Instant pot chicken black beans and rice

Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot) and select Saute function. Heat olive oil in the pot. Add chicken and saute until edges are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Cancel Saute mode and transfer chicken to a plate.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)

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Nutrition FactsServings Per Recipe 4Calories 546% Daily Value *Total Fat 10g13%Saturated Fat 3g16%Cholesterol 72mg24%Sodium 1367mg59%Total Carbohydrate 78g28%Dietary Fiber 11g39%Total Sugars 4gProtein 38gVitamin C 8mg42%Calcium 85mg7%Iron 6mg32%Potassium 805mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Make all the fixin’s for a burrito in the pressure cooker in one pot – the beans, the chicken and the rice.  Serve it in a bowl or wrap it into a burrito.

I used a few healthy substitutions in this recipe – the kind that, mostly, no one will notice.

The typical white rice is replaced with parboiled (also called converted rice).  To make parboiled rice he whole rice kernel (brown rice) is actually steamed before the bran is removed.  This process transfers some of the extra nutrients to the “white” parboiled rice.  The process changes the rice’s starch so that the grain has more fiber and a lower glycemic impact (38 GI for parboiled vs. 89 for white rice) – even lower than brown rice (which averages a 50 GI).

I replace the lettuce with raw cabbage – that’s an extra dose of Vitamin C and a little extra fiber, too.

My favorite, most-used, substitution is swapping out the typical sour cream for plain whole milk yogurt.  That’s a significant savings if you’re watching your fat-intake (3.5% fat for plain yogurt vs. 30% for sour cream).

I generally don’t recommend pressure cooking boneless-skinless chicken breasts because they’re easily over-cooked.  However, the chicken breast works in this recipe for several reasons. First I use a whole half-breast which is nice and thick – the thicker something is, the slower it pressure cooks.  Next, the meat is on top of the beans and primarily steaming – steamed meat pressure cooks slower than boiled meat.  Then, the bowl that’s cooking the rice is right on top of the chicken so it will protect it a bit and slow down its cooking time even more.  Lastly, we actually want  the chicken to over-cook so that it can be easily shredded.

Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice recipe that is packed with flavor. With black beans, rice, corn and protein, it is a killer one pot meal.

This Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice recipe has vegetables, protein, and carbs all cooked together. Now that is my kind of meal! Just one of over 100+ quick Instant Pot recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)

Instant Pot Mexican Chicken

We started this journey by making “regular” pressure cooker chicken and rice. There are less ingredients in this one and close to the traditional Campbells casserole you had as a child.

It was time to amp this up as a hearty Cinco de Mayo recipe, it was a real win for us all. You can make it as a Ninja Foodi recipe as well, any pot works.

Let’s start with a few basic tips:

• Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
• Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
  • This is a great InstaPot cookbook and set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
  • I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
    • You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.

For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.

Mexican Chicken and Rice

Yes you could make this on the stovetop in a pot. You’d follow the same instructions below but the cook time would be much longer. I’d make sure to stir it a few times and brown the meat in your first step.

Once your rice is nice and tender remove it promptly so it doesn’t overcook and dry out.

How do you make chicken and rice from scratch?

We will show you how right here. Using a pressure cooker means you only dirty one pot and the cook time with time to reach pressure is close to 20 minutes flat. It’s a great way to cook a low fat meal.

This Spanish style one has some spice, or go Asian and make Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and rice.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

It is kinda like a loaded Instant Pot casserole of sorts. We love these because everything is added into the inner lining with NO precooking required. The biggest tip to remember when adding pasta or rice is to NOT stir it in.

You do not want either of these laying on the bottom or else burn on Instant Pot message may flash on your screen. If so the pot will turn off and you may not be able to rectify the issue since it’s all stirred together already.

1. Diced boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs would work too
2. Uncooked long grain white rice – I do not use Instant Pot brown rice for this as it would cook much longer and the other ingredients would overcook a bit. Jasmine rice uses slightly different timing.
3. Chicken broth
4. Can of Rotel
5. Drained can of corn kernels
6. Black beans drained too
7. A bit of olive oil to saute your meat

Cheese is a must for us but if you needed it to be dairy free you could omit that entirely. We use a lot, some stirred in and more served on the top when done.

Is chicken breast and rice healthy?

If left plain with just some seasonings and no sauce then yes. Unless you are focusing on a low carb or keto diet which would say no to the rice portion it is quite healthy as is made separately or together.

Can you cook rice and meat at the same time in Instant Pot?

Yes! We have done this with many other Instant Pot casseroles. Using different types of meat such as sausage and beef too it is a great way to make a homemade meal quickly.

Something else you might wonder about and we need to answer right up front:

Can you put raw chicken in Instant Pot?

Of course. You can even cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot if you forgot to defrost it. I typically saute it with olive oil but occasionally like with our Instant Pot orange chicken I skip that step too.

As far as the liquid goes you could use either broth or water. I will say that the first offers the entire dish a lot more flavor than the other though.

I mean if I have some vegetable broth in the fridge that needs to be used up I’ll use that and the rest will be chicken stock.

Just wait until the very end to add your starch. Like I stated below you need to just sprinkle it on top and use your spoon to gently submerge it into the liquid below. Then the white rice will get tender but not burn.

Time needed: 9 minutes.

Instant Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

1. Prepare

   Turn pot to saute and add olive oil. Add cubed chicken, diced onion and garlic if you wish, salt, garlic powder, paprika and some red pepper flakes.
   
   Cook until meat is no longer pink on the outside and then turn your pot off.
   
   Pour in your can of rotel without draining it (you want the liquid too), drained black beans and drained can of kernel corn to the bottom of the pot. Add your chicken broth. Stir all of this together.
   
   Sprinkle uncooked white rice on to the top and gently use back of spoon to submerge into the liquid, do not stir together.

2. Cook

   Put lid on, close steam valve and set to high pressure for 9 minutes. Allow for a 2 minute natural release when done. Then quick release rest of steam.
   
   Lift your lid, fluff rice mixture with a fork and sprinkle 1 cup of your cheese on top. Now gently mix that in and set top on again just for 3 minutes so that melts.

Lift top off, serve with additional cheese, sour cream, chili powder, diced tomatoes, green onions, avocado slices on top. I mean I am sure you have other ideas for toppings as well….

This is what it looks like when we’re ready to chow down!! You can make it in any brand pressure cooker you may own. I have a Crockpot Express, Mealthy, Foodi and IP.

Ninja Foodi Mexican Chicken and Rice

If you do have this type of pot you could even go a step further! Like our Ninja Foodi spaghetti recipe you can add that extra layer of cheese and then air crisp it. That way it gets a bit crispy and brown and OH MY, need I say more.

That is amazing, you could do the same if you poured this into an oven safe dish. Layer more cheese on the top and under your boiler just for a few minutes. If you don’t want to do either it still tastes amazing y’all.

Pressure Cooker Mexican Rice

Looking for other ideas beyond this one but with the same Spanish flare? We have a bunch like our Instant Pot chicken taco bowls and more….

• A great under 30 minute meal is this pressure cooker Mexican pizza that is fun to layer up.
• Try our slow cooker chicken enchilada soup some night.
• Our Instant Pot black pepper chicken is fabulous too.

Instant Pot taco pasta uses ground beef, is creamy and delicious with the bold flavors of taco seasoning in it.

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Instant Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice recipe that is packed with flavor. With black beans, rice, corn and protein is a killer one pot meal.

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword casserole, chicken, instant pot, mexican, pressure cooker, rice

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 9 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 582kcal

Author The Typical Mom

Equipment

• pressure cooker

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 c rice white, long grain, uncooked
• 1 can rotel 10 oz.
• 1 can black beans 15 oz, drained
• 1 can corn kernels, drained
• 2 1/4 c chicken broth
• 2 c cheese colby jack and cheddar mix was used
• 2 green onions diced
• 1 tomato diced

Instructions

• Turn pot to saute and add olive oil. Add cubed chicken, diced onions, salt, garlic powder, paprika and red pepper flakes once oil is hot and cook until meat is no longer pink on the outside.

• Turn pot off and pour in can of rotel, drained black beans and corn as well as your chicken broth. Stir together.

• Sprinkle uncooked white rice on to the top and gently use back of spoon to submerge into the liquid, do not stir together.

• Put lid on, close steam valve and set to high pressure for 9 minutes with a 2 minute natural release. Then let out rest of steam quickly.

• Lift lid, fluff rice mixture and sprinkle 1 cup of your cheese on top. Gently mix in and set top on again just for 3 minutes so that melts.

  How do you keep chicken from getting rubbery in the Instant Pot?

  Some things to keep in mind when cooking chicken: If your boneless chicken breast winds up with a weird, rubbery texture, it probably means that you need to cook it longer. In general, the Instant Pot does better with longer cook times for meat.

  Why is my Instant Pot chicken always dry?

  If your instant pot chicken is dry, you may have overcooked it. Don't worry – you can fix this! Stir your cooked chicken with 1/2 cup of chicken broth and store it with excess broth. The chicken will absorb the liquid and get a moist texture.

  How long does it take to cook raw chicken in Instant Pot?

  Pressure cook on high for 8-10 minutes for fresh chicken breast, or 10-12 minutes for frozen chicken (depending on the thickness of the breasts). Cook time stays the same no matter how much chicken you add to the pot; the pot will just take longer to come to pressure.

  Does cooking chicken longer in Instant Pot make it more tender?

  Cooking any meat on high heat (or high pressure) for an extended period will both: denature more the proteins / collagen making the meat more tender; "squeeze" more water out of the meat, making it drier / chalkier in texture.