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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Amazing! Loved the flavours. Like previous comments below I also used Long grain brown rice and it was just slightly underdone – I agree with pushing the rice down to absorb some of the liquid for next time.
Flavours are spot on! I added hot sauce and it was incredible 🙂
Had to adjust the cooking method as the fist two attempts to make this in my Duo Nova resulted in “Burn” messages. On the third attempt I did not add the corn/beans/chiles to the IP before cooking and everything worked out much better. As the corn/beans/chiles are edible right out of the can I simply added them immediately post pressure release with the cheese. This added a good bit of additional texture to the bowls. Hope that this helps those with the “Burn” message challenge.
This is the second time I have tried to cook this recipe, not remembering the burn issues I got the first time. Before anyone tries to tell me it’s from not washing my IP correctly, I remove the seal and wash it every single time. I have no issues with any recipes aside from this one. I got the burn notice twice, despite using close to a half cup more chicken broth. The second time, emptied the pot, washed it out completely, scrubbed all the charred rice off the bottom, that I had previously let rest on top of the mix, and returned it to try to finish the recipe. I also added an additional 1/2 cup of water. Lo and behold, burn notice 3. At this point I’ve thoroughly given up and I have just stirred it and pushed the button again. The rice is almost tender now that I’ve gone through all of these burn notices.
Had the same issues on my first two attempts. I just posted the following as my third attempt, which was a success.
Had to adjust the cooking method as the fist two attempts to make this in my Duo Nova resulted in “Burn” messages. On the third attempt I did not add the corn/beans/chiles to the IP before cooking and everything worked out much better. As the corn/beans/chiles are edible right out of the can I simply added them immediately post pressure release with the cheese. This added a good bit of additional texture to the bowls. Hope that this helps those with the “Burn” message challenge.
Are you using this recipe in a 8qt insta pot? I had the same issue as you did. Took everything out washed the pot and put everything back in and hot burn notice again. I have heard that not using the correct size pot could be the problem. Can anyone comment on this?
This was my third meal I’ve made in my instant pot, I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out just like the video.
There was just enough liquid at the bottom and when everything was stirred it was all absorbed. Was like by all who ate tonight. Thank you for this site
Few changes:
1. I used onion, not pepper
2. Used wildrice
3. Used hot sauce
Soooo tasty and easy. Used for a super fast dinner. Yum!
Outstanding! Add a little sour cream and hot sauce in the and this is as good a burrito bowl as I’ve ever had. Delicious!
Tried making this after reading reviews, added extra fluid(18 oz which is the min amount for my IP), left the rice on top without stirring like it said, tried to disperse the rice evenly. Still got the burn alarm twice. Seems like the rice sinks to the bottom and that’s what’s burning. Had to finish on the stove.
I made this today, followed the recipe except for stirring everything together and added an extra 3/4 cup broth-per the other reviews. Oh and I used frozen corn. Turned out perfect and was oh so good! Thank you for such a tasty recipe!!
I just got my instapot, and this was my second test recipe. Excellent from all 5 that ate tonight. A few changes- doubled the meat (organic chicken “tenders” from Costco- didn’t cut them). Trader Joe’s Taco seasoning- 1 packet, used frozen corn, used 2 cups of veggie broth, and added an extra cup of water as many reviews stated issues with fluids. I put brown rice on 1/2 of the mix as 1 person doesn’t eat rice. I did submerge the five as I was concerned it wouldn’t cook. I let us sit/soak for about 20-30 min, then cooked for 20 min. It looked very soupy when I opened the pot, but when scooped out the non rice serving the chicken fell apart and it was a very thick tortilla soup mix. Then I mixed the rest and again as the chicken fell apart, and rice soaked up much of the fluid, it was perfect! Thank youDD for the recipe. Will be using your website a lot!
So I just got my Instapot, and this was my first ever meal
I made in it. OMG this was Ah-May-Zing! I’m officially sold on the Instapot, and this is going into the dinner rotation for sure. I had no issues making it. No “burn notices” The rice was cooked perfectly. And even my two SUPER PICKY eaters gave it a thumbs up.
Fantastic recipe! Thank you!
I don’t know how she made this without it burning! Followed the directions completely and got the burn notice. Open the pot , stirred it around and started again. Burn notice again. Ended up having to finish it on the stove. Now, I have two pots to clean! Not enough liquid in this recipe, but it was damn delicious!
Ridiculously easy to make, really tasty, and came out perfectly.
For everyone complaining about their rice being uncooked, make sure you’re not using brown rice (unless maybe it’s been parboiled or something). You can’t expect rice with a 20-25 minute Instant Pot cook time to cook in 10 minutes. Buy rice that’s got a 10-15 minute cook time listed on the package, and you should be fine.
You also need to press the rice down into the liquid a little bit. Rice won’t cook if it’s just sitting dry in a big heap in the middle of the cooker. Spread it evenly over the top of the mixture and push it down a little to get it in contact with the liquid.
I personally found 1 cup of cheese to be a bit of overkill, but wouldn’t change anything else about this recipe. Thanks!
Delish!!! I added extra broth to keep from burning. Question: If I want to make a double batch, do I add to the time?
So good! Entire family loved it and it was super easy to prepare after a long day at work!
Delicious. Easy and quick to make. Family LOVES it.
Delicious.
The flavors are outstanding! I got the dreaded burn notice 4 times. I wish I had read these reviews prior to cooking. I know I will add more broth and probably salsa next time as well as put some broth over the rice and push it down into it as the rice was also a little too crunchy. It was edible and I can see what a great dish it could be. I’ll give it another try!
So delicious! I mixed the rice a little before and it came out perfect!
Sounds great I’m planning to make it tonight
I just have one question:
I don’t need to turn on the instapot until stage 3?
The stirring of the chicken, broth, seasoning, etc. is all made with the instapot off?
Thank you
Wow this blew me away. I added the salsa and cheese as toppings instead of putting them in the pot. Also topped with guac and sour cream and YUM. To avoid undercooked rice, just push the rice into the pot so it’s at least partially submerged, but don’t mix it in.
Excellent! Followed exactly as written in my 6qt IP. Huge hit in my household. Putting it into our rotation. Delish!
I made this according to the instructions, and put the rice on top – without stirring. Smells delicious, but when I opened it, there was a small portion that wasn’t cooked. So, now I have hard, uncooked rice to crunch in my burrito bowl. 🙁 I’m closing it back up with a little more chicken broth and hoping that it can steam the rest into submission. Maybe instead of not stirring at all, give the rice a small stir into the goods?