Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
This easy chicken burrito bowl recipe is so delicious and ready in under 30 minutes when using the instant pot.
Toppings:
In my house we top our chicken burrito bowls with the following toppings:
Jalapenos
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Lettuce
Fresh Pico de Gallo
Fresh Salsa
Extra Black Beans
Extra Corn
Fresh Cilantro
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Jalapeños
Slice up your jalapeños for a great topping for your burrito bowls. If you like it really spicy then don’t remove the seeds. If you like it a little milder, then go ahead and remove the seeds.
Shredded Cheese
There are so many great cheeses you can use for this recipe. I typically stick with extra sharp cheddar, but Mexican cheeses are great on top of these burrito bowls too. It goes really well with queso fresco or manchego.
Sour Cream
A great way to save some calories in this recipe is to use light sour cream, but a for a richer taste use full fat sour cream.
Lettuce
I love shredded lettuce on anything Mexican. I usually buy the pre-cut shredded lettuce in the bags, but you can also shred your own lettuce. You should use iceberg lettuce for this recipe. The high water content lettuce gives a great crunch and can also mellow out some of the spice if you’ve made a hot version of these bowls.
Fresh Pico de Gallo
For the Pico de Gallo you can purchase a pre-made Pico de gallo, but you can easily make Pico de Gallo at home too. Check out our homemade Pico de Gallo recipe for details on how to make this simple add-on.
Fresh Salsa
You can purchase fresh salsa or make our super simple salsa recipe. I love to make fresh salsas in the summer time with fresh jalapeño peppers and fresh tomatoes from my garden. I love it so much I’m trying to grow jalapeños and cherry tomatoes in my Lettucegrow Farmstand inside right now. I have some small jalapeños and quite a few green cherry tomatoes that I hope will ripen. I put these in the farmstand as an experiment. I know people have had a lot of success with fruiting veggies outside in the farmstand, but I haven’t really had great production inside.
Black Beans
Black beans are packed with protein and are a great source of fiber. Black beans are also a great source of iron, thiamin, folate, and other micronutrients. I always make sure I have them for this recipe. I use canned black beans but you could also use dried.
Corn
Corn is rich in vitamin C and magnesium and corn also a good source of thiamin. It also contains essential nutrients such as potassium, iron, zink, magnesium, phosphorous and folate. I do try to choose organic and non-GMO for corn as it’s one of the most highly genetically modified vegetables in the US.
Fresh Cilantro
I grow Cilantro in my outdoor garden in the summer. Cilantro really makes this dish come together. If you don’t like cilantro then I’d suggest substituting basil or another mild fresh herb to lend the earthy taste to tie this dish together.
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Crush up some organic gluten free tortilla chips if you like to add a little crunch to your burrito bowls.
Chicken Breast vs. Chicken Thighs
You can use chicken thighs or chicken breasts in this instant pot chicken burrito bowl recipe but I prefer chicken thighs. I feel that chicken thighs shred better and retain more moisture in the instant pot than chicken breasts but if you prefer chicken breasts the recipe is the same. I would recommend cutting the chicken breasts into fourths before cooking to allow for faster cooking and easier shredding.
If your chicken doesn’t shred easily when cooking is complete use this TIP: Turn the Instant Pot on using the Sauté function. Let it heat up for about 3 minutes. Continue gently shredding every 2 minutes until your chicken starts to shred easily. In 5 - 10 minutes your chicken should be perfectly shredded. I tested this also with chicken breasts and chicken thighs this past weekend.
What type of rice should I use?
I prefer to use brown basmati rice for this recipe, but regular brown rice works well too. My family is trying to move away from white carbs, gluten and white rice so we prefer brown rice, but white rice is delicious so if you prefer that then go for it. Other rice options that are delicious in this recipe are regular white rice, long grain white rice, jasmine rice and basmati rice.
Notes:
This recipe is naturally gluten free but you can make it low carb by using riced cauliflower in place of the brown rice
Make this recipe whole 30 by replacing the canned corn and canned salsa with fresh ingredients. See our Whole 30 version of this instant pot chicken burrito bowl recipe here
Not sure how to saute in the instant pot? See our article on Instant Pot Saute for detailed instructions
Quick weeknight meal
Figuring out what to make on a busy weeknight can be difficult. Even though this recipe has a lot of ingredients, it’s super easy to make and it’s a full meal. I often make this for lunch or dinner and serve it with a side salad.
Should I add a taco seasoning packet for extra flavor?
This healthy recipe does not require a taco seasoning packet like many burrito bowl recipes. The flavor in this recipe comes from the salsa, the fresh ingredients and Chiles. Feel free to make this recipe your own though. If you like the way the recipe turns out with the taco seasoning packet let us know in the comments.
Can I use different Spicy Peppers or Bell Peppers instead?
Of course! I always encourage creativity when cooking. As long as you know the time to cook the recipe you can’t go wrong. I encourage you to experiment with your own ingredients. In the summer I grow a large selection of different peppers in my garden and I get an even bigger selection from our CSA farm share, so I will load this recipe up with a bunch of different peppers based on what I have on hand. You can also top this dish with some raw peppers too. That will add a bit of fresh crunch. Speaking of creativity, my youngest daughter Marly (she’s 11) cooks this recipe completely differently than I do. She puts the rice in the instant pot and adds a jar of salsa when she makes it. She likes it all mixed together right from the pot.
Using our Instacart Lists
All of our recipes have an Instacart List included that you can use to shop for the ingredients for the recipe. All of my lists are made for Aldi because I like to provide the most cost effective recipes I can to my readers, but if you prefer another store, you can just switch the store once you are logged into your Instacart account and the app will suggest the closest items in the list. To get more information on how to use our Instacart Lists see our Instant Meal Kits article.
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