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Instant Pot Burrito Bowls are one of my favorite meal prep recipes to make, and this recipe could not be any easier! Use frozen chicken breasts, dry black beans, and uncooked rice for a budget-friendly, pressure cooked meal the whole family will enjoy.
I love a good chicken burrito bowl. Burrito bowls combine all the deliciousness of a burrito but in a convenient, customizable bowl that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
If you like to sound of this easy Instant Pot dinner, you’ll love this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, Philly Cheese Steak Pasta, or this recipe for Healthy Chicken and Rice.
Why I Love These Burrito Bowls
This Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl recipe is excellent for the nights that I forget to thaw my chicken or soak my black beans. It’s such an easy recipe and can be customized to the whole family’s taste preference.
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients in Chicken Burrito Bowls
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Frozen Chicken Breast: Chicken breast is a versatile source of protein that works great for this recipe. I use frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts for these burrito bowls.
- Brown Rice: This recipe won’t work with other kinds of rice – it specifically works with dry brown rice because of the longer cooking time.
- Black Beans: Because of their fiber content, black beans help to keep a healthy digestive tract. This recipe uses dry black beans.
- Chicken Broth: I love using homemade chicken broth. If using store bought chicken broth, be sure and get the low sodium chicken broth kind. You can always add salt after cooking is complete, if needed.
How to Make Chicken Burrito Bowls
Step 1: Place frozen chicken breasts (not stacked), uncooked rice, dry black beans, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, and chicken broth into the Instant Pot.
Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook and set the cooking time for 25 minutes.
Step 2: When the cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. For softer beans, let the pressure release naturally.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred. You can use two forks to shred it by hand, or you can shred using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
Step 3: Add the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot and stir well to mix evenly.
Step 4: Serve your finished burrito bowls warm and top with your favorite burrito additions such as: lettuce, sharp cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, or salsa.
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Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses frozen chicken breasts, dry brown rice, and dry black beans since they all have similar cooking times. I’ve tested it with canned beans and white rice before, and it just didn’t turn out the same—the textures were off and the timing was tricky.
- If you want softer beans, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally after cooking instead of using the quick release.
- If you see a the infamous instant pot error codes burn notice on your Instant Pot, release the pressure, add more chicken broth, and make sure to separate your chicken breasts.
Chicken Burrito Bowl FAQs
These burrito bowls are considered healthy thanks to the lean, high-protein chicken, fiber-rich black beans, and nutritious brown rice. Of course, the overall healthfulness also depends on your portion size and the toppings you choose.
For a different taste to this recipe, use the seasonings from this Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade recipe:
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 tsp cayenne pepper
juice from one lime
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Yes! Using frozen chicken in the Instant Pot is one of my favorite ways to cut down on actual time spent cooking and the amount of dishes used in my kitchen.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix Containers
- For the entire recipe, minus toppings: 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, and 2 Green Containers. I give you these counts so you can easily recalculate the containers if you change anything.
- For each serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, and 1/3 Green Container. Make sure to count any additional toppings you add.
Weight Watchers Points
3 2025 Plan Points
2B Mindset
This is a great lunch when you add 50% vegetables to your plate. This could be in the form of toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, or steamed vegetables.
If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Burrito Bowl or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
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Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Sealing Rings
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs chicken breast frozen
- ½ cups brown rice uncooked
- ½ cups black beans dry (not soaked)
- 15 oz diced tomatoes low sodium and no sugar added
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1½ cups chicken broth low sodium
Optional toppings for Burrito Bowls: Romaine lettuce, Cheddar cheese and Avocado, Salsa or pico de gallo.
Instructions
- Place frozen chicken, dry brown rice, dry black beans, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, and chicken stock into the Instant Pot. 1½ lbs chicken breast, ½ cups brown rice, ½ cups black beans, 15 oz diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp garlic, 2 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp onion powder, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1½ cups chicken broth
- Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
- When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Remove your chicken from the pot and shred. You can use two forks to shred it by hand, or use a hand or stand mixer.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir well to evenly mix. Serve warm, with your favorite burrito toppings such as: lettuce, cheddar cheese, avocado, or salsa. For meal prep, place in individual serving containers and refrigerate or freeze until ready to eat.
Notes
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum
I made this with canned beans, leaving everything the same and it was soup :) Tasted good but not the consistency I was expecting! I think doubling the rice to 1 c when adding drained canned beans at the end would make a huge difference.
This is so helpful. Can I ask if you had tried to make the recipe before with dry beans?
I just got the Lux Mini 3 qt. None of the recipes I am finding mention what size IP it is using. There is a big difference from 3 qt. to 8 qt. Instant Pots. Any suggestions?
It’s assumed that all recipes are made for the 6qt pot unless otherwise stated. You’ll want to half the recipes you make in your 3qt!
This looks simple and delicious! My question is about the uncooked brown rice. It looks like you put it in dry, without rinsing it. I was thinking that any kind of uncooked rice always had to be rinsed before cooking. (I once made Jasmine rice without rinsing and it looked and tasted muddy. Had to throw it out.)
Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to trying it.
I usually rinse it, but have forgotten to rinse a few times ands it has been fine!
LOVE burrito bowls, yum! I might have to make this for my weekly lunches prep.
I love burrito bowls! I have to make this for dinner this week!
Hi I’m just wondering if I could use quinoa instead?
Hi Katy! Absolutely you could, but not with this recipe. If you were to use quinoa, I’d make it outside of the pot and add it after!
Do you have a rough idea of how big your chicken breasts are/how much they weigh? It can vary greatly.
Thanks!
Hi Nicole,
Mine are the frozen Kirkland brand from Costco if that helps. I can weigh one when I get home, but I think maybe 6 ounces? I’ve seen much bigger and a little smaller :)
Hi there! I’m loving all of your Insta-pot 21 Day Fix recipes! Thank you for sharing! I’m trying to print this one and the “print” button isn’t working. Perhaps there’s an easy fix on your end? I’ve had success printing all of the other recipes. Thank you!
Hi there! It’s working for me, and I just looked to see if I can find a setting to make sure it’s all working, but I don’t see one… Here is a link to a document with the printable recipe: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QiqElJ_NhtkoJps1vBu_s06oED281DnxCRMwXKVQD3w/edit?usp=sharing
:)
Great food prep meal!
Made this yesterday with the only change being that I used a 10 oz can of rotel tomatoes. It is delicious and great for meal prep! I am on the 21 day fix so after looking at the measurements, it looks like it is closer to 6 yellow containers for the whole recipe (since 1/2 cup dry beans equals 1 1/2 cups cooked and the same for rice). Thanks for sharing this…excited to have a yummy meal prep option for my instant pot!