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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I made this in my 5 qt crockpot. I let it cook on low for 8 hours. I topped w/ plain yogurt (instead of sour cream) and tortilla chips. Also served over cauliflower rice ( I know regular rice would taste better but the cauliflower rice saves lots of calories) With all the other flavors I didn’t miss the reg rice TOO much.
I’m giving this a five star because of the flavor, this is really good stuff. However, if I’d read all the comments before cooking, I probably would not have tried it as I’m an IP newbie. I followed the recipe exactly, except for not reading closely enough and adding cilantro (only 1TB) before cooking. Like many others, I got the burn notice before the IP started its cooking cycle. As a newbie, I really didn’t know what to do and had to pull out the manual to see what it meant. I released the pressure and raked back the mixture to find a bright shinny bottom in the IP. The mixture looked a little dry so I poured in some more chicken broth, maybe 1/2 cup at the most and stirred it in. After starting up again, I got another burn notice. This time I let it sit there trying to think of what I wanted to do. Since the rice looked pretty good the first time around, I decided I’d release the pressure,and remove the chicken to the microwave to finish off. If the rice wasn’t done, I’d let it simmer in the IP for a while. This time, there was black on the bottom of the pot but both the chicken and the rice were done. I assume the mixture had stayed pressurized and hot enough during the two failed attempts that they had finished cooking. The mixture was thick but I stirred in the cheese and we chowed down. This recipe is what we refer to as a “keeper” when trying something new. The next time I make it, I will maybe add two cups of chicken broth and see what happens. The taste is good enough that it certainly deserves a second try.
I’m another who read the recipes as it was cooking and got super nervous, but this turned out great! I used a 6qt Duo and made the recipe exactly as written. In case it’s helpful, I used the Pace Picante salsa. I also sprinkled the rice evenly over the top rather than dumping it in and drizzled the broth evenly over the top so all the rice was moist.
Excellent- but I think my rice could have used 5 more minutes!
Made this and read reviews whilst cooking and began to imagine what I wanted on my pizza! BUT… it turned out perfect, and admittedly, I tweaked recipe before reading comments. Increased chicken (1.5 lbs) and beans (19oz) because those were portions I had on hand, and omitted chilies. To compensate for extra chicken I increased stock and salsa to 1&1/3 cup each. Finally, cut the uncle bens converted white rice with uncle bens Spanish rice for extra zip sans chilies and spread evenly OVER the ingredients (no rinsing, no pressing, nothing). Opened after 10 minutes manual and found perfectly cooked rice on top. Cut cheese back a bit and let family add after the fact. Topped with sour cream and only thing missing was extra salsa (ran out) and avocado (had none). Even fussy teen ate two bowls! Thanks for recipe
Will definitely make this again!
I made this last weekend as a double recipe with triple the chicken for more protein. (I kept the cheese at a cup just to be more macro-friendly for me). I scanned through the reviews and saw that people who wet the rice had no problem, so I poured the chicken broth over the rice at the very end, adjusted the time a little for the extra chicken and it came out absolutely delicious! It fed two of us for 4 lunches and multiple dinners each all week the way I made it. I will probably make this every single weekend, thanks!
I have a 3 qt so I followed the instructions to half all the ingredients but use the same cook time. SOOOO FREAKING GOOD!!! This will definitely be on a weekly rotation in my house! My husband and I LOVE it!!
This recipe was great, but I cooked the rice for 15 minutes instead of 10.
First time I made this, I followed your instructions exactly. The rice did not cook enough. So just now I tried again and stirred in the rice. This time, I got a burn message. So I looked it up, and apparently, there should be at least 2 cups liquid and when you add rice at the top, you must push it down so it is submerged in liquid. Disappointed the instructions weren’t better. I have I have made many of your other recipes and really like them.
I cooked this tonight in my 8qt Duo. I did double it, added green pepper and layered the rice on top. I did get the burn notice as soon as it came to pressure. I suspect after reading all of the reviews it might be due to the taco seasoning and perhaps the starch. I opened it to check on it and by stirring, of course, distributed the rice. I did not feel anything at the bottom so I added more liquid and tried again, knowing it would likely burn from stirring the rice. Right at pressure it said burn again. I turned it off and let it sit under pressure and tried one last time after about five minutes. It happened again, I let it sit under pressure again and after awhile released pressure and thankfully the rice was cooked as was the chicken.
Next time, I will try adding my own spices rather than using a packet, and dissolving them in broth before adding it.
My family enjoyed it regardless and it was quite tasty. And nothing actually visibly burned in my pot.
My last comment….
After cleaning up and putting the remains into a storage container, I did find taco seasoning stuck to the bottom of the pot, but didn’t feel this when I stirred it. I will definitely be making sure whatever seasoning I use is dissolved in water or placed elsewhere in the pot so it won’t stick to the bottom. I have read that starches can burn so perhaps it was related to whatever thickening agent was in the seasoning.
Wonderful recipe. I omitted the green chilis as i did not have any but added a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis. No problem with the rice. I also served with a dollop of light sour cream in addition to the cheese. I used my 8 quart instant pot and everything came out great. Thanks. Kristen
Love this recipe! Added sautéed onions and green peppers with great results!
That’s awesome!
Like some others, I made this and the center was dry. I mixed it together and put the instant pot on rice cooker for 12 minutes and the rice was mostly cooked. It probably would’ve cooked all the way if it wasn’t 11 pm and if I had some patience to wait for it to cook further! It was still delicious. So delicious that I forgot to enter the rice into the nutrition info, got greedy and added sour cream, realized my mistake half way through, and refused to eat less. Next time I’ll probably reduce the rice since I’m trying to lose weight and those calories get in the way of me and chicken. Still, awesome and Ï loved it. Also forgot the cilantro. Still would eat again! Even with slightly crunchy rice.
I think the error was I made salsa at home and it was chunky (pineapple, jalapenos, onions) with barely any liquid. I suspect Chung-Ah used a more liquid-y salsa so adding extra liquid would’ve probably avoided the problem.
Also, more instant pot recipes, please! My cousin bought me one and your risotto and this have been amazing! You’ve converted me!
Third time using my instant pot, and this recipe turned out great! I decided to leave the rice out and cook it separately because I’ve been having issues cooking rice along with my chicken. My chicken was SO tender, although I had a little bit too much moisture in my pot at the end (I added a little extra and left the rice out). Cutting the chicken up made it cook really well, and the beans and corn were delicious! Will be eating this all week.
I have made this twice and both times the rice didn’t cook
When I made a similar recipe the rice got mushy and the chicken shredded. I would love a recipe where that doesn’t happen
I followed the recipe to a T and kept getting burn message. Had to transfer to stove top and improvise which was a bummer.
I followed this recipe exactly with one exception, I used sushi rice because that’s what I had on hand. I cooked it 2 minutes longer because that’s how long I usually do the sushi rice for. It came out perfectly! It was a hit with the whole family. Gotta love a one pot dump dinner. Could not have been any easier. Will definitely make this again!
I was nervous about it because so many reviewers had trouble with the rice but I was short on time and decided to give it a go. So glad I did. I followed the recipe exactly, left out the chiles and cilantro because we are not fans of either. Everything cooked including the rice! The family loved it and everyone clamored for seconds. No leftovers! I have an 8 qt Instant Pot.
The first time I made this recipe, I had some burn on the bottom (I honestly think it was the spices that settled) but the food itself was totally edible, you couldn’t taste a charred flavor. Second time I made this, I adjusted a bit..
I used 1/2 cup chicken broth on the bottom along with the spices and chicken, then continued with the directions as stated. The final step – I poured the *rinsed* white jasmine rice on top, drizzled 3/4 cup broth over it, then closed the lid to cook.
No burning, perfectly cooked and it wasn’t watery. Have made this multiple times since because it’s SUPER easy and my boyfriend tells me this is one of his favorite meals – quick dinner is your fave? don’t have to tell me twice! Thank you!!