Instant pot Mexican chicken and rice is an easy one-pot meal that the whole family will love! Ready in minutes, this is a super quick dinner.
Having a fast and easy to make dinner is always a win, especially when it tastes delicious. Check out this Mexican chicken and rice recipe that you can make in your instant pot for a super-fast dinner, perfect for those hectic nights!
Something that is really great about this instant pot Mexican chicken is that you can make it as hot and spicy or as mild as you want. It’s incredibly easy to do either, just buy your favorite salsa of choice in your preferred heat range.
If spicy isn’t your thing and even the mild salsa puts a little too much heat on your tongue, don’t worry because the cream cheese and water in this recipe really help to tone it down, giving you the flavor without much of the heat!
How to make this instant pot Mexican chicken
- Place your frozen chicken tenders, salsa, and salt in the instant pot and then insert the trivet.
- Pour rice and water into an 8-inch cake pan or an instant pot insert made to stand on the trivet and then place it on the trivet.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 7 minutes and let it have a natural release for 4 minutes. Manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the rice from the instant pot and add cream cheese to the chicken and salsa.
- Replace the lid and let it sit for a few minutes and then shred the chicken.
Can I use thawed chicken tenders?
Yes, you can, and because they are thawed, you should reduce the cooking time from 7 minutes down to 4 minutes to prevent them from overcooking. This helps to put dinner on the plate even faster!
What goes good with Mexican chicken and rice?
My corn with bell peppers and bacon recipe would be an incredible pairing with this dish ut other ideas include tortilla chips and refried beans as this easy dish goes great with the easy side dishes.
Instant Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white rice
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 6 chicken tenders frozen, see note
- 2 cups salsa
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place chicken tenders, salsa, and salt in the instant pot.
- Insert trivet. Pour rice and water into an 8-inch cake pan or an Instant Pot insert made to stand on the trivet. Place on a trivet.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 7 minutes. Let natural release for 4 minutes. Manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove rice from the instant pot. Add cream cheese to the chicken and salsa.
- Replace lid and let it sit for a few minutes. Shred the chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
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- Homemade Chili
- Baked BBQ Chicken
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- White Rice
- Steak Salad
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
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- Pressure Cooker Recipes
- Vegetable Side Dishes
- Oven Roasted Turkey
Shannon says
Alli, this looks so delicious. I’ve never seen the rice cooked over the “main” ingredients in the IP, gotta say that’s genius!
Alli says
Thank you, Shannon! I appreciate your kind comment. The rice cooked over the main dish was a result of me being too lazy to make them separate – ha! I was glad my experimenting worked!
Candace says
Made this last evening….we loved it! The only issue I had was with the 8-inch cake pan. Once I got it in, there was very little room to get it back out. Can you tell me where you got your little insert for the rice? Thanks very much!
Cheers, Candace
Alli says
So quick and easy and delicious!