This cheesy Instant Pot Fiesta Lime Chicken is made with cubed chicken breasts, Jasmine rice, black beans, a variety of spices, and served with a blend of cheeses.
This is a quick and easy meal and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!
Instant Pot Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice
This recipe for Fiesta Lime Chicken in the Instant Pot is easy and quick. It can be a dump and start meal by not searing all sides of the chicken breasts and dumping all of the ingredients in if you wish. To lock in the most flavor and moisture don't skip out on searing all sides of the chicken.
For a successful Instant Pot dinner using rice, don't stir the ingredients in the pot. Instead, layer them and top the fiesta lime chicken ingredients off with the chicken broth. Remember, don't stir, close the lid, and start pressure cooking.
RELATED: Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl
Ingredients in Instant Pot Fiesta Lime Chicken
The ingredients are for this recipe are simple and everyday ingredients. Chicken breasts are used in this recipe but they can be substituted for boneless thighs.
- Chicken breasts - chopped into bite sized pieces
- Onion - diced
- Garlic cloves - minced
- Seasonings - onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Lime juice - fresh or bottled
- Red bell pepper - chopped
- Green bell pepper - chopped
- Rotel
- Black beans - drained and rinsed
- Jasmine rice - rinsed
- Chicken broth - low sodium
- Mexican shredded cheese or cheddar cheese
- Cilantro - for garnish
RELATED: Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna
How to Make Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice in the Instant Pot
Prepare the chicken - To prepare the chicken, cut the boneless skinless breasts into small bite-sized pieces. If using boneless thighs, do the same and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables - Coarsely chop the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper and set aside.
Sear the chicken - Add olive oil to the inner liner of the Instant Pot and set it to saute. Add the chicken to the inner liner once it is hot and add in the diced onion and garlic cloves. Sear all the sides of the chicken.
Deglaze the pot - Press cancel on the Instant Pot. Using a wooden spoon or equivalent, deglaze the bottom of the inner liner by scraping off any stuck-on bits from searing the chicken. Any left behind pieces stuck to the inner liner will result in a burn notice and no one wants that!
Add the spices and vegetables - Once the pot is deglazed, sprinkle in the onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Top the chicken and seasonings with the chopped green and red bell peppers.
Prepare the rice - Rinse the rice before adding it to the inner liner. This will remove any extra starch and help prevent it from getting gummy.
Add the beans, lime juice, and Rotel - Drain and rinse the black beans and add them on top of the rice. Pour in the lime juice and dump the can of Rotel on top of all of the other ingredients. Do not stir. The liquid needs to sit on top of the rice for it to cook properly.
Top it off with chicken broth - Before pressure cooking, add the low sodium chicken broth on top of the other ingredients but do not stir. Stirring may result in issues with the pot not coming to pressure and/or getting a burn notice on your Instant Pot.
Pressure Cook - Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK for 7 minutes and allow a 5-minute natural release before releasing any remaining pressure and removing the lid.
Top with cheese - After the lid is removed, mix the chicken, veggies, and rice together then top it off with shredded cheese before serving. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Fiesta Lime Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 onion - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - chopped
- 1 green bell pepper - chopped
- 15 oz black beans - drained and rinsed
- 10 oz Rotel
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 cups Jasmine rice
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth - low sodium
- 1 cup Mexican shredded cheese or cheddar cheese
- cilantro - for garnish
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil.
- Add the diced chicken breasts, diced onion, and minced garlic.
- Sear all sides of the chicken and press cancel once seared. This only takes a few minutes.
- Press cancel and deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping any and all stuck on bits of food.
- Sprinkle the onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper on top of the chicken.
- Rinse the Jasmine rice before layering it evenly into the pot.
- Dump in the drained and rinsed black beans, lime juice, and the can of Rotel.
- Pour in the chicken broth.
- Do not stir.
- Close the lid and set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK for 7 minutes.
- Allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes once the time is up before releasing any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid carefully away from the face and stir the chicken, veggies, and rice together.
- Top with the shredded cheese and serve.
- Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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