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?
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So easy to make and turned out AMAZING!! Followed the recipe exactly as is, except I used chicken thighs. Def bookmarking to make again!
I nevet post reviews but i really like your site and i just made this tonight… Very very good! A keeper! Had most in my pantry…would fit with meat eaters or not…rice was perfect! Easy….quick..could be pretty cheap…and healthy. Topped with cheese and yogourt. Keep up the great work!
This does sound damn delicious! LOL
I really need to watch my carb intake, the black beans are enough.
Any thoughts on how this recipe could be accomplished using “riced cauliflower” in place of regular rice?
Thank you
I wonder if you could just add frozen riced cauliflower after everything else is cooked? Probably wouldn’t need all the liquid if not using regular rice
Hate cooking – love this recipe.
In the 8 qt I used 1.5 lbs chicken, 2 cups broth, 2 cups minute rice. Kept rice on the top but put the salsa on top of the rice. Turned out great!
First time I tried this recipe in the 8 qt I got the burn notice, probably should’ve known the 1 cup of broth wouldn’t be enough.
This is delicious and so easy! I added in half of a diced onion at the very beginning for flavor. I also rinsed the rice thoroughly to prevent it from getting sticky, and I waited to add the chicken broth as the very last step to ensure that all the rice got submerged. It turned out great. This will definitely become a staple recipe in my home.
I added this to my monthly food rotation and the family loves it. I did add 2 cups of chicken broth and I never get the burn notice!
Sadly got the burn notice even
Though I followed directions and other people’s comments and suggestions to add more fluid.
I give up on rice comboa in the instant pot as it has happened several times.
(I ended up putting on stove top to finish the rice. Good flavour otherwise)
This is a regular “lazy” meal at our house. Only difference we do is sub in frozen Mexican street corn for the corn. It really takes it to the next level!
This one has made it into our regular rotation. I make it about every 2 weeks. I don’t quite get the reason for not stirring in the rice. I stir in the rice and it turns out fantastic.
Made this using jasmine rice. I noticed some comments about getting the burn notice, so I upped the chicken broth to 2 cups. Sprayed my instant pot with cooking spray, then added chicken, the broth, black beans, corn, and seasoning. Gently stirred. Added rice on top without stirring. Added the salsa on top of the rice and patted down to cover. No burn notice and turned out perfect
We made this in between blackouts during the texas snow-pocalypse and it was delicious! I did sub a can of rotel for the salsa and chilies because that’s all I had on hand. Turned out perfect. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Loved this! Subbed long grain brown rice and like others, just cooked for 10 min and did a 10+ minute natural release. The rice was fully cooked and the chicken was tender. Only mod I made for myself was a sprinkle of smoked ghost chiles since my bf doesn’t like spicy food, haha. Will def make again!
A go to in my home now! I have shared this recipe with everyone.
Hello there. I love this recipe and have probably made it about 6 or 7 times now. I recommend stirring the rice in with ingredients. I also add a can of rotel with chiles and tomatoes and it seems to add a good taste to it. This is one of my favorite recipes. Also add about a 1/2 cup more water and it will turn out great! Hope this helps everyone.
Was very easy and good besides. The chicken was very dry. A little liquidity. But thanks
This is so damn good!
I always pour in the stock first (I usually add another half a cup), then put a silicone sling in the bottom of the Instant Pot. I layer the chicken and other ingredients on the sling, and pat/poke the rice into the salsa with the edge of a wooden spoon so it’s covered.
No Burn alert, and perfect every time.
Once cooked, I pull out the sling, give everything a good stir, re-cover and leave another 5 minutes.
I find it makes closer to 6 to 7 servings – great for work-from-home lunches and quick meals.
My chicken came out dry, and the rice didn’t fully cook on the top. ♀️ Flavors were good though. We scraped the rice off and still ate the good parts.
Tasted great, but do not put chicken onnthe bottom, I recieved the dreaded burn warning.
Recipe says “without stirring, put in rice” That is poorly worded….you have to stir in rice or rice doesn’t cook.
I have an 8 qt. Instant Pot so I increased the broth by 1/2 cup. Used 15 oz frozen corn that I had defrosted. All other ingredients remained the same. Came out perfectly. Family loved it. Will make again for sure.
Only the 2nd time using the Instant Pot
Are you supposed to precook the rice?? I did mine for 15 minutes and it’s still hard.