicious! Thanks
Stumbled across this recipe from a Yahoo article. Upped the broth by about 1/2 cup, about 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken tenders, a touch more taco seasoning, and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Absolutely amazing!!!! Topped with sour cream instead of cilantro. My husband couldn’t get enough. Thank you for posting this recipe!
First two times good, no burn issue as others have mentioned. However, I measure the chicken temp after cooking and it’s always like 200+ degrees – and chicken does seem dry – and that’s after lowering cook time to 8 minutes. Is there this much variance in Instantpots? Do I have one that runs hot?
Try chicken thigh meat. It tends to not dry out as much in instant pot and crock pot recipes
Could you cut your chicken into larger pieces so they don’t cook as fast? Maybe 2” cubes or a bit larger?
I’ve made this recipe 1000 times and turns out perfect and delicious every time! Thank you for the wonderfully easy, tasty recipe!
Second time making this recipe and it was perfect both times. I did spread the rice out on the top and pat it into the ingredients below until the rice was moist. This was a very easy, quick recipe and my picky kids loved it. Today, my chicken and corn were still partially frozen; I tossed them in as-is and the Instant Pot had no problem cooking it all beautifully (frozen ingredients take longer to come up to pressure).