Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is a scrumptious homemade version of a Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. It’s a no-prep, pressure-cooked, Mexican bowl with chicken, rice, beans, corn, and customizable fresh toppings that's ready in 30 minutes!

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is the recipe that lets you throw dinner in a pot with no prep, press a button, and go do stuff. No joke! This ain’t no "freezer night food" either. It’s a nutritious Mexican burrito bowl that you can eat as-is, or customize with limitless fresh toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño, to name a few. Of course, you'll need to prep the toppings, but it's well-worth it!

Chicken burrito bowl recipe ingredients

• black beans (or pintos)
• corn
• salsa (or picante sauce)
• chicken broth
• taco seasoning
• black pepper
• basmati rice
• boneless, skinless chicken breast

Mexican burrito bowl toppings

Top your chicken bowl with any combination of these toppings...the sky really is the limit! Add ALL the produce to make yours a healthy burrito bowl with loads of nutrition.

• lettuce
• tomato
• cucumber
• carrots
• onions
• cilantro
• fresh lime
• salsa or pico de gallo
• Jalapeno or Serrano peppers (fresh or pickled)
• avocado
• Avocado Ranch Dressing
• cheese (I used Cotija for these photos)
• sour cream

How to make chicken burrito bowls in the Instant Pot

* see full recipe below

1. Place burrito filling ingredients in the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
2. Add the trivet and place chicken breast on top of it (sprinkled with taco seasoning).
3. Close, seal, and pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
4. While the filling cooks, prep burrito bowl toppings.
5. When cooker is complete, allow a 10-minute natural pressure release.
6. Remove chicken breast, confirm 165° internal temperature, and rest.
7. Shred the chicken breast and stir it back into the filling in the Instant Pot.
8. Serve the chicken bowl warm, customized with fresh ingredients.

Instant Pot burrito bowl recipe FAQ

Can I use boneless chicken thighs in place of chicken breast?

You certainly can! Just sub an equal amount of thighs for the breast. No need to adjust the time on the Instant Pot.

Can I cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces before I pressure cook it?

You can, but if you cut the chicken breast into pieces, you risk contaminating your workspace and dishes with raw chicken which = more work for you. Also (pro tip), I've found in my experimentation that chicken breast is less likely to overcook (and dry out) if it’s pressure-cooked whole and shredded afterward. Look how easy it is...and always juicy!

Do I need a trivet to cook the chicken breast?

I definitely recommend cooking whole chicken breast on a trivet for this recipe. It allows the ingredients to move freely under it and can help prevent them from burning to the bottom. If you don't have a trivet, you can dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and cook it with everything else. Just know it's not as optimal as cooking the chicken breast whole to prevent drying out. It's a balancing act.

Can I use brown rice for this burrito bowl recipe?

I don't recommend substituting brown rice for the white rice in this instant pot recipe. The main reason is because brown rice requires a longer cooking time and your chicken breast and corn might cook beyond recognition. I mean, unless you're into that 😂

If you require brown rice, you could omit the white rice from this recipe and simply add cooked brown rice to your burrito bowl afterwards. In fact, you can make my Cilantro Lime Rice with brown rice and add that to the bowl 🙌🏼

Can I make chicken burrito bowls in advance?

Yes! In fact, burrito bowls are perfect to meal prep into lunches or dinners. To make a chicken bowl in advance, pressure cook the filling ingredients and chop produce (except avocado).

When meal prepping for the week, I store burrito bowl ingredients separately. When prepping lunch for the next day, I put everything into an airtight meal prep container overnight as you see pictured here.

Recommended Tools

• instant pot
• trivet
• tongs
• meat thermometer
• chef knife and cutting board

More Instant Pot Recipes

• Taco Pasta for Instant Pot or Stove
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa
• Lasagna Soup for Instant Pot or Stove
• Instant Pot Tuna Casserole
• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo

Delicious and Easy Mexican Dinner Recipes

• Rotisserie Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
• Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is the scrumptious homemade version of a Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. It’s a no-prep, pressure-cooked, Mexican bowl with chicken, rice, beans, corn, and customizable fresh toppings that's ready in 30 minutes!

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Pressure Cook time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 1-cup servings

Author: Traci - TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

• 1 14.5 oz can Black Beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup Corn frozen, canned, or fresh
• 1 cup Picante Sauce or salsa
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 cup White Basmati Rice rinsed
• 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast about 3/4 lb

RECIPE VIDEO

Recipe Instructions

Make burrito bowl filling

• To the Instant Pot, add BLACK BEANS, CORN, SALSA, CHICKEN BROTH, TACO SEASONING, BLACK PEPPER, and RICE. Stir to combine.
• Place a 3” tall trivet in the Instant Pot and lay CHICKEN BREAST on the trivet. Sprinkle more taco seasoning on chicken breast for color, if desired. *see recipe footnote about trivet
• Close the lid, turn pressure release valve to “sealing", and pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.
• When cook cycle completes, allow a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR) and carefully release any remaining steam and open the lid.
• Transfer CHICKEN to a plate with tongs. Insert a meat thermometer in the chicken to confirm a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. Cover chicken and allow to rest a few minutes. *see recipe footnote about temperature
• Shred the chicken and stir it back into the burrito bowl filling.

Build the chicken burrito bowl

• Scoop desired amount of filling into bowls with your choice of toppings.

Storage and reheat instructions

• Store chicken bowl filling separate from produce in an airtight container up to five days in the refrigerator.
• To reheat, add a splash of liquid to moisten filling ingredients and reheat via stove or microwave, stirring as needed.

Tried this recipe? I'd love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

RECIPE NOTES

Recipe footnotes

About the trivet

The trivet should be tall enough to clear the surface of the rice in order to not smash the rice mixture under the trivet. This is intended to prevent burning.

 

What if my chicken breast didn’t quite reach 165° on the meat thermometer after cooking?

 

This is uncommon, but if it doesn’t reach 165°, set it back on top of the trivet and repeat the pressure cook process for 1 more minute. Then depressurize and test again to confirm the chicken is 165°. I’ve never had this happen with this recipe, but I could see it happening with an extra large chicken breast, multiple chicken breasts, or a partially frozen breast.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 615mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

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The Kitchen Girl

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.

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