Even better than the restaurant version, you can make Chicken Burrito Bowls in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes. This recipe uses the Pot-in-Pot Method to cook the chicken and rice together at the same time. Finish the bowls with all of your favorite toppings!
If I had to pick something that best illustrates how our family eats dinner on a typical night, it would be this meal. A Chicken Burrito Bowl (or one of its cousins - tacos, tostadas, or taco salad) is the most requested dinner by kids and adults in our house. The fact that we set everything out for a DIY-style dinner makes it even more fun and easy to swap an ingredient in or out if there’s something we don’t have.
I didn’t think it was possible for our family to enjoy this meal more until I discovered how to make it in the Instant Pot. Now I put the chicken, spices, and salsa in the machine, add rice and water in a bowl on top, turn the Instant Pot on and walk away. We give the kids a bath, pick up the house, prep the toppings, and everything is ready to go in about 30 minutes. It’s my favorite. In fact, we had it last night for the 30 Dinner Challenge.
You won’t believe how easy this is!
Ingredients
- Chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into cubes, work the best in Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls. They have enough surface area to absorb flavor from the salsa and spices and will cook to tender in just 6 minutes. If you prefer chopped boneless, skinless chicken thighs, these work well too.
- Salsa - Use your favorite tomato-based salsa as the main “sauce” for this dish. Any type of salsa will work, but the more flavorful the salsa, the more flavorful the chicken will be. If your salsa seems super chunky or thick, it’s a good idea to add ¼ cup of water to be sure there is enough liquid for the machine to work correctly.
- Dried Spices - Flavors have a tendency to become muted when cooked under high pressure in the Instant Pot. Adding a few dried spices insures that you get the most flavor in the finished dish. Add dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, and some salt to insure your dish has great flavor.
- Toppings - Use your favorites. Make this as simple or as complicated as you want. See below for ideas.
Topping Ideas for Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Salsa
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Lettuce
- Guacamole
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Pico de Gallo
- Black Beans
- Corn Kernels
- Cilantro
- Crumbled Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Strips
How to Make Rice Using the Pot-in-Pot Method
Use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method to cook rice at the same time as the chicken for these Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls. Not familiar with this handy method that allows you to cook two things in the Instant Pot at the same time? Check out this post on the Pot-in-Pot Method for the Instant Pot.
6-Minute Instant Pot Guide
This recipe comes straight from The Ultimate Guide to 6-Minute Instant Pot Meals {Classics}. This one is Taco Night + Chicken + Rice. Check out that post for many other recipes that use the pot-in-pot method to make complete meals right in the Instant Pot.
More Taco Night Favorites
- Taco Casserole with Ground Beef -With layers of seasoned ground beef, tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese, Taco Casserole is a fun weeknight meal that can be made ahead and is freezer-friendly.
- Slow Cooker Three Bean Taco Soup -If you have 10 minutes, you have enough time to prep this Slow Cooker Three Bean Taco Soup that is vegetarian and gluten-free.
- Slow Cooker Taco Meat -Slow Cooker Taco Meat is made using lean beef and, thanks to cooking low and slow, comes out super tender with absolutely incredible flavor.
- Slow Cooker Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers - These yummy stuffed peppers are filled with a mix of spices, rice, and beef. Make a complete meal out of this dish by serving the peppers with sour cream, guacamole, and tortilla chips for scooping.
Favorite Tools
- 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo - This is the Instant Pot / pressure cooker I use to test all meals on this site. It easily makes enough to serve the 5 members of our family (3 are young kids). Though this recipe was not tested in the larger 8-Quart Instant Pot, it should work in that version as well as in any other brand of pressure cooker in the 6 to 8 quart size range.
- Instant Pot Rack - This 2-inch rack is just the right height to hold a bowl above the other ingredients to cook using pot-in-pot method described in this recipe.
- 7-Cup Round Pyrex Dish - I currently test any recipes using the pot-in-pot method using this oven-safe Pyrex dish. I love them so much that I bought several. It comes with a lid, so after cooking pasta, rice, potatoes, or any other recipe in this bowl, I just add the lid and put it in the fridge - saves time and dishes! The Pyrex 7-cup dish will fit in the 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot. In earlier recipes you will find on this site, I used the medium sized bowl that came in this Anchor 3-Piece Set of Glass Mixing Bowls which also worked well.
- OXO Pressure Cooker Sling - This was a tool I thought seemed unnecessary until I bought it. Place this sturdy sling under the bowl in the pot-in-pot method and you can easily lift hot items out at the end of cooking. It also works great for steaming eggs, vegetables, or cooking large vegetables or meat in the pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker
- 2-inch tall Metal Trivet
- 7-inch wide Glass Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken and Rice
- 1 ½ cups Long Grain White Rice (or Basmati Rice)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Salsa (see note)
- 1 ½ lbs Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts, chopped into cubes
Topping Ideas (choose your favorites)
- Salsa
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Lettuce
- Guacamole
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Pico de Gallo
- Black Beans
- Corn Kernels
- Cilantro
- Crumbled Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Strips
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the rice.
- To the bowl of the Instant Pot, add dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, salsa, and chicken. Stir well.
- Top the chicken with a 2” metal trivet. Place a 7” wide glass bowl on top of the trivet. (Be sure that both the rack and bowl are approved for use in the Instant Pot.)
- Pour rice into the bowl and add 1 ½ cups water. Make sure all grains of rice are covered by the water.
- Close and lock the lid.
- Set the pressure valve to Sealing.
- Cook on manual / high pressure for 6 minutes.
- When done cooking, leave the machine on Warming (most machines automatically revert to this after cooking). Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. (Tip: I like to set a kitchen timer so that I don’t get distracted and forget.)
- Manually release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the bowl of rice and rack and set aside, covered, to keep warm.
- Stir the chicken. If you prefer to serve it shredded for the burrito bowls, use the back of a spoon to gently break the chicken apart while stirring it with the sauce.
- Taste the chicken and season with some salt and pepper, if needed.
- Set out the rice, chicken, and any of your preferred toppings. Assemble burrito bowls at the table.
Notes
Nutrition
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