Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot

Chicken Stock in the Instant Pot

I love cooking chicken on the bone, as evidenced by my previous post.  It's often cheaper than boneless skinless.  And the flavour is not only far richer when chicken is cooked on the bone, but it also keeps the meat moist and tender.  In addition, once I've cooked up a bunch of chicken, I have these beautiful bones to make broth with.  I wait till I have enough bones to fill the IP, and let 'er rip!

Ingredients

* Chicken bones

* Water

* Splash of cider vinegar

Directions

* Fill IP with lots of bones.

* Add water up to the demarcation line.

* Splash some vinegar in there.

* Cook on manual for 120 minutes.  

* Strain the broth and return the bones to the IP.

* Repeat.

* Enjoy!

Super Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thigh Recipes

I've been cooking with a pressure cooker for years, but I just discovered the wonder of the Instant Pot - an electric, programmable pressure cooker.  For all those looking to simplify their lives, here's my best, easiest bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh Instant Pot recipes:

Each of these recipe's is great straight out of the pot.  I like batch cooking, so I cook at least four recipes with packs of chicken in one sitting.  I love to cook chicken on the bone because it's so flavourful and nutritious.  When I am done cooking each batch, I let it cool and remove the chicken from the bone for all the recipes.  If you have room in the fridge, it's easiest to do all the cooking on one night and all the boning the next.  It's a bit of work, but well worth the results.  Plus, all the fat comes to the top and I skim it off to cook with in place of butter.  Chicken fat, yum!  I also save all the bones and make a huge batch of broth.  The result for each of these recipes is tender, juicy chicken - so much better than dry, tasteless boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:
1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
4 cups water
2 cup white wine
1 cup dijon mustard
2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve over rice or quinoa.


Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup honey

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fresh ginger

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup cornstarch

optional: green onion, sesame seeds, 1 can of diced pineapple

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Add can of pineapple if desired.  Thicken with cornstarch and serve over rice.  Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

Mexican Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large cans chopped stewed tomatoes

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve over rice or quinoa.

To make this into a chicken tortilla soup, once chicken cooks, remove the chicken, add and cook for 6 more minutes:
1 chopped carrots
1 stalk celery
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 cup raw quinoa
1 cup water or broth

Release pressure and add:
1 diced zucchini
1 cup diced mushrooms
Cover and allow these two to cook in the residual heat.

Italian Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large cans chopped stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over spaghetti.

Lemon Chicken

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 chopped onion

6 garlic cloves, whole

2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 cup water

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over rice or quinoa.

Persian Chicken with Pomegranates and Walnuts

1 family pack chicken thighs (12-14 thighs) (chicken quarters work as well)

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. butter

3 onion, thinly sliced

2 cups walnuts, roasted (cashews, almonds, and pecans work, too)

3 cups pomegranate juice

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Saute onions in butter.  Roast walnuts.  Dump everything in the Instant Pot and use the manual timer to set for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh pomegranates and serve over rice or couscous.

Please Note:
I like my chicken saucy, but if you prefer less sauce, you can half the recipe while using the same amount of chicken.

These recipes freeze well.  I store them in quart size ziplock bags and pull them out of the freezer the night before.  They heat up quickly in a small pot, so all you need to do is make some rice, quinoa, or pasta and, voilà, dinner is served.

Chicken/Beef Tortilla Soup

I stumbled into this recipe while looking for something else, tried it, and fell in love! Dan and I have had it a bunch of times since. It's so simple and yummy! I can't find the original, but I changed it so much that it doesn't really matter. Here's how I remember it:

Boil 1 whole chicken, let cool and remove meat.
OR
Fry up 1-2 lbs. lean ground beef with taco seasoning

1 T EVOO
1-2 onions
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3-4 carrots, chopped
2-3 bell peppers
chicken stock from recently boiled victim OR water and some bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1 T. black pepper
1 T. chili powder
4-5 potatoes, chopped
1-2 small cans of beans (or use homemade like I did) - pinto, black, kidney, mix & match
1 18 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 small handful of fresh cilantro
1 can of corn

* In a large pot, heat oil and fry up onions, carrots, and bell peppers till beginning to soften (use any other veggies you'd like - these are just the cheapest, most accessible ones here).
* Add stock or water plus bouillon cubes (eye-ball it). Bring to a boil.
* Add spices, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, corn, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil again. Let simmer till thickens nicely.
* Serve with avocado, if you can (we can't get good ones here, so we just eat them with warm flour tortillas - chips are fattening and not any more enjoyable for us!).

NOTE: I always make a big pot of soup to chow on all weekend. It's also a hearty meal to serve to guests. So I always include the maximum of all these ingredients. Some leftover rice is used up well in this soup, as are cooked veggies of your choice, as long as you throw them in towards the end. A great way to use up all sorts of leftovers. Buen provecho!

Lovin' the Mangos!

As an avid world traveler, I've consumed mangos on several continents. Therefore, I believe I speak with a bit of authority when I say that the mangos in Senegal are the best in the world! And when they're in season, they're the cheapest fruit you can buy! I've bought ridiculous amounts already, chopped them, and frozen them, so that I can enjoy this sweet treat long after they're gone from the local fruit vendor's stand. Aside from serving them with homemade yogurt with a touch of honey, I have recently served a delicious Mango Crisp, where all I did was substitute mangos for apples. I'd share that recipe, but I don't have it with me - it stayed at home, along with all my beloved cookbooks, and most all of our theology books as well! So, while this entry isn't truly a recipe (as I promised to provide with this blog), it is a suggestion. Try making a healthy crisp with whole wheat flour, oats, and just a tough of brown sugar. Instead of the full amount of butter your'd normally use, substitute some of it with fruit juice (lemon juice adds a nice tang!).

On another note, sorry I haven't posted any recipes here. I hardly have the chance to post on our primary blog - www.xanga.com/whatsupwithdat. Maybe once I get more organized I'll be able to share some fun Senegalese recipes. Or, if anyone reading this reads our newsletters (found at www.geocities.com/danandangiethornton), we usually include a recipe. So, hopefully soon I'll be able to at least post all of these here for easier access.

Why Bother?

Because I figure I can post recipes and food-related stories here, and everything else on www.xanga.whatsupwithdat. Maybe I'll change my mind and end up just using xanga, since that's where the majority of my friends are. But I thought I'd give blogger a try since so many people say it's better than xanga. We'll see!