This Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl is the easiest dump dinner made with lots of healthy veggies, black beans, shredded cheese and rice.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Onion – yellow onion, white onion or even red onion can be used for this recipe.
- Chicken breasts – you can make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs or leave the chicken out altogether.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best. Jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chili powder – make your own chili powder using a combination of paprika, cumin and cayenne.
- Cumin – coriander is the best substitute for cumin.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Can diced tomatoes – you could also dice up some fresh tomatoes or use a can of chopped tomatoes.
- Frozen corn – fresh or canned corn would also work. If you’re not a fan of corn, swap out for another veggie of your choice.
- Black beans – pinto beans or kidney beans would also be yummy in these burrito bowls.
- White rice – you can try using another kind of rice but the cooking time and amount of liquid may vary.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the best alternative for chicken broth.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – swap out for another shredded cheese of your choice like a Tex Mex blend or Monterey Jack.
Topping ideas
- Pico de gallo – use your favourite fresh or jarred salsa instead.
- Sour cream – lime crema would also be yummy on these burrito bowls.
- Sliced avocado – if you don’t have any avocado, add on some guacamole.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
- Green onions – diced red onions would also be a good topping.
- Lime wedges – leave these out altogether if you don’t have any lime.
How to make a burrito bowl in the Instant Pot
- Add everything but the cheese and toppings to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Prepare your toppings.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Mix in the cheese and stir well.
- Serve with your fave toppings and enjoy!
The best burrito bowl toppings
Wondering what to put on your Instant Pot burrito bowl? Choosing toppings such as pico de gallo or avocado (a great source of healthy fats) instead of sour cream decreases the calorie count of this dish. Pico de gallo can be purchased in your local grocery store already made, but you can also whip up some fresh pico de gallo while you wait for the burrito bowl ingredients to cook.
To make pico de gallo, simply combine diced tomatoes, onions and jalapeno peppers in lime juice, then add a little salt and chopped cilantro. Because it’s not cooked like many salsas, it’s easy to make in a few minutes.
More topping ideas include:
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Lime wedges
- Sliced avocado
- Guacamole
- Cilantro
- Green onions
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t tried making these burrito bowls with brown rice, but you can definitely try it! I’d suggest cooking on high pressure for 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes, as brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.
If you want to make these burrito bowls vegetarian, just swap out the chicken breast for another can of beans of your choice, and substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Yes! As long as you don’t go over your Instant Pot’s maximum line, you should be able to double this recipe. The cooking time will stay the same.
If you want to use ground beef for this recipe, you’ll need to brown the ground beef first on sauté mode before cooking it at high pressure with the rest of the ingredients.
Storing and reheating
These burrito bowls are great for meal prep – they only take about 15 minutes to cook and then you can store the burrito bowls and toppings separately in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy your Instant Pot burrito bowl, reheat the chicken and rice in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (make sure to sprinkle some water over top so the rice doesn’t dry out) then add on your fresh toppings and enjoy.
Freezing this recipe
Once this Instant Pot chicken burrito bowl recipe has completely cooled, you can transfer it to glass bowls for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight then microwave it for 2-3 minutes or microwave for 7-8 minutes from frozen, stirring halfway through. Add on your fresh toppings then dig in!
More Mexican Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these burrito bowls into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl {Quick + Easy}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional topping ideas
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Sour cream
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced green onions
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for toppings and cheese to Instant Pot in the order in which they are listed, pressing rice down a bit into the liquid as shown in the video below. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Mix in cheese, stirring well to combine. Serve in bowls with desired toppings and enjoy!
