Name: Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas with Mexican Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 29 min
Ingredients: 1-1/2 lbs chicken breast or thigh ((cut into 1/2" by 2" to 3" long strips)); 4 bell peppers ((varying colors, cut into 1/2" wide strips)); 1 large onion ((sliced)); 1 recipe fajita seasoning ((or 1 store-bought packet)); 1/2 cup water; aalt and pepper to taste; 8 flour tortillas ((fajita size)); Toppings: grated cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, salsa; 2 cups instant rice; 2 cups juices from the pot + water to make up the difference; 1 cup salsa; salt and pepper to taste

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Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas are an easy and flavorful weeknight meal. Your favorite Mexican recipe is now made convenient in your pressure cooker. Bonus! Instructions for making Instant Pot Mexican rice are included too.

Instant Pot chicken fajitas wrapped in flour tortillas and garnished with cilantro, avocado lime dressing, and diced tomatoes

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Chicken Fajitas Instant Pot
How to Serve
Ingredients and Tools
Variations
Instructions
Cooking Tips
Questions
More Instant Pot Recipes
More Mexican Recipes
⭐ Stay Connected
Recipe
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Chicken Fajitas Instant Pot

"I love any excuse to use my Instant Pot. 🙂 My favorite thing about these chicken fajitas Instant Pot recipe is that they have so much flavor. You can use the leftover liquids in the pot to make tasty Mexican rice too. Perfect for the whole family." -Kori

Love fajitas? Be sure to try this Chicken Fajita Soup that can be made in your Instant Pot, crockpot, or on the stove. Or this super easy Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe. Enjoy!

So Much Flavor

The fajita seasoning is what gives these fajitas a punch of flavor. Make sure to set aside at least 1 tablespoon to sprinkle over the cooked fajitas. I will often double the seasoning in case anyone wants additional flavor.

If you don't feel like making your own fajita seasoning, you can also pick up a packet from the store!

Instant Pot Convenience

Aside from any toppings you want to add, this is a perfect one-pot meal intended to be easy and convenient. You do not have to sautee the chicken or the bell peppers and onions.

You can also use the leftover juices in the pot to make really delicious Mexican rice.

Healthy

Chicken fajitas in Instant Pot are lower in fat than typical fajitas as no sauteeing is needed, so no oil is used.

The variety of bell peppers, vegetables, and tomatoes ensure you are working your fair share of veggies into your meal.

Want to make this chicken fajitas Instant Pot recipe low carb and keto?

Use low carb or keto friendly tortillas, or serve over lettuce or an avocado.
To add healthy fat drizzle a little olive oil, add diced avocado, or make avocado dressing. You can also add extra cheese and sour cream too.
Use cooked riced cauliflower instead of real rice. No need to add water, just add salsa and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and peppper

You can find the full nutritional analysis in the recipe card.

How to Serve

Instant Pot chicken fajitas are intended to be a meal in one, but if you're looking for something a little more:

Serve with a fresh green salad with an Mexican inspired salad dressing such as Avocado Dressing.
If you're hosting an Mexican style meal. Serve with other popular Mexican dishes such as Green Enchilada Chicken Soup, Zucchini Ground Beef Taco Casserole
Serve with a side of homemade guacamole and some chips or fresh veggies to dip.
To make this low carb omit the rice (or make it for your family) and use low carb tortillas. Keto followers should use keto friendly tortillas or serve over lettuce, an avocado, or over riced cauliflower.

Ingredients and Tools

Here are the ingredients and tools you'll need to make this chicken fajitas Instant Pot recipe. For exact amounts, see recipe card! 🙂

Ingredients

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Breast - boneless and skinless; chicken thighs will also work
Bell Peppers - use any color you like
Onion -
Fajita Seasoning
Water
Salt
Pepper
Cheddar Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Optional - sour cream, cotija cheese, cilantro, avocado dressing

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Instant Rice
Salsa
Juices from the pot + Chicken Broth or Water - you want a total of 2 cups of liquid.
Salt
Pepper

Tools

6 quart Instant Pot or other Pressure Cooker brand.
Cutting Board
Chef Knife
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Mixing Bowl
Thongs
Mixing Spoon

Variations

Here are a variety of ways you can make substitutions or customize your Instant Pot chicken fajitas:

Use different vegetables. You add vegetables to this recipe or even take away the ones you don't like. I love to add diced zucchini and mushrooms.
Use hot sauce or salsa for additional heat.
You can substitute taco seasoning instead of fajita seasoning. If you think you might want extra fajita flavor you can double the fajita seasoning recipe.
If you want to make low carb and keto Mexican rice you can use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. Refer to the question Question section below. Literally, only 2 ingredients. Really easy.

Instructions

Here's how to make this chicken fajitas Instant Pot recipe 🙂

For a printable recipe with full ingredients, see the recipe card below.

Okay, let's get cooking!

Season Chicken and Vegetables

In a large bowl, season chicken, peppers, and onion with fajita seasoning (set aside 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning for later). Stir until mixed.

Seasoning chicken and vegetables with fajitas seasoning

Pressure Cook

Add water to the Instant Pot, then place a rack in the pot. Place chicken, peppers, and onions on the rack.

Secure lid and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Once complete, quick release the steam.

Remove chicken and vegetables and place in a bowl.

Getting ready to pressure cook chicken, peppers, and onions

Make Rice

Add the rice to the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Select Saute High setting. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

As soon as the rice simmers, turn the pot off, add salsa, and sit for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Serve

Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with the remaining fajita seasoning.

Adjust salt and pepper for both the fajitas and the rice to taste.

Serve fajitas on flour tortillas with lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomato, and any other favorite toppings. Serve the rice on the side.

Serve and enjoy!

Serving chicken fajitas with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and avocado dressing

Cooking Tips

Use a rack to place chicken and vegetables on before pressure cooking. This will help to keep the peppers and onions out of the juices and from becoming soggy.
You only need 1/2 cup water to pressure cook this recipe as the vegetables and chicken will release their own juices into the pot.
For uniform cooking keep the chicken pieces similar in size approximately 1/2" by 2" to 3" long and the peppers also 1/2"wide.
Adjust any seasoning to your liking. Use any topping or garnish as desired
The rice is optional and you can skip if you prefer.

Questions

Can I freeze this recipe?

No, I do not recommend that you freeze the chicken fajitas as the cooked bell peppers and onions become too soggy.

How do I store this recipe?

Allow the fajitas to cool, then place them in an air-tight container in your refrigerator. Store any tortilla shells in a separate container.

How long will this recipe keep?

This chicken fajitas Instant Pot recipe will keep up to 4 days if stored in an air-tight container in your refrigerator.

Can I use riced cauliflower instead of rice to make the Mexican rice?

Yes, you can use riced cauliflower in place of the rice turning this into a delicious and SUPER easy 2 ingredient gluten-free, low carb, and keto Mexican rice!

The fastest way to cook riced cauliflower is in the microwave, which you can do while the chicken fajitas are cooking in the Instant Pot. Here's what to do:

Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup water with the cauliflower in a microwave safe dish and cook until desired tenderness is reached - approximately 5 to 7 minutes, depending upon your microwave.
Remove rice from the dish and drain any liquid. Transfer to a bowl (or back to your original dish) and add salsa, salt, and pepper to taste.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Here are several more pressure cooker recipes that you might enjoy:

More Mexican Recipes

If you're looking for more Mexican inspired recipes, here are some of my favorites:

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If you tried Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas, I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a star rating and/or a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please share photos of your creations with me and others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas

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