Instant Pot Weeknight Chicken Enchilada Bowls
All the best flavors of cheesy chicken enchiladas are packed into loaded rice bowls that come together in 30 minutes.
Serves4 to 6
Prep5 minutes to 10 minutes
Cook25 minutes to 28 minutes
Inspired by my favorite burrito bowls, this weeknight wonder leans on the Instant Pot for the heavy lifting and packs in all the best flavors of cheesy chicken enchiladas. Best of all, it’s especially quick and easy since there are no tortillas to fill and roll. Instead, this one-pot dinner swaps the tortillas for white rice and mixes in bite-sized pieces of chicken breast, black beans, green chiles, your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce, and plenty of shredded cheese.
Layering Is the Key to Success
As we learned with our Instant Pot Burrito Bowls, the key to turning out the absolute best enchilada bowls with tender, fluffy rice is layering the dry rice over top of the other ingredients. Instead of stirring the rice into the other ingredients, you’ll actually wait until the end of cooking to do this. Why? When dry rice rests against the bottom of the pot it can easily brown too quickly or scorch, signaling to the pressure cooker there’s stuck-on food, which in can prompt a BURN error.
Instant Pot Weeknight Chicken Enchilada Bowls
All the best flavors of cheesy chicken enchiladas are packed into loaded rice bowls that come together in 30 minutes.
Prep time 5 minutes to 10 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes to 28 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
medium red onion
- 2
cloves garlic
- 1 (15-ounce)
can black beans
- 2 pounds
boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons
vegetable or canola oil
- 1 (4-ounce)
can diced green chiles
- 1 (15-ounce)
can red or green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup
uncooked long-grain white rice
- 3/4 cup
low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup
fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1
medium lime
- 2 cups
shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
Instructions
Dice 1 medium red onion and mince 2 garlic cloves. Drain and rinse 1 can black beans. Cut 2 pounds chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil in a 6-quart or larger electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot with the Sauté function. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Turn the pressure cooker off.
Add the chicken, black beans, 1 can diced green chiles (do not drain), and 1 can enchilada sauce, and stir to combine. Sprinkle 1 cup white rice over the top. Pour 3/4 cup chicken broth over the rice, but do not stir.
Lock on the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to seal. Set to cook for 10 minutes under HIGH pressure. It will take about 18 minutes to come up to pressure. Meanwhile, coarsely chop 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and cut 1 medium lime into wedges.
When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure. Add 1 1/2 cups of the shredded Mexican cheese and gently stir to combine. Divide between bowls and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese, cilantro, and a lime wedge.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.