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.
Is it kind of wrong that I want a bowl of this chicken burrito bowl with the pad thai and fried rice and drunken noodles that I’ve been having here?
Because I’m not quite homesick just yet. But I still need a bowl of this right now. With an icy cold Corona. And a fresh lime wedge.
Okay, so maybe I’m getting just a tiny bit homesick. But only because this is my favorite burrito bowl ever. And it was the first Instant Pot recipe I ever tested that converted me to the IP cult in 0.497295 seconds.
So you know it has to be good.
The chicken comes out perfectly tender but the rice is the true hero – soaked with all the burito bowl flavors from the IP magic. Serve with fresh cilantro leaves, a lime wedge, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
Or if you’re anything like Ben, a whole bag of crushed tortilla chips.
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 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m new to instant pot cooking so followed this recipe exactly. My instant pot heated up and within one minute of cooking time I got a “burn” message. I checked the pot as per manual instructions and started again. Same thing happened. I ended up with a burnt pot bottom so removed the food, put it in a casserole dish and popped it in the oven. Can you give me any idea what might have gone wrong.
Marilyn, did you stir in the rice? It is very important for the rice to sit on top of the mixture. If the rice is stirred in and reaches the bottom of the pot, the rice will brown too quickly, which will signal a BURN message.
I actually stirred the rice and didn’t get the burn message. Who knows!
Omg I followed directions exactly and it keeps saying burn over and over again. This is so frustrating. I feel like all the food is wasted. Is there a way to finish cooking it in the oven?
I actually ended up finishing it up in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 min. Turned out great.
Angela, I am so sorry you are having such difficulty. What a bummer! Nothing should be burning if the rice is left on top of the mixture. May I ask what Instant Pot you used and what size?
Lots of the new versions of IPs actually burn things quite quickly. I really think that may be part of the problem here. I used to have one of the original models and it worked like a charm! It broke before the warranty was up and they replaced it with a newer version. The new version burns everything. Recipes that I made previously, burn for me in this one. I’ve learned that if I add 1/2 to 1 c. extra liquid it helps, but it’s still kind of an issue.
I think that you’re on to something here as I have seen the ‘followed everything exactly and still it burned’ comments on so many instant pot recipes now. One thing I want to encourage is for commenters who experience this to include the IP model number in their comment posts. (It’s right the at the top of the small label on the unit).
I have had this happen to many of the recipes I’ve tried and have taken to pot-in-pot when that’s doable. For the record, it’s a Duo, version 3.
Just made this in the Instant Pot. It was good. I had no problems with the rice being burnt or not done. Followed directions as written. Next time I will have avocado and black olives to garnish. Thanks for the delicious easy recipe.
I was very apprehensive to try this recipe (and others like it) due to the many comments of people receiving burn messages. However, I finally tried it and it worked out great! I added cayenne pepper and changed the green chilies to jarred jalapenos and used wild rice with long grain white rice, as that’s what I had on hand. I will make this again!
Thanks for sharing! We have cooked several of your recipes and they never disappoint!!
This recipe does not include enough liquid, completely scalded and burned the bottom of my instant pot. I would revise.
Leigh, the recipe calls for 1 cup chicken broth. It should be sufficient to avoid any type of burning.
These were so good! My picky 6 year old is begging me to make them again. He took the leftovers in a thermos to school the next day and was disappointed we didn’t have any later in the week! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I have an 8qt and my friends, who had the same trouble, have 6 qts.
I did get it to cook by opening it, adding more liquid and cooking another 5 minutes and it really was good. Will try it again and add more liquid. Just wondering if you knew why it happened for the 3 of us.
It’s hard to say! I tested this numerous times both in my 6-qt Instant Pot and another 6-qt pressure cooker of a different brand, and I did not have issues with either machines.
This was great! I made exactly as instructed and it was my first time using my new insta pot. It came out perfectly.
Would love to see more instapot recipes.
Two of my friends and I tried this recipe, all with the same result….the BURN indicator came on. We followed the recipe exactly. Very frustrating! Loved the idea but it didn’t work for any of us.
Oh no – I am so sorry to hear that. Did you stir in the rice at all? If the rice is stirred in and reaches the bottom of the pot in any way, it will certainly burn. To avoid any kind of burning, the rice should sit on top of the mixture.
Didn’t stir the rice. Put it in last along with the 3/4 cup of water just like the recipe said and didn’t stir. The problem seemed to be that 1/4 cup of liquid wasn’t enough to avoid the burning. On the plus side, I got it all to cook through and the family loved it but I’d like to avoid the BURN warning next time! LOL!
Gotcha! What size Instant Pot did you use?
Hello, Did the recipe change? The recipe here calls for 1 cup of broth to be added to the chicken and taco seasoning, not with the rice, and then stirred. Water is not mentioned anywhere, and the rice was to be added by itself, not with any liquid. I am confused.
I had the same problem in my 8 quart duo. I ended up putting the mixture in a Pyrex bowl on the trivet and cooked it pot-in-pot. That was the only way I could cook it without the “burn” coming on.
I make some form of burrito bowls once a week but usually have tons of dirty dishes. This was a great way to make them quickly and lots less clean-up. Everyone liked the recipe. My son ate his in a wrap. Thanks!
I followed this recipe exactly and did not mix it the rice but instead put it on top with the last of the chicken broth.
When I opened the instant-pot everything was cooked except the rice. It was still hard as rock sitting on top of the cooked chicken. I even added and extra 1/4 cup of chicken broth because I didn’t think there was enough liquid to cook the rice. Any idea where I went wrong?
I had to mix the rice in and put it back on for another 10 minutes.
Oh no – what kind of Instant Pot are you using? Was the valve set in place?
Yep valve was in place. I am using the Instant Pot Duo V2 – 6 quart.
We had the same issue – rice was hard on top 🙁
I have found that it helps to make sure the rice is wet. Although I don’t stir it, I press it down a little with the spoon so all the rice is contacting some liquid. I also always rinse my rice first. Hope that helps!
Same thing happened to me!!!
I never have success with cooking rice in the instant pot at the same time as everything else. I just cook mine separately and add it in before serving. Works great for me!
I’m planning on cooking my rice separately too! Do you use less liquid in the instant pot when there’s no rice? Thanks!
I was soooo tempted to stir the rice since I was worried about it not being cooked properly, but I figured the recipe was written the way it was for a reason so I left it alone. I’m bummed to hear about everyone else’s experience with it, since mine turned out perfectly. I feel like maybe there isn’t enough liquid in some of these cooking malfunctions, as I’d imagine the steam from everything cooking inside is what cooks the rice.
I made this today–my first ever Instant Pot meal! It was almost too easy to assemble and the results were delicious. The only change I made was to omit the green chiles in deference to my husband and father-in-law, both of whom have issues with anything remotely “spicy”. I just added a little chipotle to mine and all was good.
Do you think this recipe could be double as long as it doesn’t go above the max fill line in the instant pot? Thanks
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
So I thought I’d just throw this out there for anyone who might find this recipe down the road, after successfully making this recipe exactly as written dozens of times I tried doubling it for a crowd and it failed spectacularly in my 6 qt instant pot. Even though I doubled everything precisely, it kept burning on the bottom and wouldn’t come to pressure.
Mine did the same thing! So frustrating. I thought doubling would be no problem. I even added extra broth to be sure but after getting the burn message 3 times I gave up on the instapot. I put in a large skillet and simmered to finish the rice. I’ve had the instapot for a few months. I have followed many instapot specific recipes and I get the burn message almost every time! I’m about to throw it in the trash!!!
I sautéed my chicken in olive oil in the pot first. When it was done I just added the rest of the ingredients exactly and it was perfect.
I just made this in the IP. It’s delicious but I think I need more than 1/4 cup broth with the taco seasoning. Some of it stuck to the bottom (even though I stirred it in) and the valve never came up so steam was escaping. I waited the 10 minutes and did a quick release and although some of the rice was a little chewy, it was wonderful. Can I add more liquid in the first step–maybe 1/2 cup?
Yes, of course!
Hello, I don’t understand your review as the recipe calls for 1 cup of broth on top of the chicken and taco seasoning. Why would you only use 1/4 cup? Thanks.
Why the no stirring after adding rice? Should it sit on top of everything else? Keep the instant pot recipes coming!! We love ours!! Busy families should get one!!!
Yes, the rice should not be stirred in. If it is mixed, the rice can burn. Hope that helps!
My rice on the top was dry and hard… what do you think I did wrong? I had to throw it all out. 🙁
It’s hard to say as many factors can be at play here. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions? What kind of rice did you use? What size Instant Pot did you use?
Same thing happened to me and I had to throw the whole dinner out as well. I have a 6 quart Instapot and I followed the recipe to the T.
When you do the recipe, do you rinse your rice at all? Do you press it so it is touching the liquid after adding it to the pot? I had the same issue with a dry uncooked rice, I did mine in a 6qt instant pot.
I did not rinse nor press.
I’m so frustrated – I don’t think anyone has been able to make this recipe. I tried TWICE and both times it burned. I also followed your recipe exactly. Altho first time I did stir the rice and the second time I did not both resulted in burned rice on the bottom of my instant pot. I think you should try your recipes more than once before posting. This was such a disaster and so much food was wasted. Best of luck to you and anyone trying to make this fiasco.
Sara, this recipe has been made at least a dozen times by myself and my team as I only post recipes that have been professionally tested. I am sorry you had a terrible outcome but again, there are more than a dozen reviews with successful results here. If you also watch the instructional video, the recipe is made exactly as written, and it worked! 🙂
Please keep in mind that user error can be the culprit here. Even you admit that you did not follow the recipe exactly as written by stirring in the rice the first time. Also, let’s try and spread some kindness here.
I had the same issue. Perhaps it’s because I doubled the recipe. It fits in the pot, no problem, but only half my rice was cooked. Next time I will add more liquid.
I’m not sure why we’d get all frustrated an throw things out. It’s completely salvageable. I just haven’t decided on my method of salvage.
Same here. . Rice is piled on top and totally dry.
thanks for this recipe and the non insta pot recipe too, I’m always happy to skip the tortilla but love all of the flavors that go into it!
I’m a very beginner level instant pot-ista (I’m still honestly a little afraid of it) but I saw this recipe and was excited to give it a try! Unfortunately, I think I made a beginners mistake of adjusting the recipe incorrectly. I wanted to make this dish as meal prep for the week’s worth of lunch to take to work so I added an extra cup of rice to give it a little more body. To level it out I also added an extra cup of chicken broth hoping I was introducing enough liquid. While pressurizing And before it even got to full pressure to start the 10 minute time clock it indicated that the food was burning. I followed instructions online that said cancel, vent, add more liquid, try again. Again “food burning” this time much faster than the first. I think the rice got to the bottom after adding more liquid for the second try which actually did burn a little. I’m disappointed it didn’t work as planned. On the bright side the rice and chicken were cooked so the food was salvageable and still yummy! A long winded story to lead me to the question, where did I go wrong and what should I have done differently if I’d still like a higher rice ratio?
looks delicious as always. you always inspire me to cook away in my tiny kitchen! thank you for sharing!
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So I have an allergy to tomatoes – makes salsa difficult – I know a burrito bowl is not a burrito bowl without salsa but if we just call it a delicious chicken dish – do you have a suggestion for a replacement of the salsa – or failing that if I leave it out completely I assume I would need to add more liquid for the rice?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Might you try either a salsa verde (made with tomatillos) or a mango salsa in place of the usual tomato-based salsa? Tomatillos are in the nightshade family along with potatoes and tomatoes, but I’ve known people who are allergic to one and not the others. Just a thought.
I don’t see any nutrition info provided for this recipe….
Nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!