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.
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 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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Do you 1st cook the chicken, or does it go in the instapot raw?
There is no need to cook the chicken beforehand. The chicken is cooked in the Instant Pot.
Made this exactly as directed. My instant pot did not come to pressure and my rice was uncooked. Had to add more chicken broth and salsa and cooked for another 10 minutes but all of the rice was still not fully cooked and the bottom of the pan was burning. Really disappointed. Ratios for liquid need to be adjusted for this recipe.
I honestly went out and bought an Instant Pot because sites and recipes like yours sold me.
THIS (20 Minute Burrito Bowls) was the first thing I tried.
After searching for a half hour, I finally found a site that told me that new models do not have “Manual Setting” anywhere, and I had to just use the [Pressure Cooker] button.
I followed the recipe exactly, using a scale and all measuring cups to measure everything out… and I was sure to not mix in the rice. Even with that.. the [bUrN] icon can up every two minutes.
After opening it and pouring the ingredients into another bowl and scrubbing the pot, I added more Chicken Broth (as suggested from other posts noting the [bUrN] icon), but OT STILL BURNED (this time with the rice touching the bottom some.. inevitably)
**added note: I did not mix in the rice on the first try. The chicken and the taco seasonings/broth burned at the bottom
Following this recipe cost me $30 in ingredients.
Hi Jeremy. That’s such a bummer to hear! As mentioned in the previous comments, this has been thoroughly tested in a 6qt Instant Pot Duo60 model without any burn indications so I cannot speak for why you would receive a burn message, especially if the recipe was followed. What model and size Instant Pot did you use?
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I just purchased my first instant pot and had a hard time just figuring out how to open and close it. I figured I would make plain rice so I had an idea of what I was doing before jumping into a full blown recipe. I googled a basic rice recipe and it was a disaster. It stuck and burnt to the bottom of pot and what didn’t burn wasn’t cooked through. I was thinking I wasn’t going to be an instant pot kind of person but figured I would give this recipe a shot. I am thrilled that I did as it couldn’t have been easier or come out better. The chicken and rice were both cooked to perfection and the taste was OMG! I will definitely be trying your other recipes but I know that this one is a keeper for sure. It still seems like it’s too easy to taste this good! Thank you for helping me through my intro to Instant Pot cooking. After disastrous results, you made me into a success story!
Aw we are so happy this turned out so great for you! Thanks for sharing, Renee!
Tried this tonight for my first Instant Pot meal. I was a bit apprehensive after reading some of the comments but it came out perfectly and had no burning or uncooked bits. Had loads of flavour. I added a chipotle for extra heat and served it with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Felt like a decadent treat.
Love that – sounds amazing!
How do I modify for a mini 3qt instant pot?
When using a 3qt or “mini” Instant Pot, the general rule of thumb is to divide the recipe in half with the same cook time. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I figured it out! I was using the wrong type of rice— I used jasmine first and got a burn notice. I used long grain white and it worked perfectly!
Every time I try this recipe, I get a burn notice. How are you avoiding burn notice?
It’s hard to say, Jenny – I have made this a dozen times without ever receiving a burn notification! Are you following the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions or modifications? Are you stirring in the rice?
Just made this and my family is raving. A few changes/hacks…
I left out the corn as my family isn’t a fan of corn in our burritos. I mixed the seasoning with the broth to help it dissolve. In regards to under cooked rice, I rinsed it then carefully used a rubber spatula to just spread it out a little. When when I added the last of the broth mixture, I poured it over a mixing spoon so it wouldn’t disrupt or “push” he rice down below the mixture.
For toppings I used sour cream, avocado, cilantro, more cheese, jalapeno slices, tortilla strips & fresh lime juice.
Thanks for sharing Sandi!
I never leave comments on blog recipes, but I just had to for this one! I was nervous making this because 1) I’m scared of my new InstaPot , and 2) all of the comments about burned or uncooked food. However, my husband loves Mexican food, and I’m trying to start using the IP, so I gave it a try last night. Boy, am I glad! One of my new favorites! Everything cooked absolutely perfectly (I followed the recipe except I mixed the seasoning in well with the 1/4 cup of broth before pouring it in). My husband loved it, which I expected, but even the kids loved it! Our 10-month-old chowed down and cleared his high chair tray, our picky oldest admitted it was “pretty good” (high praise for him!), but our middle refused to eat anything but the chicken. With a bit of urging, he finally took a bite, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “Why didn’t I just taste this?!?” So thank you, Damn Delicious, for not only giving us a new favorite recipe but for also teaching our 4-year-old a valuable life lesson about making snap judgments
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for sharing with us!
What a fantastic recipe! Easy to make, and so good!
I have a newer instant pot (the duo 60) and got the dreaded “burn” message when the cooker was reaching pressure. Adding an extra 1/3c of broth solved the problem for me, and everything came out great– the extra liquid all absorbed perfectly.
Thank you for your feedback!
I tried to make this recipe- followed directions to a T and unfortunately my instapot kept saying burn. Valve was in place, everything appeared to be correct. Added more water, in an attempt to save save dinner and still no luck so we ended up ordering dinner. :/ Quite bummed…. But your instant pot mushroom risotto was a huge hit.
Continuously went into burn mode, eventually gave up and tossed ingredients, waste of time and money. Followed directions precisely.
How would you double this recipe? Do you change all ingredients including the liquids and the time to twice as much?
Perfect! Even though i messed up on the steps of adding ingredients (mixed salsa with chicken broth and added as final step). It was amazing!
Cut recipie in half if only two people, or you will have to eat this yummy food for 2+days. Of course we didn’t mind the leftovers 🙂
Glad you are enjoying the leftovers!
I followed the directions exactly and it was perfect! No burning at all. Thanks for an easy and delicious recipe!
Great!
This recipe is the first one I made in my new instant pot and it turned out nearly perfect and SO delicious. I followed the recipe as written, and aside from a little that stuck to the bottom, it was fantastic (and fantastically simple to throw together). Next time I’ll maybe try adding another 1/8 C of broth to help with the sticking.
Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m so glad! 🙂
I took a chance and tried this, hoping I wouldn’t be in the “burn” crowd, but no such luck. I was absolutely meticulous about not getting any rice stirred in, and still the burn message kept coming up and everything was stuck to the bottom of the pot. 1/4 cup of broth in the bottom layer of the mixture is absolutely NOT enough.
I am sorry to hear that! Yes, you are absolutely right. 1/4 cup broth is certainly not enough. However, an additional 3/4 cup broth is added with the rice (so total 1 cup of broth is used in this recipe, which is more than sufficient). Did you add that in? If so, there should not have been any kind of burning.
Hi! I am so excited to try this recipe – it looks amazing! I am just wondering, as I have never used an Instant Pot (it gets delivered tomorrow!!! SQUEE!!!) how much I should adjust the time if I am cooking from frozen?
Thanks! (and wish me luck, ahaha)
So I tried this recipe, followed it to the letter, added an extra bit of broth too and the rice never cooked. Now I’m sitting here with no dinner, wasted a bunch of money on all the ingredients and questioning if I should even bother with the rest of your recipes
Jim, I am sorry you are having so much difficulty but when making alterations to a recipe, such as adding additional broth, the results may change. I have tested this recipe dozens of time with a team, and the rice is cooked perfectly each time! Are you using white long-grain rice?
So my IP is burnt beyond use anymore, and I’ll never make one of your recipes again. I followed it exactly and clearly there are 2 major flaws: not enough broth and not enough cooking time. Time to order a new pot for my IP as it’s ruoned.
Jim, that’s such a bummer to hear about the Instant Pot. Have you watched the instructional tutorial video for this recipe? You will see that I have made the recipe as written with outstanding results – no burning messages and fully cooked rice!
Hi! I just made this and it smells and tastes great but the rice wasn’t fully cooked. I ended up adding a bit more chicken broth and did an additional 3 minutes in manual mode, but ended up burning a little bit to the bottom of the pot. Rice definitely ended up being more “al dente”. Is there anything else you could recommend doing differently? The recipe said not to stir in the rice but wondering if stirring it into the mixture would have helped? Thank you!
Hi Shruti! What kind of rice did you use? If the rice is mixed in, it will burn and the Instant Pot will not work.