Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
Pressure Cooking:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 1 roma tomato diced
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup corn (if frozen, microwave to thaw)
Spicy Mayo Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pot. When the display reads HOT, add sliced bell peppers and sear for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the saute mode. Wait for 1 minute to let the pot cool a bit.
- Slowly pour water into the pot. Add chicken breasts side-by-side on top of the peppers. Sprinkle salt on top. Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 20 minutes at high pressure.
- While waiting for the chicken to cook, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and stir until very smooth. Prepare any toppings that need to be chopped and measured.
- As soon as the pressure cooker is done, manually release the pressure. Transfer the chicken to a large plate, and move the bell peppers to a separate plate lined with multiple paper towels to drain. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken, then toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pressure cooker to keep the meat moist.
- Divide the chicken, peppers, and all toppings among 2 bowls. Spoon dressing on top and serve.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 740 | |
| Total Fat 53g | 82% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 48% |
| Trans Fat 0.1g | |
| Cholesterol 149mg | 50% |
| Sodium 1580mg | 66% |
| Potassium 580mg | 17% |
| Total Carb 16g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.5g | 30% |
| Sugars 4.5g | |
| Protein 49g |
Like A Chipotle Burrito Bowl
In the past decade, I’ve always lived within walking distance of a Chipotle grill despite my multiple relocations, and it remains one of my favorite fast food joints. I’m a creature of habit and always order the same thing: a burrito bowl with grilled chicken, fajita vegetables, salsa, shredded cheese, and guacamole.
You can call this shredded chicken burrito bowl a copycat of my usual Chipotle order, with many of my favorite fixings. The main differences? First, the chicken is cooked in a pressure cooker until tender enough to easily shred, instead of being grilled. Second, I choose particular fillings and limit their quantity to keep this burrito bowl as low carb and keto friendly as possible. Lastly, my version has an amazing spicy mayo dressing that you will love.
Pressure cooking the chicken, and its uses
Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts, not thighs, and they should be either fresh or thawed if frozen. To defrost, move the frozen chicken breasts to the refrigerator the night before.
I’ve experimented with different pressure cooking times for the chicken. I’ve found that 20 minutes is optimal. Yes, you can cook a chicken breast in half that time, but it won’t be easily shreddable, which is key.
After cooking, you can use the shredded meat for anything you’d like! If you don’t want to use it for a burrito bowl, you can use it for actual burritos, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, sandwiches, salads, stews, soups, and so forth. The ideas are endless.
If you’re meal prepping and making a large amount of shredded chicken, you can freeze the leftovers.
Ingredient Substitutions
The toppings listed in the recipe are more of a guideline. You can use anything you want, such as beans and rice for people who aren’t low carb, or top with cilantro and sour cream. Or maybe you want to add your favorite salsa, like this 5 ingredient Mexican salsa or salsa verde.
The spicy mayo dressing is actually inspired by one of my artichoke dipping sauces, and I highly recommend you try it. One substitution you can make is to use chipotles in adobo instead of cayenne, but you’ll have to add an extra step of pureeing everything in a blender to get a smooth dressing.
Cooking and Time-Saving Tips
- When adding the bell peppers to the hot pot and searing them, I recommend using an oven mitt to protect your hands and arms. There’s going to be a bit of splatter, so you’ll want to protect yourself by keeping your face and other exposed skin away from the pressure cooker.
- This is one of those recipes that you can easily make ahead of time. After all of the ingredients are cooked, prepped, and divided into bowls (including the dressing), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Optionally, take the bowls out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving to let them warm up slightly. No need to heat.
- Just before eating, I highly recommend mixing all the ingredients and dressing together. So good! It would also pair well with bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers as an appetizer.
