Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls
by Chungah
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These chicken burrito bowls comes together so quickly and easily in the Instant Pot! No fuss, no babysitting! And the chicken is so tender.
Featured Comment
This is a burrito bowl recipe I keep coming back to again and again. And this was the first Instant Pot (IP) recipe I 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 Instant Pot magic.
Why you’ll love these chicken burrito bowls
- All-in-one dinner. With the help of the 6-qt Instant Pot®, this is the best kind of dump-and-go dinner recipe. Also, there’s minimal prep 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 – there’s just 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.
How to make chicken burrito bowls in the Instant Pot
- Combine all ingredients. Stir in the diced chicken breasts, chicken broth, and taco seasoning in a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Add the corn, black beans, salsa, and green chiles, stirring to combine.
- Add the rice. Without stirring, sprinkle the rice on top in an even layer, pressing the rice gently so it is slightly submerged into the liquid.
- Cook on high heat. Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes, quick releasing and carefully opening the lid.
- Add the cheese. Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with cilantro.
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! Skip the cheese to make this a dairy-free chicken burrito bowl.
Yes! Skip the chicken, add an additional can of beans and use vegetable broth instead.
This typically means that some of the ingredients such as the rice or thick salsa has settled to the bottom of the pot, causing the Instant Pot to overheat. To prevent the burn notice for next time, always add the rice on top, gently patting it down.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Instant Pot 20 Minute Chicken Burrito Bowls
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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!
- Cut into uniform pieces. Cut the chicken breasts or thighs into even and equal 1-inch pieces to ensure even cooking throughout.
- Avoid using brown rice. Long-grain white rice such as jasmine or basmati rice is best. Brown rice will take too long to cook here.
- Never mix the rice. Sprinkle the rice on top in an even layer, patting it down slightly to absorb some of the liquid. Stirring in the rice will cause it to sink to the bottom, triggering the burn notice.
- Make it spicy. Add in 1 diced jalapeño for a kick of heat. For maximum heat, keep the inner white membranes and the seeds intact.
- 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, adding just before serving.
- Reheat with a splash of chicken stock. When reheating, add a splash of chicken broth or water.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Now this here is DAMN DELICIOUS! Thanks!!
Not sure what all of the others that complained about rice not being cooked or Burn warning did but I made this last night and it worked perfectly. First time user of the IP and it was great!
The recipe tasted fine, it was quick and easy to put together… But I gave it two stars because it wouldn’t work in my IP at all. I use a 6 QT DUO60 Instant Pot, and I followed the instructions exactly, but I kept getting a “burn” message no matter what. After troubleshooting my IP by adding more water, checking the valve, and even inserting a trivet for the chicken chunks, I realized that the rice in the recipe was what was causing the “burn” message. I ended up having to dump everything into a large pot and simmer it on the stove until everything was cooked. Very disappointing 🙁
We just bought the Crock-Pot Express and this was the first meal we made. Was easy and delicious. We love your recipes no matter how they are cooked.
Can chicken thighs be substituted for chicken breast?
Yes, of course.
My family really enjoyed this recipe! I just purchased an insta pot and this was the second meal I’ve made in it. I followed your recipe to the letter and it came out great! No rice problems here! Delicious and fast! Thanks! 🙂
Did exactly what the recipe called for. Got the burn error.. Added more liquid, still got the burn error. By this time the rice was mixed in and I was unable to cook it. Had to toss the whole thing and order pizza. I usually love the recipes on the site. This one is a big negative for me.
What’s essential is to have thin liquid on the bottom to avoid burn error. Counter-intuitive to the way we stove-top cook. So muchn depends on how liquidy the salsa is. And if you add more liquid? Gotta make sure the rice isn’t stirred……or dump it into a pan and stove top it.
What setting should be used? The meat/stew?
Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 10 minutes. Hope that helps, Lisa!
If I want to double or triple the recipe, would I need to increase the time?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
So delicious and easy – my favorite Instant Pot recipe so far!
I did not stir my rice. I followed the recipe exactly- all the exact amounts. I made sure the rice was on top. I got the burn message after a few minutes. I opened it and added 1/2 cup broth on top of the rice and started again. I got the burn message again. I just ignored it because I did not know what to do, lol. After the 20 minutes and venting. I opened the pot and the rice was not done, some parts looked like they were not even wet. I put in another cup of liquid and stirred it and cooked for 3 more minutes (I got another burn message). When I opened it, it seemed OK. It tasted very good. It is burned on the bottom of my pot as well.
Made this today and loved it! After reading some of the comments about the rice being dry I made a two changes. I put 1/2 cup water in the bottom with the other ingredients. Then I put the salsa on top of my rice. It came out perfect and damn delicious. 😉
I made this one this weekend. My husband, who is super picky, loved it! Super easy to make and delicious!
Made this in 8-quart duo. Used brown rice and cooked for 24 minutes but otherwise as directed. Turned out great, everyone loved it.
My 2nd instant pot recipe and let me tell you…awesome! I carved 1/2 a chicken and used the breast and thigh. I didn’t have the beans so I made them from dry in the instant pot! I had all the other ingredients and followed the directions exactly and it came out great.
We topped ours with sour cream, green onions, cilantro and olives.
We’re two for two now!
Awesome!
I made this as my first attempt in the IP. Followed instructions exactly and it turned out perfectly. Next time I might put spicier green chile in it, but overall it was pretty tasty and the rice as perfectly cooked.
Awesome to hear!
Confession: I did almost everything wrong.
I was in a huge hurry and my printer wasn’t working, so I just wrote down the ingredients (noting that the rice goes on top) and cooking time. When I got to the kitchen I had only a couple of minutes to put this together, and I just dumped everything but the rice in. I didn’t have canned corn so I used a 16-oz bag of frozen corn without defrosting it. I didn’t have green chiles, so I omitted them. I didn’t have black beans, so I used pinto. I stirred it all together, carefully put the rice on top, and set it. It did take a while to come to pressure (I assume because of the frozen corn), but I didn’t have any burn notices and the rice was cooked perfectly. This was so tasty and quick, and gobbled up by everyone here. Thank you!
I made this tonight! Easy and a hit with my hubby! A great meal for game night. Thanks for the recipe
8qt. I sprinkled the rice very evenly to ensure it would all be equally steamed….turned put perfect! I used green salsa and substituted purple cabbage for corn. I think it’s the quickest meal I have ever made.
This recipe is delish. I’m trying to keep track of calories. Do you have any idea of the nutritional break down?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!