Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl at home

Straightforward Mexican Chicken Rice Bowl

Chicken Instant Pot Burrito Bowl (or Instant Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice) is not only picky, quick, and straightforward eater friendly, it is also point friendly on WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and straightforward on the calories. You can top it with a wide array of toppings which makes it suited to a crowd. Everyone can customize their own bowl!

The cook time on this is only 15 minutes and prep is minimal. With taking the time to come to pressure into account, you can have this dinner on the table in 30 minutes. We especially love it on nights when we’ve had a busy day and we don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking. The fact that it is ready faster than you can go get take-out in our city plus it’s point friendly… winner winner chicken (burrito bowl) dinner!

Instant Pot Burrito Bowl Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (we like to use chicken tenderloins, but it works with both!)
• Taco seasoning (we prefer from-scratch)
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder
• Roasted green chile (optional)
• Frozen corn
• Canned black beans
• Salsa (From-scratch roasted salsa Or This is the kind we prefer If we don’t have from-scratch on hand)
• Basmati rice
• Chicken stock

Can an Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Rice Bowl be made with quinoa or a different type of rice?

Quinoa can be tricky in the Instant Pot when combining it with other foods. We haven’t tried this myself so we can’t give exact instructions. The rice can be substituted for any rice you like that uses the same liquid ratio and cooking time. Brown rice may require additional cook time.

How to cook this Chicken Burrito Bowl Instant Pot Recipe

(full recipe with measurements and printable card below)

1. Add chicken, taco seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, green chiles, corn, black beans, and salsa into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine making sure everything is well coated in the seasonings.
2. Even out the mixture across the top.
3. Sprinkle the rice evenly on top of the chicken mixture. DO NOT STIR.
4. Carefully and slowly pour the chicken stock on top of the rice. DO NOT STIR. If there are pieces of rice floating or exposed above the stock, push them down with your utensil.
5. Secure lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING.
6. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
7. Press CANCEL.
8. Allow the Instant Pot to NATURAL-RELEASE the pressure for 5 minutes.
9. QUICK-RELEASE the remaining pressure.
10. Remove the lid and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
11. Serve with your favorite toppings!

What size Instant Pot is recommended for this recipe?

This recipe works best with an 8 quart Instant Pot. If you will be using a different size, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid to what is best suited to your size.

What is the ratio of water to rice in an Instant Pot?

When cooking white or brown, long-grain rice in an Instant Pot, you need a 1:1 ratio.

Can Instant Pot Burrito Bowls be made ahead of time?

Yes, it can be. You could make it to completion as far as a couple of days in advance. It would keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days when stored properly and reheated when ready to eat. We have not personally tried freezing it, so we would not recommend that route at this time. We will update this if/when we try freezing it.

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Burrito Bowl

• Although cooking from frozen with meats works well in the Instant Pot, we do not recommend that with this recipe. We recommend using thawed chicken as it will effect the way the rice cooks if you don’t.
• If you like a bit “drier” rice, you can use slightly less chicken stock, but you need to have your rice completely covered when cooking.
• It’s important not to stir the rice. In order for it to cook properly, it needs to be placed on top and gently covered with stock.

Instant Pot Burrito Bowls for Picky Eaters

• For those that hate tomato pieces, stick with a salsa that isn’t chunky. We personally use Mateo’s brand salsa (linked above) because it isn’t chunky so our tomato piece haters don’t have any issues.
• If you have a picky eater that is sensitive to spice, you can omit the green chile all together and use less taco seasoning if needed.
• Let them choose their own toppings. Make it fun!

Burrito Bowls Variations

Here are some great variations you can try. Some may affect the cooking time, so be aware of that when making substitutions.

• Meat – boneless skinless chicken thighs, ground beef, or ground chicken
• Beans – pinto beans, cannellini beans, and even chili beans
• Salsa – tomato sauce or enchilada sauce
• Rice – brown rice or long-grain white rice can be used, but be careful of liquid amounts and cook times when changing the rice
• Stock – vegetable broth or beef broth can be used depending on what protein you choose

Looking for other great recipes?
Check these out:

• Bug Juice Recipes
• Fruity Pebble Treats
• Spinach and Feta Omelette
• Jalapeno Rice Recipe
• Orzo with Parmesan

• Boneless Pork Chop Recipes Oven
• Skillet Chicken and Rice
• Frozen Watermelon Drink
• Chicken Mixed Vegetable Casserole
• Korean Ground Beef Recipe