Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is a scrumptious homemade version of a Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. It’s a dump-start 30 minute Mexican bowl with chicken, rice, beans, corn, and your choice of fresh toppings. Another great one for the Instant Pot collection!
Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is the recipe that lets you throw dinner in a pot, press a button, and go do stuff, just like my Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo. Unlike most convenience foods, this recipe gives you a nutritious Mexican burrito bowl (or filling for tacos, enchiladas, etc). Enjoy it straight from the pot, or go crazy with toppings! Pile on the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño, to name a few. You can prep toppings while the cooker does the cooking!
Chicken burrito bowl recipe ingredients
- canned beans - I used black beans but any will work.
- corn - frozen, fresh, or canned
- salsa picante - or a can of rotel
- chicken broth - or vegetable broth
- taco seasoning - make your own or use the packaged kind
- basmati rice - or any long grain white rice
- boneless, skinless chicken breast - must be completely thawed
- cilantro, lime, and Cotija cheese - optional (but recommended) toppings
How to make chicken burrito bowls in the Instant Pot
- To the Instant Pot, stir together BEANS, CORN, TACO SEASONING, PEPPER, and CHICKEN BROTH. Add (well-rinsed) RICE and PICANTE and push the rice under the liquid with a utensil.
- Place chicken (and more taco seasoning, if desired) on top of ingredients. Note: If using frozen chicken breast, it must be completely thawed to cook properly with this recipe.
- Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). Open lid and confirm chicken is 165°F internal temperature. Transfer chicken out, cover with foil, and rest a few minutes.
- Shred the chicken breast.
- Stir it back into the filling in the Instant Pot.
- Serve the chicken bowl warm, customized with fresh ingredients.
How to use chicken burrito bowl filling
As the name implies, you can use the filling for chicken burrito bowls and load up the fresh ingredients, just like they do at Chipotle. Use the cooked meat for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, totchos, or taco pizza.
Mexican burrito bowl toppings
This recipe is naturally low in saturated fat and the sky's the limit for toppings. Adding plenty of produce will add loads of color, texture, and nutrition to this chicken burrito bowl.
- 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 but any cheese will work)
- sour cream
Can I use boneless chicken thighs in place of chicken breast?
You sure can! And you'll keep the pressure cook time the same. The reason I use chicken breast is to reduce the saturated fat. Trust me, I lovvvve chicken thighs ... sometimes a little too much 😉
Also, I don't recommend using bone-in chicken pieces because they require more cooking time which would case the rice to overcook.
If you want to switch it up and use beef or lamb instead of chicken, check out this copycat Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe.
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Can I make chicken burrito bowls in advance for meal prep?
Yes! In fact, we always take a meal prep approach to these burrito bowls for lunches or dinners. To make a chicken bowl in advance, pressure cook the filling ingredients and chop produce (chop avocado upon serving). Store ingredients separately; i.e, burrito bowl filling in a airtight storage container and produce in another container. When prepping lunch for the next day, I heat the burrito bowl filling and then pile on the ingredients. You'll definitely want to add a splash of broth or water when reheating the filling.
Can I use brown rice for this burrito bowl recipe?
I don't recommend using brown rice for this instant pot recipe because it requires a much longer cooking time than white rice and will overcook the chicken breast. If you require brown rice, simply omit the white rice and half of the chicken broth from this recipe, then add cooked brown rice to your burrito bowl afterwards. You can even make my Cilantro Lime Rice with brown rice and add that to the bowl.
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Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 14.5 oz can Black Beans (or any beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
- 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Uncooked Long Grain White Rice, rinsed until water runs clear
- 1 cup Picante Sauce or Chunky Salsa
- 1 large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, about 3/4 lb. (thawed, if frozen)
RECIPE VIDEO
Equipment
- 6 qt Instant Pot
- tongs
- stirring utensil
- meat thermometer
Recipe Instructions
- To the Instant Pot, add BLACK BEANS, CORN, TACO SEASONING, BLACK PEPPER and CHICKEN BROTH. Stir to combine.
- Add (well-rinsed) RICE and PICANTE SAUCE. Use a utensil to gently spread the rice out so that it rests under the liquid.
- Close the lid, turn pressure release valve to “sealing", and pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes (this cycle takes 20 minutes in real time).
- When cook cycle completes, allow a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). DO NOT skip this step because the rice and chicken are still cooking. *See recipe footnote about burn notice
- Carefully turn pressure valve to "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
- Press "Cancel", open the lid, and insert an instant-read thermometer in the chicken center to confirm minimum 165°F. Transfer chicken out, cover, and rest a few minutes. *see recipe footnote about internal temperature
- Shred the chicken and stir it back into the burrito bowl filling.Tip: Since rice absorbs moisture even after cooking, add a few splashes of broth/liquid to loosen up the filling as needed.
Build the chicken burrito bowl
- Serve burrito bowl filling in bowls with your choice of toppings. I'm using lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, red onion, cilantro, jalapenos, lime, and Cotija cheese.
Storage and reheat instructions
- Store the filling separate from toppings in an airtight container up to five days in the refrigerator.
- To reheat burrito bowl filling, add a splash of liquid to loosen it up and reheat via stove or microwave, stirring as needed.
Recipe Notes
Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead of boneless chicken breast? You sure can! And you'll keep the pressure cook time the same. I use chicken breast because I like to reduce the saturated fat. Can I use frozen chicken breast? No. It needs to thaw completely because frozen chicken breast will force the rice to overcook. However, you can use frozen chicken tenders without thawing them before pressure cooking. It's wonderful how well this works! What if my chicken breast doesn't reach 165° on the meat thermometer after cooking?
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Am I using a different brand/model/size pressure cooker?
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Did I stray from the recipe ingredients or directions (even accidentally)?
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Was my sealing ring properly seated?
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Was my pressure valve fully in the “Sealing” position?
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Is my float valve functioning properly?
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Do I live in a higher altitude?
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
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Kayla says
Was planning to make tacos tonight and then stumbled across this recipe. I think we will be trying it out! Can I sub ground turkey for the chicken?
Hi Kayla, yes you can use ground chicken. To do so, you'll need to saute the chicken in the cooker with a little cooking oil (using the Saute function). Once it's fully cooked, add the other ingredients and follow recipe accordingly. Hope you enjoy! Thanks 🙂
Jennifer says
Can't wait to try this CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL !! I love the French Bread recipe and the Veggie Lo Mein noodle recipe.
Good Job TRACI !! Thank you 🙂
Yay Jennifer! So glad you're enjoying those other recipes and let me know if you have any questions about this burrito bowl 🙂 Enjoy!
Tiffaney says
This was my second recipe from your site and it’s another winner. This was so delicious! A perfect weeknight meal. The leftovers were awesome the following two nights, and we loved being able to change up the toppings. We have another recipe of yours on deck for the coming week!
Awesome, Tiffaney...we're pretty crazy about the versatile leftovers too! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback...so glad you enjoyed ☺️
Randi says
Have you ever tried doubling the recipe? Like for a family of four?
Hi Randi, I have not doubled this recipe because it makes 6 cups of filling, which is quite alot when you're using it for bowls, burritos, nachos, tacos, etc. If you double it, I do recommend using a taller trivet to keep the chicken breasts above the other ingredients.