Posted on 06/01/2018 4:24:29 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Last week we tried roasting a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, and used the Lemon and Herb Chicken recipe on the Instant Pot website. The meat itself turned out amazing, very moist and tender; but as we suspected when discussing this last month, the skin was not crispy. We got around this by giving the chicken a few minutes under the broiler after cooking, and as Liz suggested one could use a chefs torch. We came away from the experience thinking that its a great way to do a chicken if you want to use the meat in a recipe, or dont mind the skin not being crispy; but we will probably roast future chickens in the oven.
A second experiment, however, turned out wonderfully. We tried the Now and Later Butter Chicken, from The Keto Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre. This recipe has become a sort of Internet sensation since the author first posted it, and it was just as interesting and satisfying as the Chicken Biryani that my husband makes, but takes far less time and work. Its called Now and Later because it makes a lot more sauce than you need, which you can freeze and use later with leftover chicken. My husband actually used more chicken than called for, and we still had leftover sauce! The recipe is endorsed by Instant Pot, and can be found on their website:
https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/butter-chicken-murgh-makhani
And here is a link to Pitres blog, where she chronicles her weight loss journey and makes available lots of recipes:
With summer and gardens coming on, I thought Id repost here one of my favorite recipes for Summer Squash. I found the following in the Smith and Hawken 'Gardeners' Community Cookbook' (a great recipe book!) and it is one of my husbands favorite recipes:
Summer Squash with Spinach Filling
For the Squash:
Boil 2 large or 4 medium, whole Summer Squash until they can be easily pierced by a knife tip, but are still firm. Allow to cool slightly, and then split them lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon. Set Aside.
Spinach Filling for Summer Squash
1 large bunch spinach, using leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped and well-drained (3/4 lb.) (often I just buy bags of baby spinach for this, and steam them slightly in the microwave.)
4 T butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
Salt
Wilt the still-moist spinach in an ungreased, heavy saute pan over medium heat, or in a microwave bowl at high heat. Drain briefly and then squeeze dry and set aside. (I have found a potato ricer to be the ideal tool for squeezing out steamed spinach.)
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add the spinach, sour cream and vinegar, and salt to taste. Stir to blend.
Spoon the spinach mixture into the hollows of the squash halves. Place in an oven proof tray and bake at about 350 degrees until heated through and the squash tender.
Filling can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight.
(I've also seen similar recipes that add some cheese to the spinach mixture; I think Parmesan would be great.)
-JT
It’s still dreadful.
:D
She’s like a redneck Martha Stewart, isn’t she?
Well, I asked Husband what squirrel tastes like. He said “It tastes like squirrel - and it’s DARN tasty!”
(But he suspects that there might be a difference between his rural Pennsylvania squirrel, and the city squirrel here...)
Yes! I expected her to say, “Squirrel: It’s a Good Thing!”
(Where did that come from?)
It really does taste like chicken.
I learned in one of my many cooking classes that you can boil rice like pasta. Drain well and use in your favorite recipe.
Don’t knock it. It does work.
I’ll forego the taste test and take your word.
Well, it makes sense, because whenever you make a soup with rice it just gets cooked in the broth.
Thanks for the ping. I’m going to have to look into the instant pot, I guess. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Still using the crockpot a lot to avoid summer heat in kitchen.
Instant Pot is good for Summer cooking, too.
I know that lately it seems I’m ‘advertising’ this thing; but I really am not promoting it for any reason except that it’s probably the most useful gadget we’ve ever bought. It takes a while to figure out which of your favorite dishes will do best in it - and not everything will do well. But after you’ve got a few recipes under your belt, it can save you a lot of time.
My favorite is Dorie Greenspan’s roast chicken for les paresseux. I have made Ina’s but think Dorie’s is better.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/roast-chicken-for-les-paresseux-500592
That looks really good. Saving it.
I use a crock pot once in a while, but there is nothing like the pleasant smell and warmth put out by a nice chicken or roast cooked in the oven...
Well, after our experiment with the chicken, I agree with you - if you want a roast chicken, do it in the oven. But the Instant Pot makes some things wonderfully well, while saving a lot of time.
I’m sure everybody here makes good chili, but I got lazy the other day and used my instant pot to make this one. It was surprisingly good and reasonably spicy. I buy my ground chiles and Cumin from Penderys on the Internet. It is much cheaper than that crap you get at the store and you get the real thing rather than some salt and a few spices that McCormick calls chili powder. Here it is. It took about 15 minutes to make it and two hours in the instant pot on regular slow cooker temperature. The onions and peppers still had some substance and the remaining crunch of the corn and diced carrots made it taste fresh and a little sweet. The Rotel tomatoes are quite spicy and are available in a slightly less hot mixture if you aren’t into red pepper. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilles (10 oz can)
Goya Black Beans (15 oz can)
One Large Vidalia Onion
One Large Green Bell Pepper
1.5 Pounds 80% Ground Chuck
Del Monte Southwest Corn with Poblano & Red Peppers (15.25 oz can)
4 Tbsp. Fresh Ground Cumin
6 Tbsp. Fresh Ground New Mexico Red Chilies
2 Medium Carrots
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Mexican Oregano
1 Tsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil
Shredded cheese of your choice (cheddar or bagged Mexican mix are best)
Instructions:
Chop up onion and green pepper into half inch chunks
Dice carrots into small pieces
Saute onion, pepper and carrots in olive oil in a big fry pan for about 5 minutes. Dont overcook them. They should still have some crunch when done. Feel free to add come ground chili pepper and cumin to the saute for flavor. Transfer the finished mixture to your crock pot.
In the same pan, fry up the meat with a bit more of the ground chiles and cumin. When it is cooked through, transfer the meat to the crock pot.
Add all three cans (black beans, corn and Rotel tomatoes) to the pot.
Mix in the remaining salt, ground chiles, ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano and thyme to the pot.
Stir it up and run the crock pot on medium or high for a couple of hours.
Garnish your bowls with shredded cheese and serve. Some people like a dollop of sour cream in the middle and some pita chips on the side. Others garnish with chopped raw onions.
I like that it has black beans. We usually make chili with just meat, but I would like a black bean one.
The chicken skin indeed won’t be crispy if cooked in the moist environment of the Instant Pot.
But searing will give you the oh so important Maillard reaction.
Yes, I’m sure it added to the flavor, even if it didn’t stay crispy.
If you haven't been to Penederys for spices, it will be well worth your while to take a look. They sell bulk spices and chilies for a tenth the price of that crap in the supermarkets.
Thanks! Several people here have recommended Pendery’s, and I’ll try them.
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