How to make Instant Pot chicken fajita chili

Robin Donovan

Recipe Developer

If you love chili and you love fajitas — and let’s face it, who doesn’t? — the recipe below is going to be a dream come true. It’s a pressure-cooked chili made with dried beans and all the fixins' of chicken fajitas. The good news is that it requires only a few minutes of prep before cooking hands-free. Add some tortillas or a handful of tortilla chips, and you’ve got yourself a meal.
The Instant Pot is ideal for cooking dried beans. You don’t even need to soak them. Just do a 10-minute “quick soak” in the Instant Pot to soften them up. If you prefer to use canned beans, use two 15-ounce cans of pinto beans that have been rinsed and well drained, and skip step one of this recipe.

Cooktop Cove

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Chili

10 minutes

25 minutes, plus 15 minutes to come to pressure

50 minutes

1 15-ounce bag dried pinto beans

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus additional for seasoning the chicken

4 cups of water

2 onions, sliced

3 bell peppers, red, yellow, orange or a mix, seeded and cut into strips

2 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chilies

½ cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 1 pound total

Put the dried beans in the Instant Pot. Add 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, and turn the valve to the sealing position. Choose high pressure, and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the cooking time is up, quick- release the pressure, remove the lid and drain the beans.

In the Instant Pot, combine the drained beans, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt, and stir to mix.

Season the chicken with salt, and then lay the two pieces on top of the bean mixture.

Close the Instant Pot, and turn the valve to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.

Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then quick-release any remaining pressure.

Remove the chicken pieces from the pot, and shred the meat with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the pot, and stir to mix.

Serve hot, topped with cheese, sour cream and any other toppings you like.

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