Instant Pot Fideo

Instant Pot Fideo–a homemade version of Cafe Rio’s fideo noodle meal with chicken. The Instant Pot cooks the noodles and chicken while the other ingredients braise in flavor-infused broth. The whole thing comes together in a few minutes and tastes great served with a wedge of lime, cilantro, cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips.

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Instant Pot Fideo

If you’re lucky enough to live in a town that has a Cafe Rio you know how good their fresh-mex food is! When Greg and I were in college we lived near the first Cafe Rio (before they started franchising) and it was such a special date night when we could go get some Cafe Rio burritos or salads. The line was always SO long though. It felt like we were in line to ride Space Mountain.

Fideo is always the Friday special at Cafe Rio. And unlike traditional fideo which is a mexican noodle soup (sopa de fideo) the Cafe Rio version is not very brothy at all. It’s more of a vermicelli pasta dish with all the Cafe Rio delicious toppings. Don’t forget the toppings for your at-home version! They make this dish go from good to great! Kids love adding toppings to their own bowls.

Ingredients and Substitutions

You’ll need a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot make this recipe. I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil–or 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced–you’ll saute these until softened
• 1/2 cup diced onion–I used a small yellow onion
• 1 green onion, chopped–for flavor and color
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic cloves–you can use fresh or jarred
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth–I used 2 ½ cups of water + 2 ½ teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon Base. You can also use vegetable broth.
• 8 oz angel hair pasta or vermicelli pasta–I used vermicelli. You can also use plain spaghetti or thin spaghetti. Barilla has a pasta that is actually called Fideo noodles and it’s cut into 1 inch pieces.
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces–Or you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It’s important that the chicken is cut into pieces so that they cook at the same rate as the pasta. Don’t throw in whole pieces of chicken.
• 2 tsp cumin–seasoning
• 2 tsp coriander–seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper–seasoning
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper–seasoning
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt–to bring out flavors of every ingredient
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fired roasted tomatoes–if you’re in a pinch you can use regular diced tomatoes but I really love fire roasted because the tomatoes’ sweetness is brought out and there is a distinct smokiness
• 1 (4 oz) can green chiles–I used mild
• 1 lime, juiced–for that fresh citrus punch
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro–for topping
• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)–for a fresh factor
• 1/4 cup sour cream–for a creamy topping
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese–cheese and cafe rio just go together
• 4 lime wedges–for a fresh citrus punch
• 1/2 cup tortilla strips–for a little bit of crispy crunch. I find these in the salad dressing aisle by the croutons. I bought the Kroger brand santa fe variety and they were perfect!

Instructions to Make Cafe Rio Fideo Recipe in the Instant Pot

1. Saute: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the olive oil, carrots and onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Add in the green onion and garlic and saute for 60 seconds. Add in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
2. Add all ingredients in a strategic manner: Break the pasta in half or smaller pieces and add to the pot in a criss cross pattern (this will prevent the pasta from sticking and cooking together in a big clump). Place chicken evenly over the pasta (the chicken releases moisture and helps cook the pasta correctly). Sprinkle the cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt over the chicken. Dump the tomatoes and green chiles on top. Don’t stir (this will prevent burn error message).
3. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes (yes this is long enough to cook the chicken!) When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
4. Stir and top: Stir well. Stir in the lime juice. Scoop evenly into 4-6 bowls. Top each serving with cilantro, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, lime wedges and tortilla strips. Eat and enjoy!

Serving Your Fideo

The toppings are a non-negotiable part of this Cafe Rio Fideo!!! Let every family member pick what and how much they like. Here are some ideas:

• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco
• Sour cream or Creme Fraiche
• Tortilla strips or tortilla chips
• Diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
• Guacamole or diced avocado
• Lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro
• Hot sauce

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More Cafe Rio Recipes

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Chicken

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Black Beans

Recipe For Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc. Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.