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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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!
https://charlieskitchenstories.wordpress.com
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!
What is an Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is a brand of electronically controlled, combined pressure cooker and slow cooker. You can read more about it here: https://instantpot.com/.
can i use a slow cooker since i don’t have an ip pot?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Is there a way to make this in a crockpot?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
we just got an instant pot, so I’m totally adding this to the list of things to try soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
If you didn’t want to use pre packaged taco seasoning what would you substitute it with?
You can try substituting homemade taco seasoning. Here’s a great recipe that I use:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/.
Can I make this in the crock pot if I don’t have an instant pot? It looks delicious!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Beth you can, but the process is a bit different
Add the rice 2.5 hours before done and with it add another cup of boiling broth .easiest way to do this is use bullion cube and boiling water from tea kettle .you can also heat broth in microwave .
Cook on low for 6-8 hours
Hi Chungah,
I wanted to tell you I love your recipes. They taste great and are easy to make. Thank you for sharing. Is there a place where I can find the nutrition info on each recipe? I noticed some recipes have them and some don’t. I count calories so that information is helpful.
Thanks so much!
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!
What if you don’t have a pressure cooker?
You can try this recipe instead!
https://damndelicious.net/2017/05/12/chicken-burrito-bowl-meal-prep/
Hi. This look great! CAn I use brown rice? will that change cooking time and/or liquid needed?
Yes, brown rice can be substituted but cooking time will need to be adjusted.
Do you happen to know what the time difference would be between long grain white rice and brown rice?
I personally have not tested this recipe with brown rice but a fellow reader here mentioned that he cooked for 24 minutes with great results! 🙂
Hello…I would like to make this recipe. Suggestions on cooking time if made in a crock pot?
Thank you…Lisa
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This looks deelish. Suggestions for those of us without an instant pot?
You can try this recipe instead!
https://damndelicious.net/2017/05/12/chicken-burrito-bowl-meal-prep/
How would you make this if you don’thave a InstantPot?
You can try this recipe instead!
https://damndelicious.net/2017/05/12/chicken-burrito-bowl-meal-prep/
My rice wasn’t done either. Can I use minute rice?
Yes that is the only rice that I find cooks soft.