Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl is a quick and easy dinner recipe the whole family loves. A bright cilantro lime rice with flavorful Tex-Mex chicken, beans and lots of gooey cheese!

When we’re short on time and ingredients, this is a go-to meal at our house, and yes, you can totally swap any meats, beans or add-ins that you’d like! It’s like making a delicious Chipotle burrito bowl in the comfort of your own kitchen!

I’m finding that the older my kids get the more I desperately need quick and easy dinner ideas as we pretty much live a life of errands lately. It’s soccer, piano, clothes shopping because heaven forbid anyone stay the same size for more than a month and on and on. Anyone feel me?

Ingredients for Chicken Burrito Bowls

• Chicken Breasts: You want boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then chop them into bite-size chunks
• Oil: used to sauté the chicken
• Seasonings: Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt and Chili Powder
• White Rice: just simple long-grain white rice works great
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Chicken Broth: cooks the rice and adds more flavor
• Green Chiles: adds flavor
• Cilantro: adds bright herby freshness and flavor
• Lime: You’ll want to use the zest and juice for maximum flavor.
• Pinto Beans: Keep it simple by using canned beans. Swap for black beans if desired.
• Colby Jack Cheese: You can’t have a burrito bowl without the melty cheese! Colby jack is our favorite, but you can also go with Monterey jack or pepper jack.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below. Once you serve up the chicken and rice, top with all your favorite burrito toppings. See section below for ideas.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls

Start by seasoning your chicken (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder) and then cook it in a little olive oil in your Instant Pot in “sauté mode”. You won’t need to cook it long, just enough to get a little sear on the outside, about 3 minutes.

Add the rice and garlic and stir it with the chicken for about 20-30 seconds. Then you add the rest of the ingredients (broth, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and pinto beans) and change your Instant Pot to “high pressure”. Give everything a good stir and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve to “seal” and cook for 7 minutes.

This is where the pressure release comes in…don’t get scared! You got this! Allow a natural release for 2 minutes, and then you can quick release. Be sure to steer clear of the valve so you don’t a burn from the steam.

Remove the lid and give everything a good stir. Top with the shredded cheese and put the lid back on for a minute or two so the cheese melts. Then you can dish everyone up, apply desired toppings and grub!

Toppings for Chicken Burrito Bowls

It is really that easy and that fast! I have found that while everything is cooking for those 7 minutes, I have plenty of time to grate the cheese and prep all the other toppings.  I’m really not joking when I say you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes! Holla!! Here are some ideas for toppings:

If you have the time, make this creamy tomatillo dressing to put on top. You’ll thank me later! It can even be made a day or two ahead of time! Or our Restaurant Style Salsa is another fantastic option!!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Crowd Pleaser: Finding a meal that is this quick and easy and loved by everyone is a rarity so it appears on the dinner table frequently. What is it about kids and Mexican food? They love it! Is it the abundance of cheese? That must be it! I totally get it! Cheese is glorious and everything in this dish is downright delish! We hope it will be a hit in your family too!
• Versatile Meal: I mentioned at the beginning that the meat can be swapped out for whatever you have in the fridge/freezer and the toppings are totally up to you. I’ve done this same recipe with ground beef, steak and pork and it has always turned out amazing. I have also changed the pinto beans to black beans…yes please! Do what your family will love!
• Entire Meal in a Bowl: Usually when I make this dish, it is all we have for dinner. You have your grains, protein, dairy and all sorts of veggies all in one bowl. There isn’t really a need for anything else. If I’m feeling especially nice, I’ll cut up some strawberries or a pineapple, but it’s not really necessary.  The kids love when I pull out a bag of tortilla chips too! And can I mention that we are totally looking out for you here by eliminating the tortilla in this burrito…we cut the carbs for you! You’re welcome!

Cooking with an Instant Pot

Alright, cooking with an instant pot. How many of you were terrified of using your Instant Pot for the first time? I know people who have had their Instant Pot for months and have yet to open it. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little nervous at first too. But now I totally love it! It saves us weekly when we need dinner in a time crunch.

Have you seen our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet? Print that baby off and it will save loads of time for cooking all the basics.

Cooking with the Instant Pot is simple, quick and straight forward.

Sauté Mode on the Instant Pot

Using the sauté mode on the instant pot is a must if there are ingredients that need to be cooked first. Cook those ingredients, and then add the rest of the ingredients that you need before the pressure cooking begins.

Follow the recipe instructions for cook time and pressure setting, and you can really set it and forget it. When your dish has finished cooking, allow the pressure to release (either naturally or with a quick release or both, again follow your recipe). You are done! That’s it! Dinner is served!

What’s the Difference Between Natural Release and Quick Release

What does it mean to do a natural release or quick release when cooking with the instant pot? You either leave it alone until the pressure is done and then open the lid or you carefully (some people use tongs) move the valve to release the pressure quickly. This will cause a lot of steam to billow out so watch out!

Which Instant Pot is Best for Me?

Which instant pot is best for me if I’ve got a few kids, or it’s just the two of us?

We get a lot of questions about which Instant Pot is best. We aren’t really much help here. The 6qt Instant Pot DUO is what we have, and it is perfect for our family of five. If you have a bigger family, you might want to go with the 8qt. If you are an empty nester, then the mini will probably be plenty big.

There are other brands of course, and you want to buy something that is within your budget. My suggestion is to do your research and make a purchase that best fits the needs of your family situation. I told you we aren’t much help!

Can this Dish be Made in the Crock Pot?

Yes, absolutely! Combine all the ingredients except the cheese in the crock pot and give it a good stir. Then cook it on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. When it is completely cooked, add the cheese and then put the lid back on for about 20 minutes so the cheese melts. Then you can dish it up and add all your favorite toppings.

So if you’re living the taxi life like I am, then add this Instant Pot cilantro lime chicken burrito bowl recipe to your dinner rotation! We usually have all the ingredients on hand, so it is the perfect go-to meal when life is crazy! And it’s always crazy!!

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