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Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls are one of my favorite one-pot meals that can be made in about 30 minutes.
My Instant Pot Burrito Bowl recipe combines simple ingredients like boneless skinless chicken breasts and white rice with Mexican spices for a one-pot dinner even picky eaters will gobble up.
The whole family enjoys burrito bowl night because they get to choose their own toppings. That’s one of the many reasons why it makes the perfect weeknight meal or Taco Tuesday dinner.
One of the best things is you can make a complete meal in one pot, so cleanup is easy too. Next time you need a quick meal for dinner time, give this easy recipe a try.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup of diced onion
- 2 pounds cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups of canned black beans
- 1 ½ cups of frozen corn kernels
- 1 ½ cups of Mexican salsa
- 2 cups of jasmine rice
- 1 ½ cups of grated cheddar cheese
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing spoon
- Instant Pot
By the Numbers: How to Make Chicken Burrito Bowls
Follow these simple steps to learn how to make the best shredded chicken burrito bowls in your Instant Pot.
Step 1: Saute Onion
Press the Saute mode button on your Instant Pot. Once warm, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and warm it up. Add ½ cup of diced onion and saute until it becomes translucent.
Step 2: Season Chicken Breast Cubes
Add 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast cubes, then sprinkle the taco seasoning and sea salt over the top of the chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated with seasoning.
Step 3: Stir In Stock, Beans, Corn and Salsa
Add 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 ½ cups of canned black beans, 1 ½ cups of corn kernels and 1 ½ cups of salsa to the seasoned chicken mixture. Deglaze the pot to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of it or you could get the dreaded burn notice.
Step 4: Sprinkle Rice Over Chicken Mixture
Next, sprinkle 2 cups of jasmine rice over the top of the mixture, using a mixing spoon to press it down under the liquid. It’s important not to stir the rice in… just press it down.
Step 5: Pressure Cook
Cook the mixture on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once the cook time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Open the lid.
Step 6: Stir in Cheese
Gently stir in 1 ½ cups of grated cheddar cheese, being careful not to break down the rice with your spoon.
Step 7: Top and Serve You Chicken Burrito Bowls
Serve in bowls with the toppings of your choice, if desired, for a full meal.
Tips for Making Instant Pot Burrito Bowls
Answers to all of your questions about making the recipe my family likes more than Chipotle burrito bowls, including tips and substitutions.
Use a different type of meat
If you don’t have boneless skinless chicken breasts, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs, beef, pork, ground meat or any meat of your choosing. Just chop it into bite sized pieces. For ground meat, brown it first.
I don’t recommend using frozen chicken breasts unless it’s cut into small chunks. Since everything is made in one pot, you need to make sure the chicken can cook in the same amount of time as the rice. Frozen will take a couple of extra minutes to come to pressure, so the rice will be cooked longer if you don’t use defrosted chicken.
If you want veggie burrito bowls, just skip the chicken and use vegetable broth or cold water instead of chicken stock. You can add some green chiles or sauteed red bell peppers for extra flavor. Yellow and green peppers work great too.
Can a different type of rice be used?
I use jasmine rice in this recipe because I like the texture, but regular long-grain white rice should work the same. Basmati rice has a different liquid ratio than jasmine, so it will be drier unless you add more liquid.
Using brown rice in this recipe isn’t recommended as the cooking time is much longer for brown rice than white rice. If you were to cook chicken for that long, it would be overcooked.
Can pinto beans be substituted?
Yes, any type of canned or pre-cooked beans will work in this Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls recipe. My favorites are black beans and pinto beans.
I’ll often use beans cooked in my Instant Pot in place of canned beans. If you want to try that, here are my Instant Pot Bean Recipes:
Best chicken stock to use
I usually use homemade chicken stock, but you can use store-bought too.
How to serve burrito bowls
You can go super simple or as fancy as you want to create your own delicious burrito bowl at home. We just scoop it right out of the Instant Pot and into glass bowls.
Then we add our favorite toppings. If you need some ideas, we like:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Guacamole or avocado slices
- Mexican salsa, pico de gallo, salsa verde or Cholula Hot Sauce
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese or queso de fresco
- Fresh cilantro and/or sliced green onions
- Black olives
Alternatively, you can use tortilla chips for dipping or wrap it up in a homemade tortilla for easy chicken burritos or tacos. It’s a super versatile recipe.
Storage tips
You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
If you’re looking for more ways to cook chicken breasts in your Instant Pot, try these popular recipes. There are enough for a week’s worth of pressure cooker recipes:
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Seasoned Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
How to make meal prep easier
One of my best tips for easy meal prep is to plan out your meals. If you need help getting organized and sticking to a plan, check out my Meal Planner.
I also like ordering groceries online because I’m not as tempted to make impulse purchases. I most often order from Misfits Market, but there are tons of places to order produce and buy high quality meat online.
Free Instant Pot Quick Start Guide
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and want to get to know it better so you can cook with confidence, sign up for my free Instant Pot Quick Start Guide. Just enter your first name and email address and it’ll be delivered to your inbox. It’s easy to unsubscribe anytime.
Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup onion - diced
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups canned black beans - rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels - or one can of corn, drained
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 2 cups jasmine rice - rinsed well of excess starch
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese - grated
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing spoon
- Instant Pot
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot onto Saute mode, then add oil to warm. Saute diced onion until it’s translucent.
- Add the chicken cubes, then sprinkle the taco seasoning and sea salt over the top of the chicken and stir to combine.
- Stir in the chicken broth, canned black beans, corn kernels and salsa. Be sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot or you could get a burn message.
- Sprinkle the rice over the ingredients in the pot, pressing it down under the liquid without stirring.
- Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Open the lid.
- Carefully stir in the grated cheese.
- Serve in bowls with toppings of your choice, if desired.