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These Instant Pot Burrito Bowls with frozen chicken could not be easier to prepare. They work great for meal prep, cook in one pot, and taste delicious.
This Instant Pot Burrito Bowl is also excellent for the nights that I forgot to thaw my chicken, or soak my black beans. Only having one pot to clean is an added bonus.
Where’s the recipe?
I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes.
To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts.
If you’d like to skip over the information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and diet information like 21 Day Fix container counts, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find this delicious and easy to print Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe.
Ingredients for these Chicken Burrito Bowls
I love to learn about food and share my knowledge with you. These are the ingredients I used in this recipe and a little about why I used each one.
- Frozen Chicken: A versatile source of protein, that works great for this recipe because it absorbs all the spices.
- Brown Rice: Brown rice is a whole grain. That means it contains all parts of the grain — including the fibrous bran, the nutritious germ and the carb-rich endosperm.
- Black Beans: Because of their fiber content, black beans help to keep a healthy digestive tract. They also provide fuel for the healthy bacteria in the colon.
- Diced Tomatoes: Be sure and grab low-sodium. If you want an extra kick grab a can with green chiles added.
- Garlic: In addition to making almost any meal taste better, garlic also has several health benefits, including reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and even lessoning the symptoms of the common cold.
- Cumin: Cumin is used world wide and is especially popular in Indian, Mexican, and Asian cooking.
- Onion Powder: Every spice cabinet should be equipped with onion powder. Toss it in for extra flavor without the watery eyes from chopping fresh onions.
- Chili Powder: Chili powder is dried fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices. It is used to add a spicy kick and flavor to culinary dishes.
- Chicken Broth: I love using homemade chicken broth. But, if using store bought broth, be sure and get the low-sodium kind. You can always add salt after cooking is complete, if needed.
- Optional: Shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, tortilla chips
Tips
- This recipe is one that is important to make exactly as written. It just doesn’t cook the same when you change the ingredients.
- Use frozen chicken, dry brown rice, and dry black beans since they all have similar cooking times.
- Brown rice is best with this recipe. White rice changes the or quinoa won’t cook the same.
- If you prefer your beans to be softer, naturally pressure the release from the Instant Pot.
- A hand mixer works great for perfectly shredded chicken. Just move your chicken to a mixing bowl, and use your mixer on medium for about 30 seconds.
- If you see a Burn Notice on your pressure cooker, release the pressure and add more liquid, and make sure to separate your chicken breasts.
- I always spray the bottom of the pot with a nonstick cooking spray–usually a healthy oil such as olive oil.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls:
Time needed: 30 minutes
Add time for a natural pressure release if you’d like your beans cooked a bit more.
- Combine Ingredients
Place frozen chicken breast, brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, and chicken broth into the Instant Pot.
- Pressure Cook
Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
- Quick Release
When the cook time is complete, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. For softer beans, let the pressure release naturally.
- Shred your chicken
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.
- Return Chicken to the pot
Add the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot and stir well to mix evenly.
- Serve
Serve warm and top with your favorite burrito additions such as: lettuce, cheddar cheese, avocado, cilantro, or salsa.
Alternate Flavor Profile:
- For a different taste to this recipe, use the seasonings from this Cilantro Lime Drumstick 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
Healthy Eating Plans
- Weight Watchers: See this post.
- These 21 Day Fix Burrito Bowls fit perfectly within Portion Fix rules. Counts 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.
- Per serving: 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, and 1/3 Green Container. Make sure to count any additional toppings you add.
- 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’re looking for healthy Instant Pot recipes that can be made with thawed chicken check these out:
More Recipes Like These Instant Pot Burrito Bowls:
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl with Frozen Chicken
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.
Video
Notes
- Weight Watchers Blue Plan Points: See this post for the Weight Watchers version.
- 21 Day Fix: (entire recipe) 6 Red Containers, 6 Yellow Containers, and 2 Green Containers. (per serving, which is about 2/3 cups): 1 Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, and 1/3 Green Container.
- 2B Mindset: This is a perfect lunch when you add 50% vegetables on your plate.
- This method works best with frozen chicken, dry brown rice, and dry black beans since they all have similar cooking times.
- You will not get the same results with thawed chicken, minute rice, or canned beans since they all have different cooking times.
- Brown rice is best with this recipe. White rice changes the flavor and texture, and quinoa doesn’t absorb enough liquid.
- If you prefer your beans softer use a natural pressure release.
- This recipe is one that is important to make exactly as written. It just doesn’t taste the same when you substitute ingredients.
- A hand mixer works great for perfectly shredded chicken. Just move your cooked chicken to a mixing bowl, and use your mixer on medium for about 30 seconds.
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
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I can’t find my comment to reply to your reply : ) but no, I hadn’t tried this recipe before. My six year old said, “This is good!” which is always nice to hear!
I also didn’t bother rinsing the rice first (mainly because I forgot). The rice was cooked perfectly though.
Made this the other night – it was really good! I took a chance and used old beans (maybe 2-3 years old, so not super old) and everything came out perfectly. I let it naturally release about 15 minutes just to be sure everything was done and it was. Can’t believe it – dried beans and brown rice in such a short period of time! We put it in tortillas with cheese, avocado, sour cream, and salsa and it was great. I wasn’t sure whether or not to drain the diced tomatoes, so I didn’t and it was fine. Like another comment, I was concerned about all the liquid when it was done, but the chicken, once shredded (which I just did in the pot with two forks) soaked most of it up. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Are you supposed to drain the tomatoes?
Nope!
Can you substitute quoina for the brown rice?
Hi there!
You can not, since the cook times are so different. I recommend leaving out the rice and allowing it all to naturally release and then adding in the quinoa after (already cooked).
Can I make this with unfrozen chicken? Do I adjust the cooking time? Thanks.
Hi Liz, The unfrozen chicken would change the recipe because of the dry rice and dry beans–they wouldn’t all cook at the same time.
Hi there! This might be a silly question but is it only 1/2 cup of rice? Or 1 to 2 cups? Just want to make sure I’m reading it corrects since cup is plural :) Thank you!!
Lauren
Hi there! Yes, one half cup of rice :)
Hi,
This looks so good! Would the cooking time change if I made it without the chicken?
Thanks!
Melanie
Yes, as would the liquid–I don’t know what the times would be though, as I haven’t made it this way yet. This recipe works perfectly as is, it seems that breaking it apart doesn’t work well.
Followed the directions to a T but after 25 minutes the chicken was still raw
Hey Casey, this has happened before when people have added the chicken stacked one on top of the other–any chance that happened?
Hi, I’m new to the Instant Pot. Just ordered and waiting to receive it. Saw this recipe on QVC she didn’t give measurements but added a lot of stock. She also called it by several different names during the demos while selling the pot. I saw on your site the stock listed as 4 cups but when I I asked it to print the amount changed to 1.5 cups Please clarify. I don’t want to mess this up and it’s the first re pie I want to try. By the way, your photos are beautiful and the recipes I browsed sound great. Thanks
Hey Trish! Thanks for visiting–I’d assume she used a different recipe, unless she called out my site by name? I use 1.5C stock. The frozen chicken makes plenty of liquid as it thaws, so that is perfect for this recipe :)
I know that you used 2 chicken breasts. What would that be equivalent in pounds?
I made this recipe, I think that I used too much chicken, but the recipe was delicious. I would like to make it again but with the right amount of chicken.
Thank you!
I used two pieces of chicken, maybe a pound? You can see it in the video if you’re more of a visual person :)
Could I maybe leave out the rice? I like quinoa better that’s all but I cook that separately that’s why I’d rather leave the rice out.
Leaving the rice out of this recipe doesn’t work well–I’ve tried. This recipe is spot on when you use the three main ingredients. Once you take one of them out, it doesn’t work well. The rice and beans soak up the liquid from the frozen chicken. I’ve tried to make it without the rice AND once without the beans and I don’t recommend it.
I finally got around to making this. I LOVE that it was so easy, and that I didn’t have to think about thawing out the chicken first plus it used healthier brown rice & dried black beans. My son wasn’t crazy about the can of diced tomatoes…. so have anybody tried it without that, and maybe added more chicken stock inside. Also has anybody tried doubling the recipe as I was hoping for leftovers. Thanks. I’m curious to see what other great recipes you have that use frozen chicken.
Hi Sue! I’m so glad everyone liked this! You can definitely blend those tomatoes up or skip them–just replace with some extra liquid ;)
Regarding the minced garlic, do you use dried or fresh? Made this over the weekend using dried and it turned out great but am wondering if fresh would make it even better.
Always fresh! I’ll say garlic powder if I use dry. Man, I love garlic :)
Hello, I’ve made this twice now and both times it came out tasty but both times the beans are too hard. The 2nd time I even extended the cooking time to 35 mins and still hard. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Are you in a high elevation? And what kind of beans are you using? If they’re black beans, are they fresh? The frozen chicken, dry black beans and dry brown rice cook perfectly together–if one of those is not right the recipe won’t work as well. Happy to help you troubleshoot this!
i followed this recipe to the T in Dillon, Colorado (elev 9,000 ft.) and the beans were much too hard.
Did you change the cook time at all based on your elevation?
I’ll tell you what, I was quite skeptical about tossing in frozen chicken for only 25 minutes. But I went for it, and the chicken turned out so tender I could barely get it out of the instantpot! What a delicious meal. I think next time I will skip the garlic and onion as it made it a little too salty. (I didn’t have garlic cloves so I used garlic powder, that’s probably why). But otherwise, it’s so tasty and filling, and it took such a short amount of time.
Whooo!! I’m so glad you liked it :)
I just made this and my chicken turned purple on the outside! The rice is very dark as well. It looks a lot different than your photos. I’m wondering if it was the beans that caused that. Just want to make sure it’s okay to eat!
Yes, it’s the beans!!
I bought an instapot last week and this is the first recipe I’ve tried. My wife and I thought it was great. I used the natural venting and the beans turned out fine. It will probably replace the slow cooker method we have used in the past Thanks for the recipe and the clear directions! (I am reposting to rate it five stars)
Yay!! SO glad to hear that you love these, it’s one of our favorites (especially for meal prep!). And thanks a million for the 5 star rating–it means the world to bloggers when you rate our recipes :)
This is so delicious! My husband and I used it for our meal prep lunches and what a treat! I looked forward to lunch everyday. For some extra protein I mixed greek yogurt with salsa and used that as the dressing. Yum! Thanks for another great recipe Becca!!
I made this for the first time time tonight. I made a few minor changes:
– Substituted half the cumin with coriander (they complement each other so well)
– Substituted half the chile powder with a spicier chipotle chile powder
– Substituted the canned tomatoes with a can of tomatoes with green chile (Rotel)
– Added ½ tsp sea salt
The flavor and heat level was great, and the chicken and rice were well cooked, but the beans were very “al dente”. I live at 4,200 ft elevation, so I added 20% time to the recipe, for a total of 30 minutes. I allowed for a natural pressure release which added another 20 minutes to the cooking time. I can’t imagine the substitutions I made would have any ill effect on the recipe. Any ideas?
I’ve noticed that beans are a variable when they’re old (either in your pantry or when sitting on the shelf for too long). That could be the reason. I’d test the beans for your preferences, then close the lid and let them sit longer if you’d like :)
My instant pot is out of order.. can we make it on stove top pressure cooker ??
Hi there, I have not tried this with a stove top pressure cooker, so I’m not sure if the cooking time/liquid ratio would be the same. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I’m new to my IP, can I cut this recipe in half and if so does that change any cooking times?
I haven’t tested this recipe cut in half, but if you did I’d use the same cook time :)