Instant Pot Burrito Bowls are a flavorful, all-in-one, easy Instant Pot recipe featuring perfectly cooked chicken, rice, and beans.
Looking for more all-in-one Instant Pot dinners? Check out Instant Pot Chicken Chili and Instant Pot Mongolian Beef with Rice.
I have long ago given up my need to order Chipolte's Cilantro Lime Rice when I perfected Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice. And now I can say goodbye to the need to order their burrito bowls and make my own, using the Instant Pot.
This all-in-one meal recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls is made with tender chicken, perfectly cooked, rice, and taco seasoning. The flavor is spot on, yet this recipe uses simple ingredients to create an inexpensive and delicious knock-off of your favorite Tex-Mex take-out.
So the next time you are looking for an easy meal that everyone will love, look no further than this easy Instant Pot Burrito Bowl. It is a 30-minute meal that is not only delicious, but adaptable, allergy-friendly, and picky-eater approved!
Notes On Ingredients
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs that have been cubed into 1-inch pieces.
- White Rice: It is CRUCIAL to use long-grain white rice for the timing of this recipe to work! Brown rice takes much longer to cook, which would result in overcooked chicken.
- Jalapeno: Be sure to remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno and mince finely to control the heat. This small amount adds a great layer of flavor without being too spicy. But by all means, omit the jalapeno if you are sensitive to heat.
- Beans: Use black beans, red beans, or pinto beans--whatever you like!
- Diced Tomatoes: For this burrito bowl recipe, use diced tomatoes with green chiles, AKA Rotel Tomatoes. Be sure to use tomatoes labeled mild in heat to control the spice level.
- Seasonings: To really add flavor, use a blend of dried spices that replicate the flavor of Taco Seasoning.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice really wakes up all the flavors in this burrito bowl. If you don't happen to have fresh lime juice on hand, just omit it.
- Cheese: Use shredded cheddar, or shredded Mexican cheese, or omit the cheese for a dairy-free burrito bowl.
How to Make Instant Pot Burrito Bowls
While this recipe is incredibly simple to make, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an instant pot or the functions of your instant pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes.
- Start by hitting saute on the instant pot and adding about ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot to heat.
- Let the oil heat while you prepare the chicken, by trimming off any fat and cubing it into 1-inch cubes, and season it with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Once the oil is heated, add in the cubed chicken, minced onion, and jalapeno, if using.
- Let the onions, jalapeno, and chicken saute until the chicken is just browned. Once the chicken is golden, hit cancel on the instant pot to turn off the saute function.
- Pour in a small amount of the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. This will prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Add the remaining chicken stock and dried spices to the inner pot and stir to combine.
- Add in beans and RINSED white rice. Don’t forget to rinse your rice--it will help keep the rice from becoming sticking together.
- Use a spoon or spatula to gently submerge the rice into the liquid. This will ensure even cooking.
- Top the rice mixture with the diced tomatoes. BUT DO NOT STIR.
- Place the lid on the instant pot, be sure the vent knob is sealed, and then set it to cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 3 minutes, using the pressure cook or manual button.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, DO NOT DO A QUICK-RELEASE OF PRESSURE! That will result in hot starchy liquid spewing all over your kitchen and gummy rice. Wait at least 10 minutes before releasing the pressure and opening up the instant pot.
- Add in the juice of fresh lime, and then use a fork, not a spoon, to gently fluff the rice and mix together all the ingredients. A fork will help prevent the rice from getting broken down and turning mushy.
- Now for the really good part! Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the rice. Place the lid back on the inner pot and just let it sit for 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Burrito Bowls are an all-in-one meal that can be dished out and served without the need for any other adornment.
However, the flavor of these burrito bowls is enhanced when served with diced avocado, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, or even a scoop of homemade guacamole. I also love to serve up the rice and chicken mixture in homemade flour tortillas for a grab-and-go burrito.
The bottom line, this recipe is easy and delicious any way you serve it.
Storage Instructions
Leftover Instant Pot Burrito Bowls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The mixture can also be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Reheat with a splash of water or chicken stock to keep the rice from drying out when reheated.
Recipe Modifications
- Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free burrito bowl, simply omit the shredded cheese.
- Vegetarian: Omit the chicken, use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock, and increase the beans from 2 cups to 4 cups.
- Vegan-Friendly: To make these burrito bowls vegan-friendly, omit the chicken and cheese, use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock, and increase the beans from 2 cups to 4 cups.
- Beef Burrito Bowls: If desired, replace the chicken with ground beef. Brown up the beef using the saute function, along with the onion and jalapeno. Saute until the beef is fully browned. Drain excess grease, and then proceed with the recipe as written, starting by deglazing the inner pot with chicken stock. I still recommend using chicken broth over beef broth when making burrito bowls.
- Low-Sodium: If you are watching your sodium, omit the salt, use salt-free chicken stock, and salt-free diced tomatoes.
More One-Pot Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Sausage with Potatoes and Green Beans
- Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
If you tried these Chicken Burrito Bowls for the Instant Pot, I would love for you to leave a rating and comment below.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 small onion chopped
- ½ jalapeno deseeded and minced finely, optional
- 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups long-grain white rice rinsed
- 1 (10 oz ) can diced tomatoes with green chiles mild
- 1 (15 oz) can of black or pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese shredded
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and add in the oil. Heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Add the seasoned chicken to the instant pot, along with the onions and jalapeno, and saute until the chicken is browned.
- Once the chicken is browned, turn the Instant Pot off. Add in 1 cup of the stock and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot to prevent burn notice.
- Add in the remaining stock, beans, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon of paper. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
- Add the rinsed rice to the inner pot and gently push down the rice into the liquid until just submerged.
- Top with the diced tomatoes--do NOT stir.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Once the cooking time elapses, let the pressure release naturally, for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Open the lid, add the juice of the lime and use a fork to fluff the rice and incorporate the ingredients.
- Sprinkle with cheese, place the lid back on the Instant Pot and let rest for 2-3 minutes in order for the cheese to melt.
- Garnish as desired, with fresh tomatoes, diced avocado, lettuce, and sour cream.
Lori
Has anyone tried this using canned chicken?
Renee
What is the serving size for the nutrients listed? I count macros
Kristen Chidsey
The serving size is approximately 1.25 cup of the prepared burrito bowl.
Beth
What if you used whole chicken breast instead of cut up chicken and use brown rice? Then shred the chicken when you're done.
What's your thoughts?
Thank you
Beth
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Beth! The chicken still takes less than 22 minutes to cook (timing for brown rice) BUT if you use frozen chicken breasts, it should work out okay.
Vickie
It's there a way to make this without rice? I cannot eat rice.
Kristen Chidsey
I would suggest using my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tacos and adding in beans if desired. You can top that with cheese, etc and serve however you like.
Michele
This sounds great. Since I am trying to cut down on some carbs and the beans are carbs, by how much should I reduce the liquid if I omit the rice completely? Looking forward to trying this - thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Michele! If you want to make this without rice, I would suggest omitting the 2 cups of chicken stock and rice. Saute the chicken as directed and keep the cooking time to 3 minutes on high pressure. However, you may enjoy my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat instead, as it is already low-carb.
Kaycee
THANK YOU! What a wonderful and tasty recipe! Spices were just right and those that want more of a kick have options to crank up the heat.
NOTES: I doubled this recipe in a 6 qt. Instant Pot but would NOT recommend doing that. Opened the lid to find everything cooked up to the top with no room to stir ingredients. Had to dump the contents into the largest bowl I could find to do that.
Kristen, because I was cooking down 2 lbs. of chicken to get to the browning stage, it took over 30 minutes, and the onion and jalapeno were cooked into nothingness. Next time, if I were to remove the juices as the chicken cooked down, would that be OK to speed up the process?
This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I will have enough to feed an army even after I take 1/2 of it for an upcoming campout.
Nellie Tracy
Great burrito bowl recipe! It has been added it to my weeknight dinner rotation
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing it has earned a spot on your weeknight menu Nellie 🙂
Sherry
Approximately how long can this be in the instapot after sealing (cook time plus release)? Wondering if I could put it on before the school run, or if I'd be better off making it early and reheating it at dinner.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sherry! I would plan for about 30ish minutes. 10 minutes to come to pressure, 3 minutes to cook, and 15 minutes of pressure release. Your instant pot will default to the keep warm function so you can leave it longer, but I wouldn't let the rice set on keep warm longer than 30 minutes before it became a bit mushy.
Sam
I love finding new recipes for my instant pot. This was so good!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing that you enjoyed Sam! I hope you find more recipes for your Instant Pot to enjoy here.
Eric
Got a burn notice first time out. I had more then enough liquid and the bottom was clean before I put the lid on. I will
Give it another try at some point but not a good start.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Eric! I am so sorry that happened. Be sure NOT to stir the salsa into the rice. That would be the likely issue that causes a burn notice.
Pat Galvin
I was skeptical as we cook a lot of spicy mexican food and these one pot dishes aren't so authentic. However, we're remodeling our kitchen, so the Instant Pot allows me to actually cook and not eat restaurant food. This "burrito bowl" was wonderful. Didn't have a jalapeno but did use some red pepper flakes and used "Original Rotelle" rather than mild. The heat level was just fine and we could even go hotter next time. I didn't read the recipe carefully and I mixed up all the ingredients including the diced tomatoes before cooking. Was just fine!
Everybody loved this and scarfed it up! Will definitely make again. So easy. Don't forget the lime! It adds a lot.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed, especially knowing how picky you are when it comes to Mexican food. I also love hearing you didn't have issues with mixing in the tomatoes. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Pat! I appreciate it!
Margie
Do you have some Paleo recipes in your system? I have to convert most of the recipes.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Margie. You can find any my paleo recipes here.
Sara
This looks and sounds yummy and super easy! Do you drain the rotel tomatoes or add the full can with liquid? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sara! No need to drain the tomatoes. I hope you enjoy.
Sara
It was fantastic!! Super easy & so delicious! Thank you!!
Kristen Chidsey
So happy to hear you enjoyed Sara! Thanks for sharing!