Easy Mexican Chicken Rice Bowl
Chicken Instant Pot Burrito Bowl (or Instant Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice) is not only quick, easy, and picky eater friendly, it is also point friendly on WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and easy on the calories. You can top it with a wide array of toppings which makes it perfect for 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. I especially love it on nights when we’ve had a really busy day and I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking. The fact that it comes together faster than you can go get take-out in my city plus it’s point friendly… winner winner chicken (burrito bowl) dinner!
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl Ingredients
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use chicken tenderloins, but it works with both!)
- taco seasoning (I prefer homemade)
- ground cumin
- garlic powder
- roasted green chile (optional)
- frozen corn
- canned black beans
- salsa (homemade or this is the kind I prefer if I don’t have homemade 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. I haven’t tried this myself so I 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 Make this Chicken Burrito Bowl Instant Pot Recipe
(full recipe with measurements and printable card below)
- 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.
- Even out the mixture across the top.
- Sprinkle the rice evenly on top of the chicken mixture. DO NOT STIR.
- 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.
- Secure lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
- Press CANCEL.
- Allow the Instant Pot to NATURAL-RELEASE the pressure for 5 minutes.
- QUICK-RELEASE the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- 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. I have not personally tried freezing it, so I would not recommend that route at this time. I will update this if/when I try freezing it.
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
- Although cooking from frozen with meats works well in the Instant Pot, I do not recommend that with this recipe. I 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 very 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.
A burrito bowl is a combination of meat, rice, sautéed vegetables and various other toppings. You essentially take the insides of a burrito and place them in a bowl instead of in a tortilla.
Burrito bowls can be healthy because the components are healthy. If you stick with lean meat, sautéed vegetables and keep the condiments to a minimum, you can have a high protein, nutritious meal.
Most people eat burrito bowls hot. While some of the condiment toppings may be served cold, like sour cream and guacamole, the main components are served hot.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowls for Picky Eaters
- For those that hate tomato pieces, stick with a salsa that isn’t chunky. I personally use Mateo’s brand salsa (linked above) because it isn’t chunky so my 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 very 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:
Chicken Burrito Bowl Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" chunks
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 cup roasted green chile chopped (optional)
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice dry & uncooked
- 2 1/2 cup chicken stock
- Toppings optional: taco sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, pico de gallo, avocado, tortilla strips, etc.
Instructions
- 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.
- Even out the mixture across the top.
- Sprinkle the rice evenly on top of the chicken mixture. DO NOT STIR.
- 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.
- Secure lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
- Press CANCEL.
- Allow the Instant Pot to NATURAL-RELEASE the pressure for 5 minutes.
- QUICK-RELEASE the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
- Serve with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it cook for 10 minutes after it builds pressure & the insta pot counts down from 10?
Mine said ‘Food Burn’ at 8 minutes based on my timer and I let it go 10 minutes but when I opened the lid, it was still raw and soup.
Hi Megan! Thanks for your comment! That definitely sounds frustrating and I’d love to help troubleshoot. If you got the food burn warning and the chicken was still raw and the mixture soupy after the cook time, it very likely means that the Instant Pot never fully sealed or came to pressure. When that happens, the time can count down, but it’s not actually pressure cooking so it’s not cooking properly. A few things that might help for next time:
1. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and seated properly and the valve is set to “sealing”
2. Make sure no rice is sitting on the bottom
3. If your model is extra sensitive (the newer ones tend to be), try adding a couple of tablespoons of extra broth to help it build pressure more easily.
If you received the burn notice, but it hadn’t been soupy and raw, I would guess that yours tends to cook hotter and be more sensitive which would be more likely the 3rd option being the most helpful. I hope you give it another go. It really is a great one-pot meal when the pressure builds properly!
Hello,
How much is considered a serving please?
I am on Weight Watchers (Blue Plan) And I am sorry but I can’t figure out how much 1/8th of the recipe is. Thank you I can’t wait for your response. Excited to try it.
Hi Cynthia,
I take the full completely cooked amount and weigh it and then divide them out by 8. Normally, it comes out to roughly about 1 – 1 1/4 cups.
Hi! This recipe is a favorite in our house. However, more times than not I run into the “burn food” error on my instant pot. Any tips on how to prevent this? (Since I can’t stir once the rice is added!)
Hi Anna,
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m thrilled this recipe is a favorite in your home. I’m sorry to hear about the “burn” error—it can be so frustrating when that happens.
Here are a few tips that might help prevent this issue:
1. When adding the black beans and salsa, try layering them on top of the chicken rather than mixed in. Depending on the salsa you’re using, sometimes when they are thicker, they can be the culprit for burn notices if they settle on the bottom.
2. If your Instant Pot tends to be sensitive (especially newer models), adding an extra 1/4 cup of broth can help ensure there’s enough liquid to avoid triggering the burn notice.
3. Since you’ve made this a few times, I’m assuming you already do this, but just wanted to mention in case… After adding the rice, just gently press it down with the back of a spoon so that it’s submerged rather than pressing very hard.
I hope these help! Let me know how it goes if you try them—I would love to hear your feedback!
Been a great option to go to for meal prep!
Hello, if I double the recipe, do I double the time of cooking as well? Thank you!
Hi Christine, I wouldn’t double the cooking time. I haven’t personally cooked it with double quantity, but I’d try increasing it from 10 minutes to 14 minutes.
Can I make this without rice if I am trying to do a low carb diet? Thank you!
Hi Hannah! The liquid measurements and cook time are largely based on the rice. If you decided to omit the rice, I would recommend using less liquid and lowering the cooking time to match your chicken.
Could I use ground chicken? And if so how would I adjust cooking time?
You could use ground chicken by utilizing the saute function and cooking the chicken. Then I would proceed as normal with the rest of the recipe. You’ll need same cooking time in order to be sure the rice is cooked through.
what is the adjusted cooking time for 2x the recipe?
Ty, I haven’t personally doubled the quantity for this. If I were to try, I would start with 14 minutes.
Could you do this in a crock pot do you think?
Hi Colleen,
You could make it in the crockpot, but you’d need to cook the rice separately. Rice has a tendency to get gummy in the crockpot. You could lower the broth amount to about 1/4-1/2 cup and cook on Low for 4 hours (doing the rest as written just omitting the rice). Then stir in the rice once it’s done.
Can you use tinned corn instead of frozen
Yes, you can replace the frozen corn with canned corn.
Does this work with jasmine rice?
Yes, absolutely. Jasmine and basmati both work really well. The cooking time and liquid amount would still be the same.
Another huge hit in my house. It’s always great when I can get my 5 and 3 year old to eat it and ask for more. It also makes great leftovers and is awesome in a taco salad.
How would you change the cooking time or liquid amt if you used brown rice?
I haven’t personally tried it with brown rice myself, but I would probably adjust it to the standard ratio/times for brown rice. I would use 1 cup brown rice/1.5 cups broth. Then I’d change the cooking time to 15-18 minutes with a natural release.