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 fix this at least twice month now sometimes three times . Amazing quick meal and tastes delicious!!
We love it. I’ve made it for my Taco loving husband close to 20 times already! I love how easy it is and I always have the ingredients on hand.
For those having issues with undercooked rice, increase the chicken broth to 1.5 cups, sprinkle rice on top as last step, and lightly press it down just enough to submerge it under the liquid. As per a previous commenter.
(I always use jasmine rice and it comes out perfect every time.)
This has really become my go to quick meal. We make it every other week or so. It’s also my go to “meal train” meal. I love that it’s so quick and easy and I typically have most of the ingredients on hand. Like others, I add a tad bit more broth and also add two minutes to the cook time to ensure the rice cooks completely. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe!
This dish has become a weeknight favorite in our house. My husband LOVES it.
it’s so simple and turns out delicious.
I often add some enchilada sauce into the mix if I have it on hand for an extra hit of flavor.
I’ve made several different recipes and this one blows the other ones away! It’s the absolute best! And so easy in the IP, it all came out perfectly.
Made it! No beans, used chicken stock and Rotel for changes. So. Good. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
This is super easy and quick to make. A dollop of sour cream, salsa, some jalapeño and crushed up tortilla chips – yummy. I sautéed some onion and green pepper slices for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. I will say it was bit dry for me… I’ll add a half-cup more broth next time. But maybe that’s just me. Delicious and quick meal.
This is in our regular rotation. So good. So versatile. Try it.
My family loves this recipe! I use 16oz of watery salsa (Like Jacks) and about 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth, and I never get the burn notice!
This is my family’s favorite quick meal in the instant pot! My son would like to make it in his college apartment but he does not have an instant pot. Is there a way to convert this same recipe to a stove top or oven recipe?
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! As a single person, I struggle with motivation to cook proper food for myself. This recipe has been a life saver maaaany times. It’s cheap, tasty, easy and I can get a few meals out of one batch.
Like other comments have said, do NOT stir the rice in or you’ll get the food burn notice on your IP. Just dump it in a little pile in the middle then press it down with spoon/spatula until it’s submerged under the liquid and the rest of the stuff. I’ve also found that I need to cook everything a little longer to avoid crunchy rice : I put the timer to 12 minutes instead of 10 and it did the trick.
Has anyone halved this recipe to go in a 3 QT Instant Pot? How would I go about doing that? I’m hunting recipes to add to my repertoire as a beginning cook in a tiny apartment and this looks like a great one.
After reading all the comments about the rice not cooking properly or getting a burn error, I made the rice separately and stirred it in with the cheese after I did the quick release. I also served it with avocado on top. After one bite my husband said “you can make this again”. Thanks for an easy and delicious meal.
I’ve done this recipe 20+ times. I make sure that I put the rice on top and then push down slightly until the rice gets slightly submerged. That is the trick. I use medium grain rice.
I often leave out the chicken. The rice is the star here.
Has anyone tried doubling the recipe? If so, how much longer do you cook it?
Recipe is fantastic but my rice is never cooked enough after the recommended time. I’ve done the recipe enough times that I know once it’s done, I’ll open the lid, mix everything together and then leave it closed for another 45 to an hour. Then 95% of the rice is cooked properly and the 5% of crunchy rice is actually pretty nice!
Can I use frozen chicken? If so, does it change the time? Thanks!
I use frozen chicken all the time. A frozen breast takes roughly 12 min to cook so depending on what rice you use, that might be too long. I use brown jasmine rice which has a longer cook time and it works out well with the frozen chicken with a 15 min cook time and 10 min natural release.
I’ve made this so many times and I can’t believe I’ve never left a review! It is the most versatile, simple family dinner. My toddlers love it, my husband loves it and there’s always enough for lunch the next day. Don’t be afraid to modify it to fit what you have in your pantry because I’ve never had it not come out delicious and I rarely have everything I need love this recipe!
I’ve tried this recipe 5 times and had crunchy rice each time. I thought I did something wrong the first time so I made it again and had the same problem. Then I tried adding more broth (third attempt), more time (fourth attempt)and tried waiting once it finished cooking (lapsed time 10 minutes) (fifth attempt). Nothing solved the crunchy rice problem.
To be clear, not all of the rice is crunchy. And adding more water and lapsed time seemed to result in less crunchy. But it’s still a problem. And I’m not a new instant pot user. I’ve been using my instant pot multiple times a week for over 6 years. I rarely have a recipe fail because I have a good sense of what will work and what won’t. This one baffles me.
Absolutely love this dish! It is a “fan favorite” and a go to recipe for our family. I make sure I have the canned ingredients on hand. In a pinch, I substituted frozen corn and it worked well. I wonder if the nutritional values of the recipe are available. Also, has anyone tried substituting brown rice or quinoa??
How do you change this recipe to make it on the stove top? No pressure cooker over here. Looks so good! Thanks!
If you have a Dutch oven you can. Brown your chicken in it first. Then put the rest of the ingredients in, bring to a good boil, without the lid, transfer it to a hot oven for 30 to 45 min. Lid on.
I have not made this exact recipe this way but have done one very similar like this.
This is a family favorite! We always fight for the leftovers!
We absolutely love this dish! So delicious, budget friendly, and super easy to throw together. It transports very well also for work lunches. We like to serve ours with sides of sour cream, lettuce and chips. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!