A complete meal that’s made in one pot and is ready in 30 minutes, healthy, and full of flavor — this Instant Pot chicken is a weeknight lifesaver!
Admittedly, this recipe isn’t the prettiest thing in the world. However, on my reader survey, it was pretty clear what most of you wanted. More healthy recipes! More 30 minute meals! More Instant Pot recipes. Boom — this one covers all three.
You guys weren’t so much into special diet recipes and guess what? This definitely isn’t Whole30 compliant and it’s not dairy-free or vegan. It does happen to be gluten-free (which surprisingly most of you aren’t into at all), but it’s purely coincidence. How do they call it? Naturally gluten-free? That’s this recipe.
Also, I know you’re not all owners of an Instant Pot — it’s okay! There are plenty more non-Instant Pot recipes in the days to come.
If you’re looking to purchase an Instant Pot, this is the one I have. I initially used it mostly for food prep such as boiled eggs and shredded chicken breasts but have found that it does so much more than that! I’m expanding my repertoire of Instant Pot recipes to include more dinner recipes – you all know how much I love a dinner that’s made in one pot/pan/dish!
More about this Instant Pot Chicken:
This Instant Pot chicken recipe is basically magic. You put all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and seal it and about 30 minutes later, BOOM. DINNER IS SERVED. Chicken, quinoa, vegetables, everything you need. You all know how much I love toppings, and this recipe is perfect for toppings. Cilantro, green onions, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, whatever your heart desires.
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this one! Make sure to come back and rate the recipe after you make it. If you do make it, snap a photo and post it on Instagram – make sure to tag me and use the hashtag #RachelCooks — I LOVE seeing what you’re making in the kitchen!
Want to kick this up a notch and make it a little more unique? Learn how to pickle red onions (you won’t believe how easy it is!) and sprinkle a few on top!
More healthy Instant Pot recipes
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Fall Instant Pot Shakshuka With Butternut Squash
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes
- Instant Pot Chili
- Healthy Chicken Piccata in the Instant Pot
- 21+ Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes by Creme de la Crumb
Southwestern Instant Pot Chicken and Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 bell pepper, any color (diced small)
- ½ red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided (more or less, depending on your preferences)
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot, stir together chicken broth, black beans, canned tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, quinoa, and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning.1 cup low sodium chicken broth, 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, 1 bell pepper, any color, ½ red onion, diced, ¾ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- Arrange chicken on top and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. Secure the lid and turn valve to seal.1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (or manual, High Pressure, depending on your model) for 10 minutes.
- Carefully turn valve to vent to quick release pressure. When pressure is completely released, remove the lid. Check the internal temperature of the chicken; it should be 165°F or above.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken. Replace the cover (just set it on top, you don't have to seal it) for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. There should be enough residual heat to melt the cheese.½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Divide chicken and quinoa mixture evenly, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken: If you prefer, a comparable amount of boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used instead.
- Spice level: Feel free to adjust the amount of taco seasoning to your liking, and use more or less, depending on how spicy you want it. Keep in mind that taco seasoning can vary quite a lot, depending on the brand you buy. I almost aways use my homemade taco seasoning.
- Variations: You could use pinto beans or another type of canned beans instead of black beans. Try different kinds of cheese (a Mexican blend would go well) or skip the cheese if you want to make this recipe dairy-free. Use whatever type of onion you happen to have on hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can I use slightly frozen chicken breasts? If so, should I adjust anything?
Yes, that should work! You’ll probably want to increase cooking time by 3-4 minutes. I haven’t tried it with slightly frozen chicken breasts, so I can’t make any promises about the results, but I’d love to hear back from you if you try it!
Can I try this receipe with bone-in chicken thighs? If so, how long should I cook should I cook it in the instapot?
I actually haven’t done bone-in chicken thighs in the Instant Pot yet, so I’m not sure about cooking time. I think it would be similar, though. Let me know if you try it!
Got the burn message with the mini as well. Maybe putting the tomatoes on top of the chicken and not stirring will keep it from burning.
I’m sorry, I’ve never had the burn message with the recipe. I wish I could help!
I Had the burn message come on when using leftover meat for turkey chili. The amount of food in my pot was just above the max line in the pot. It just would not get up to pressure and would indicate burn. Another time I didn’t have enough liquid in the pot.
Hmmm…did you have the rubber ring in correctly and the valve turned to seal? I’ve never tried this recipe with leftover turkey chili so I’m not sure how it would work.
No problem with the tomatoes! May want to increase the quinoa for 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts. Toppings were salsa, more cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt. Used Penzey’s Chicken taco seasoning which gave a great kick.
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I also got the “burn notice”… Gave it a stir, added 2 cups liquid, and I will try it again on low pressure. Now, the quinoa is perfect; however, the chicken is not cooked through. I will try 5 more minutes on high pressure and let you know how that goes.
Strange! I’ve never had the burn notice on my IP. I hope it worked out for you!
I am just learning to use the 3 qt mini. Do I just cut the recipe in half for the smaller Instant Pot?
Hi Janet – I haven’t tested it in the 3qt but I think halving the ingredients would work out great! Let me know if you try it!
This is the second time I have made this for the family, and we agree it’s a keeper! Lots of “Mmmm”s while we ate. Thank you for this terrific recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment – it means so much to me!
I got the burn as well, and it sucks because I was really excited to try this! I read mixing the ingredients prior to would cause a burn. I have the Lux mini, and I even put water and chicken broth into it to dilute it in hopes it wouldn’t burn, but to my dismay it didn’t work. 4 stars because this recipe is awesome!
Oh no! That’s strange, I have never had that happen. So sorry to hear that.
Just made for wife and self. Absolutely great recipe. Tweaked it a little. Because taco seasoning is usually salty, I used a lo-sodium variety. I also used RoTel diced tomatoes with green Chiles (2 cans for 20 total ounces). Again, a simple, flavorful dinner. 2 thumbs up.
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear this was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to come back leave a comment!
When I made it before, I almost forgot the tomatoes so threw them on top at the last minute & it was fine. Today I made it again and the only difference was I mixed the tomatoes in with the other wet ingredients & I got the dreaded overheat/burn alert. I Googled it and apparently it’s fairly common for thick tomato-based sauces to cause this. I’d suggest people add the tomatoes on top of everything at the end (and don’t stir!) to prevent this. Maybe that’s what happened to the other commenters who also got a burn alert.