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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Could I make this with frozen chicken breasts? If so, how? Always forget to thaw first :/
Thanks!
It is best to thaw the chicken prior to using. 🙂
Made this recipe for the family for lunch today and it turned out just fine. I used closer to 1 1/4 C chicken broth (rather than the 3/4 C in the recipe) just because I know how my pot particular pot cooks. In the end I probably could have gotten away with one cup.
For folks having trouble with burn notifications, I wonder how accurately the rice is being measured – a flat measured cup of rice vs a full rounded cup would make a difference in a recipe will relatively small amounts of liquid, particularly with space being taken up by other ingredients and interfering with the rice being able to make contact with and absorb adequate amounts of liquid. That could easily result in a burn notice. That’s why you wouldn’t stir the mixture once the rice is added. It needs to remain in contact with as much of the liquid as possible.
One other possible issue may the size of the cut up chicken. The chunks need to be of sufficient size and amount so the rice sits on top of the chicken, more or less, and not fall through the spaces to the bottom of the pot where it wouldn’t have adequate liquid to cook properly. That scenario could also product a burn notice.
In the end, the recipe does work as written. And as with everything else I’ve made from this site, is very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Unfortunately, I got the burn message… that always disapoints me when I get that message.
Hello, what model of instant pot is good for making this recipes ? Duo 7 in 1 6 qt. or 6 in 1 6 qt the old model ?
And most of your recipes are using which model of instant pot please ?
I use the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt.
What adjustments should be made, if using an 8 qt. Instant Pot?
The timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure.
Hello I was wondering if I should go by the video or the recipe as written. The recipe states to add 1/4 cup of the broth with the chicken and 3/4 at the end with the rice. The video shows the full 1 cup of being added in the beginning with the chicken.
Either option should work just fine! 🙂
I tried this recipe for my bible study group. I even double the recipe. Turned out lovely and delicious. I will be using it again. I love the video of it. It helped me to figure out what I needed to do to get it perfect. I have many of your recipes and I have never been disappointed. It makes me seem as if I am a good cook. Thanks
Great!
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?