These chicken and rice bowls are amazing. Flat out amazing. There are a lot of ingredients and you need an Instant Pot (go out and buy one already! here’s another reason why!), but it’s totally, completely worth it. Thank you kitchn!
First, do your prep. The kitchn says to do it as you go, but I disagree. Because there are a lot of ingredients, I would rather be prepared than frantically chopping chicken and opening cans. So…dice up an onion. Mince a couple cloves of garlic (lately I’ve been using a microplane/zester and finding it faster). Measure out some chili powder and cumin. Open your cans of broth and black beans. Cut chicken thighs into 1-inch chunks, and season with salt and pepper. Grab the frozen corn, a jar of salsa, and rice. Shred some cheese and chop up fresh cilantro. Whew. Ok, take a break. Admire your work.
In your Instant Pot, heat some oil until shimmering, which means there are little ripples rolling in it. Or you can just time it to about 2 minutes or so. Throw in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft. Be sure to stir it occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn. Stir in your seasonings and cook until it smells really good, which is really only about a half a minute. I mean it’ll continue smelling good, but don’t get distracted. Add some chicken broth, scrap the bits from the bottom, and simmer for a minute.
Add chicken, beans, corn, and salsa. Stir. Now the technical part: pour the rice over this. Do NOT stir. You might feel compelled to submerge the rain. Just leave it be. Trust me on this one. You’ll then pour some more broth over it, but again, don’t stir.
Set the pressure to high for 10 minutes and let it do its thing. Go watch the news. Actually, don’t watch the news. It’s super depressing these days. Go make a salad instead. It’s better for you than the news.
It’ll take about 10-12 minutes to come to pressure, and I have to say, I love it when Instant Pot recipes tell you this. Yes, it’s faster to cook in an Instant Pot, but when the recipe tells you to cook it for 10 minutes, it’s really at least double than that.
After the Instant Pot beeps, quick release the pressure and then carefully open the lid. Don’t panic when you see the rice sitting on top looking raw. I promise you it’s fully cooked. Just stir everything together, scoop some into a bowl, and top with shredded cheese and chopped cilantro.
The cheese is all gooey. The beans are all soft. The rice is all tender. Oh, deliciousness! What’s not to love? This one is a make again.
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 16 ounces salsa
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, or a blend)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Add the oil to the Instant Pot, turn on saute setting. Heat until shimmering.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the chili powder and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Cook, gently scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck-on bits, and simmer for 1 minute.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken, beans, corn, salsa, and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the rice over the top. Pour the remaining 3/4 cup broth over the rice, but do not stir.
- Using the manual setting, set the pressure to HIGH for 10 minutes. Close and lock the lid. It should take the pressure cooker about 10 to 12 minutes to come to pressure and begin the 10 minute countdown. When the cooking time is complete, do a quick release of the pressure.
- Gently stir everything together. Divide between bowls and top with the cheese and cilantro.
