Making Mexican chicken stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot pressure cooker is a quick and easy way to enjoy a healthy and tasty twist on the classic version!
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I don’t recall ever eating stuffed peppers when I was growing up. But years ago, I stumbled upon a recipe for making classic stuffed peppers (filled with beef and rice) in the slow cooker.
I would make them every so often, and we always enjoyed them. The filling always reminded me a little bit of meatloaf, which I love, so it was a win!
More recently, I wanted to try to a chicken version, mostly because I had some chicken on hand but didn’t have any beef.
Also, I didn’t have time to let them cook for a long period of time in the slow cooker, so I decided to put my beloved Instant Pot to use.
You know how they say necessity is the mother of invention? Well, that’s exactly what happened in this case!
I decided to create a Mexican-inspired filling, with taco chicken, rice, black beans, and corn. I stuffed that into the peppers and cooked them in the pressure cooker, then topped with some cheese.
The tender peppers paired with the filling was almost like eating fajitas! It was a really tasty meal made entirely in the Instant Pot pressure cooker!
If you love Mexican-inspired meals, you will probably also love my Instant Pot beef enchilada pasta and Instant Pot albondigas soup!
How Do You Pressure Cook Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot with Cooked Meat?
Pretty much all the recipes I found online for cooking stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot involved stuffing them with a filling mixture that included raw beef (or sometimes ground turkey).
Since I didn’t want to go that route, I had to figure out a different way.
I opted for a two-step process. I decided to cook the chicken, rice, beans, and corn with some seasonings in the Instant Pot first. Once that mixture was cooked, I stuffed the peppers with the mixture and then cooked the peppers in the Instant Pot. It worked beautifully!
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How Long Do You Cook Stuffed Peppers in a Pressure Cooker?
Again, most of the recipes I found involved raw meat, so the cook times for those often ranged from about 10-15 minutes. Some recipes used cooked beef in the filling and had a shorter cook time.
There are a lot of variables at play in many of these recipes, including whether the filling is pre-cooked or not, what type of pressure release is used (as some cooking still occurs during a natural release), etc.
I eventually settled on an 8 minute cook time, which worked beautifully. The peppers were nice and tender, but not totally falling apart, which was perfect.
How to Make Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot
First, you’ll prepare some bell peppers by cutting off the tops and removing the seeds and membranes (while leaving the bottom intact).
Next, add some diced chicken breast, salsa, water, rice, frozen corn, and cooked black beans to the insert pot of an Instant Pot. Add in some cumin and chili powder and a little bit of olive oil.
This all cooks at high pressure for 4 minutes, followed by a natural release.
After that has cooked, give everything a good stir and you’ve got your filling! Scoop it out of the insert pot and into another bowl.
Wipe out the insert pot and set it back into the Instant Pot. Place the trivet into the insert pot and pour a cup of water into the pot.
Stuff each pepper generously with the filling mixture.
Carefully place the peppers onto the trivet in the Instant Pot. I was able to easily fit four peppers in my 6-quart model.
Lock the lid into place and select an 8 minute cook time at high pressure.
After the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. Once the pressure releases and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
Top each pepper with some shredded cheese while they are still hot, then replace the lid for 1-2 minutes to allow the heat to melt the cheese.
Remove the lid again and carefully lift out the trivet.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes and Adaptations for Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers:
- Feel free to double the filling ingredients and save some for later. The extra filling could be frozen for next time, or it could be used for burritos or burrito bowls, etc.
- I chose white rice because its cook time is similar to that of the chicken, so I could cook them together. If you prefer to use brown rice, it would be best to use pre-cooked brown rice. In that case, decrease the amount of water to 1/2 cup, and add the cooked rice after the chicken, corn, and beans have cooked together.
Recommended Equipment:
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (I have the DUO60 model, which I love!)
- Trivet (the Instant Pot comes with one, but if your pressure cooker model didn’t come with one, you can get one here)
Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot

Making Mexican chicken stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot pressure cooker is a quick and easy way to enjoy a healthy and tasty twist on the classic version!
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large bell peppers
- 1 large chicken breast (about 1 lb), diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack, but you could use Pepper Jack, Cheddar, etc.)
Instructions
- Cut the tops off of each bell pepper. Remove the seeds and membranes, leaving the bottom of each pepper intact.
- In the insert pot of an Instant Pot, combine chicken breast pieces, salsa, corn, beans, rice, water, olive oil, cumin, and chili powder. Stir well to combine.
- Lock lid into place and use the Manual/Pressure Cook setting to select a 4 minute cook time at high pressure. When cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure.
- After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove lid. Stir filling and transfer to a separate bowl.
- Wipe out the inside of the insert pot. Place the trivet into the insert pot and add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the insert pot.
- Spoon filling into each of the hollowed bell peppers, pressing the filling in well to "stuff" the peppers.
- Place each pepper onto the trivet in the insert pot. Lock lid into place and use the Manual/Pressure Cook setting to select an 8 minute cook time at high pressure.
- Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of shredded cheese onto the top of each pepper, then close the lid again for about 1-2 minutes to allow the heat to melt the cheese.
- Remove the lid. Carefully lift the trivet out of the insert pot. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to double the filling ingredients and save some for later. The extra filling could be frozen for next time, or it could be used for burritos or burrito bowls, etc.
- I chose white rice because its cook time is similar to that of the chicken, so I could cook them together. If you prefer to use brown rice, it would be best to use pre-cooked brown rice. In that case, decrease the amount of water to 1/2 cup, and add the cooked rice after the chicken, corn, and beans have cooked together.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 992mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 10gSugar: 6gProtein: 30g
Nutrition information is provided for informational purposes only and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
More Easy Instant Pot Chicken Dinners You’re Sure to Love:
- Instant Pot Chicken Fettucine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
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