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    Home » Mexican

    Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Quinoa

    Published: Mar 29, 2019 · Modified: Oct 17, 2022 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 21 Comments

    822 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    The goodness of an enchilada with a healthy addition of quinoa, cooked in one pot for a quick meal or a relaxed weekend dinner on the couch. This Chicken Enchilada Quinoa is packed with all our favorite Mexican flavors and topped with melty cheese.

    2 bowls of chicken enchilada quinoa garnished with cilantro and scallions

    What is Quinoa

    For some of you who may not have tried quinoa, this is a great recipe to try. It is flavorful and quinoa incorporates so well with all the other ingredients. Pronounced as "Keen-Wah", quinoa is a seed and not a grain. Quinoa is a whole protein with all of the nine essential amino acids. Additionally, it is naturally gluten-free and a great source of protein for vegetarians.

    Quinoa is commonly sold in three colors – white/ivory, red and black. I prefer organic white/ivory quinoa which gives a fluffy post-cook texture. I like the Kirkland brand organic quinoa sold at Costco.

    Note: White quinoa can have a slightly muted, bitter taste. Rinse the quinoa 2 to 3 times and drain well to remove the slightly bitter taste.

    Jump to:
    • What is Quinoa
    • What is Chicken Enchilada Quinoa?
    • Vegetarian Option
    • Variations
    • How to make Chicken Enchilada Quinoa
    • More quinoa recipe
    • Recipe

    What is Chicken Enchilada Quinoa?

    • Classic enchiladas with a twist!
    • This Chicken Enchilada Quinoa recipe uses quinoa instead of traditional tortillas.
    • Rather than layering or rolling the delicious fillings inside the tortillas, this is a faster one-pot dump-and-ready version similar to a casserole.
    • In addition, packed in this meal are all of the spicy Mexican flavors, and is also very healthy and nutritious.
    White bowl with chicken enchilada quinoa and a sollop of sour cream

    Vegetarian Option

    • Substitute ground chicken with soya granules or vegan meat
    • Substitute ground chicken with vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, or squash
    • Check out this delicious Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

    Variations

    • Use homemade enchilada sauce or a good quality store-bought
    • Add 2 cups of low-sodium broth instead of water
    • If you do not have taco seasoning, for each tablespoon of taco seasoning use 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt
    • Fire-roasted tomatoes can be substituted with fresh diced tomatoes.
    Ingredients to make chicken enchilada quinoa

    How to make Chicken Enchilada Quinoa

    • First, set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Next, add ground chicken and break it in with a spatula. Then, add quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapeños, water, enchilada sauce, chili powder, and cumin(photos 1 - 4).
    steps one through four showing adding ingredients for chicken enchilada quinoa in the Instant Pot
    • Mix well, breaking in any lumps of ground chicken. Close the Instant Pot with the pressure release valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook (Hi) for 4 minutes. Allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Open the Instant Pot and mix the enchilada quinoa. Lastly, garnish with cilantro and scallions (photos 5 - 6).
    steps five through six showing chicken enchilada quinoa cooked in the Instant Pot

    More quinoa recipe

    • Instant Pot Quinoa - A perfect meal prep recipe
    • Quinoa Almond Date Truffles - love for breakfast, snack, or dessert
    • Quinoa Dosa - This Instant dosa does not need fermenting the batter and the dosa's come out crispy and delicious
    • Quinoa Idli - Pillowy soft Idli using Quinoa

    ★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.

    Recipe

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    Chicken enchilada quinoa served in 2 white bowls.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    4.70 from 13 votes

    Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Quinoa

    The goodness of an enchilada with healthy quinoa, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and jalapenos, all cooked in one pot for a quick and healthy one-pot meal. 
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 403kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground chicken
    • 1 cups uncooked quinoa
    • 1 can 15-ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 cup frozen corn
    • 1 can 15-ounce diced fire roasted tomatoes
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 cup enchilada sauce
    • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon cumin

    Optional Garnish

    • 3 green onions chopped
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
    • 1 avocado peeled and diced
    • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese or mexican cheese
    • 4 lime wedges

    Instructions

    • Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add ground chicken and break it in with a spatula. Add quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapeños, water, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and cumin. 
    • Mix well, breaking in any lumps of ground chicken. Close the Instant Pot with pressure release valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook (Hi) for 4 minutes. Allow 10 minutes natural pressure release. Open the Instant Pot and mix the enchilada quinoa. Garnish with cilantro and scallions.
    • Serve with diced avocados, pepper jack cheese, and a squeeze of fresh lime. 

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 527mg | Potassium: 1071mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. sanjay Mishra says

      April 15, 2019 at 6:29 am

      Made this tonight and it was wonderful! HIt for the whole family and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 18, 2019 at 4:07 pm

        Thank you for the feedback!

        Reply
    2. Michelle says

      April 22, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      I added salt to this but other than that it was great. Easy and healthy!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 22, 2019 at 10:33 pm

        Thank you for the feedback. So glad you enjoyed it

        Reply
    3. Nadia says

      August 25, 2019 at 7:51 pm

      Thank you very much for sharing this recipee! It's very good! I added salt and pepper to taste (I didn't have a jalapeno pepper... I added the optional cilantro (dehydrated, it's the only one I had) and i find it was very tasty and quick to make!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        August 26, 2019 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you Nadia for your lovely feedback

        Reply
    4. Matty says

      September 27, 2019 at 11:53 pm

      Just out of curiosity why do you not saute the garlic, onion, jalapeño, and cumin seeds first? I want to make this and don’t know if this step will add more flavor or be a waste of time

      Reply
      • Archana says

        September 29, 2019 at 12:14 pm

        I have tried this recipe both ways and there was no change in taste. So to save time I skip the sauté step.

        Reply
    5. Anjali says

      October 03, 2019 at 9:51 am

      This recipe looks really yummy...going to try it! If we are making it vegetarian, how much (in cups) of the substitute do we add so that we dont have to change the water or sauce amount where it ends up being too liquidy?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        October 03, 2019 at 11:12 am

        Hi Anjali, Add 1.5 cups of soya granules. If you are using veggies you can add 2 to 3 cups. Let me know how you like it 🙂

        Reply
    6. Ashley says

      January 08, 2020 at 9:42 pm

      Hi! I made this tonight but instead of ground chicken, I used one pound of beef tenderloin strips I had on hand. I then used unsalted beef stock in place of water.
      Turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 10, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        Thank you for the feedback 🙂

        Reply
    7. Zoe says

      January 11, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      I just realized I am out of quinoa, can I sub rice in for this meal? If so what measurements? Should I add extra liquid?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 11, 2020 at 8:35 pm

        You can use white rice with same water ratio.

        Reply
    8. Sarah says

      July 10, 2020 at 2:08 am

      Thank you! This was surprisingly tasty and SUPER easy and fast. A weeknight WIN for sure!5 stars

      Reply
    9. Jess says

      July 20, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Could I use chicken breast instead? If so would I then pressure cook it for 15min?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        July 22, 2020 at 3:31 pm

        If you cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes you can follow the same exact recipe and times.

        Reply
    10. Julie G. says

      October 15, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      Any of us who cook regularly make changes to recipes based on our personal preferences. I made only a couple of very simple adjustments (no jalapeno and thinly sliced chicken breast) but otherwise actually followed this recipe nearly to a tee. It was FANTASTIC!! My husband told me he wants it in our regular rotation. If you like the ingredients you see listed, you will LOVE this!5 stars

      Reply
    11. Roeh Q says

      November 19, 2020 at 12:24 am

      Literally just finished eating and my fiancé and I LOVED it! I cubed chicken thigh meat into 1in or smaller pieces and just threw it all in (I skipped the sauté step). I went olives instead of corn. And added fresh pico, cilantro, and avocado on top (avo minimal is a must IMO but I’m in CA). Thanks so much!5 stars

      Reply
    12. Radhika sharma says

      January 10, 2021 at 7:17 pm

      Just put this on and excited to try it. How long do you think this would be good in the fridge ? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 10, 2021 at 10:59 pm

        Up to 5 days refrigerated

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

    Learn More About Me!

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