Instant Pot® Chicken and Rice with a Mexican Twist

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups long-grain white rice
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (such as RO*TEL®)
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa
• ¾ cup frozen corn
• 1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese, or more to taste

Step 1

Turn on your Instant Pot and setting it to the sauté mode. Add a little oil, then toss in the chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Let them cook for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Next, add the chicken along with cumin, cayenne, and salt. Give everything a good stir and cook until the onion is translucent and the chicken has a bit of color, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2

Add the rice to the pot, stirring so the oil and spices coat the grains nicely. Then, mix in the black beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa, and corn. Once everything is well combined, turn off the sauté function. Lock the lid in place with the vent sealed, set the pot to high pressure, and cook for 8 minutes. It’ll take about 10 to 15 minutes for the pressure to build up.

Step 3

When the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally—this can take anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes, so be patient. Once the lid is safe to remove, sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese over the top, close the lid again, and let it sit for about 3 minutes so the cheese melts perfectly. Then you’re ready to dig in!