Tag Archives: instant pot

Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Root Vegetable Mash

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From grilling to roasting, cooking a whole chicken typically takes at least an hour. It takes time to get the meat to safe temperatures (165 for the light and 175 for the dark). Combined with preparing the sides, suddenly it’s taking a whole lot longer than an hour to get dinner on the table. 

But with an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker), you can have a whole chicken and a built-in vegetable side dish on the table with just 30 minutes of cooking (plus prep). The controlled moisture and pressure means the chicken takes less time to cook and you don’t have to worry about dry meat or overcooking. The chicken cooks atop an assortment of root vegetables that can later be mashed to serve as a side.

From start to finish, this entire meal will be on your table in just over an hour—that includes completing any prep work, browning the chicken, making the sauce, and mashing the root vegetables. In other recipes, the chicken alone would take that long.

With this complete meal, you can be eating that tender, fall-off-the bone chicken in half the time it would normally take you. What’s the catch you ask? Bye-bye crackly skin, but that rotisserie chicken you pick up from your local grocery store doesn’t have any either, right? However, it will be pull-apart tender and bursting with the fresh flavors of rosemary, lemon, and chives.

The poultry was incredibly juicy and the root vegetable mash was amazing! The leftover broth could be made into a gravy with a touch of butter and a cornstarch slurry if desired.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Root Vegetable Mash

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 (4-lb.) whole chicken, giblets discarded
  • 1¼ tsp. table salt, divided
  • ¾ tsp. pepper, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 lb. rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • ¼ cup minced fresh chives
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wingtips behind back. Using highest sauté function, heat oil in Instant Pot until just smoking. Place chicken breast side down in pot and cook until well browned on first side, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate. Turn off Instant Pot.
  2. Add rosemary to fat left in pot and cook, using residual heat, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, rutabaga, potatoes, onion, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Place chicken breast side up on top of vegetables and add any accumulated juices. Lock lid into place and close pressure-release valve. Select high pressure-cook function and cook for 24 minutes.
  3. Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while preparing vegetables.
  4. Strain broth and vegetables through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Return vegetables to now-empty pot and mash with potato masher until nearly smooth. Stir in chives and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let broth settle for 5 minutes, then transfer serving bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve chicken and discard skin, if desired. Serve chicken with vegetables, passing broth and lemon wedges separately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Caren White for America’s Test Kitchen

Jamaican-Style Ginger-Chili Pot Roast with Sweet Potatoes

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This Instant Pot take on a Jamaican-style Sunday meal was in a recent issue of Milk Street Magazine. It is adapted from “Caribbean Cooking Made Easy” by British-Jamaican reggae musician and chef Levi Roots.

Changes that Milk Street made included swapping in flavor-packed beef chuck and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, bolstered by bright chilies and ginger, savory scallions and earthy thyme. Then tomato paste and soy sauce added umami-rich depth, while brown sugar and warm allspice rounded everything out.

For faster, more even cooking, divide the chuck roast into two pieces by pulling it apart at its natural seams and trimming away excess fat. Tying both pieces with kitchen twine compacts the meat, allowing the roast to fit comfortably in the pot. You can pressure cook the beef quickly or slow cook it for a hands-off, all-day affair—regardless, it will emerge fragrant and fork tender. We did the fast method which took about 2 hours and 45 minutes, all said and done.

It’s difficult at best to find a 5-pound chuck roast, so if you have the same experience, just purchase two 2 1⁄2 pound roasts. Break each one down along the seam, remove large deposits of fat, then tie the two strips back together with kitchen twine.

Our habaneros were on the large size and I was a bit concerned they might be overwhelming. However, when the meal was ready for plating and we tasted the stew, the chili kick was mild and added a perfect depth of flavor.

Probably one of the few people on earth who don’t own an Instant Pot, we used our large pressure cooker which worked just as well. We both agreed, this was one wonderful pot roast, and the tender sweet potato chunks and velvety sauce just enhanced the meal even more! Full of fruity, sweet and spicy notes, this roast is great garnished with scallion greens or cilantro and served with a crisp, green salad.

Jamaican-Style Ginger-Chili Pot Roast with Sweet Potatoes

  • Servings: 5-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
  • 1 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately (reserve some greens as a garnish)
  • 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 2 habanero chilies, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  • 5 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, separated at the seams into 2 pieces, trimmed of fat, the 2 pieces tied with kitchen twine at intervals
  • 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Directions

  1. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Heat the oil until shimmering, then add the sugar, tomato paste, scallion whites, ginger, chilies and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, thyme, allspice and ½ cup water, then nestle in the beef.
  2. Lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Press Cancel, then press Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 1 hour.
  3. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 25 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
  4. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and tent with foil.
  5. Skim off and discard the fat from the cooking liquid. Stir in the sweet potatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt. Select Normal/Medium Sauté and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Transfer the potatoes to a platter.
  7. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with 3 tablespoons water, then whisk the mixture into the cooking liquid. Add the scallion greens and simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Press Cancel to turn off the pot.
  8. Remove and discard the thyme, then stir in the lime juice. Slice the beef and arrange on the platter, then pour on some sauce. Garnish the platter with some scallion greens or chopped cilantro, and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Milk Street Magazine

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Here’s a perfect solution to celebrating a traditional St. Patrick’s day dinner without the usual long process. It’s an easy express route that uses your pressure cooker/Instant Pot. Even this method takes over two hours, so plan ahead.

When it comes to the meat itself, we prefer a thicker brisket as opposed to the flatter ones. Mix up the sour cream, whole-grain mustard and horseradish into one condiment adjusting the taste to suit your personal preferences. In our case, that means a lot of horseradish!

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 Tbsp. pickling spice
  • 4 lbs. corned beef brisket, (one piece), rinsed
  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, cleaned and cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 4 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 small head green cabbage, core intact, cut into thick wedges
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • Sour cream, prepared horseradish and whole-grain mustard, for serving

Directions

  1. Put the onion, thyme, garlic, pickling spice, brisket and 6 cups water into an Instant Pot®. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook.
  2. Seal and cook on high pressure for 85 minutes. Follow the manufacturer’s guide for quick release, then remove the meat and set aside.
  3. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and return 2 cups back to the Instant Pot® along with the butter.
  4. Add the rutabaga, leeks, carrots and cabbage to the Instant Pot®. Seal and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Quick release the steam.
  5. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and transfer to a serving platter. Arrange the vegetables around the meat, sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the sour cream, horseradish and mustard on the side.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Food Network

Spanish Beef, Red Pepper and Paprika Stew

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In Milk Street’s Fast and Slow Instant Pot cookbook, they explain Chilindrón, a hearty stew from Aragon in northeastern Spain, gets savory, meaty flavor from jamón serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham) balanced by subtly sweet tomato and red bell peppers; while paprika adds earthy flavor as well as a rich, brick-red color. Chicken, lamb or game sometimes are used, but here the succulence of a beef chuck roast is preferred.

In place of jamón serrano, the recipe uses easier-to-find Italian prosciutto, which has a similar texture and salty, nutty flavor. Pancetta, a fattier cut, works in a pinch, though it lacks some complexity. We served ours with garlicky mashed potatoes, but you could also pair with roasted potatoes or warm, crusty bread.

We used sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce). Spanish pimentón can be spicy, sweet, or smoky, but it’s almost always better than the regular grocery store paprika which is usually machine-dried and lacks the smoky, sweet depth of pimentón. It is essential to Spanish cooking, flavoring such national dishes as chorizo and paella. Whereas paprika from the U.S. usually comes from red bell peppers, Spanish pimentón comes from a wide variety of local peppers with differing levels of sweetness and spice.

Don’t use bacon in place of the prosciutto or pancetta. Its sweetness and intense smokiness will overpower the other ingredients. Similarly, don’t use deli ham, which is wet-cured and typically has an overly assertive artificial smoke flavor.

Spanish Beef, Red Pepper and Paprika Stew

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1 large shallot, halved and thickly sliced
  • 1 plum tomato, cored, seeded and chopped
  • ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and finely chopped
  • 4 oz. prosciutto or pancetta, chopped
  • 4 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
  • 3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

  1. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, shallot, tomato, roasted peppers and prosciutto. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is very soft and the tomatoes have broken down, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in 3 teaspoons of rosemary and the paprika. Add the beef and stir to combine, then distribute in an even layer.
  3. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 35 minutes.
  4. When pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure reduce naturally for 15 minutes, then quick-release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
  5. Drain the contents of the pot in a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the liquid in a fat separator, keeping the juices and discarding the fat. Put the meat mixture back into the pot.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid until smooth, then stir the mixture into the pot with the meat along with the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary.
  7. Select Less/Low Sauté. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Press Cancel to turn off the pot. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Julia Rackow for Milk Street

Meal on Wheels, For Real

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Friends of ours, husband and wife, were in a car accident, and while luckily they weren’t seriously injured, they were not in any mood, or condition, to cook for themselves for a period of days. Their daughter set up a “Meals on Wheels” type of delivery system called Meal Train, whereas each night friends and/or family members made a hot meal to be delivered to their household in the evening at the time of their choosing.

What a fantastic idea! The couple filled out an online form which described their likes and dislikes (i.e. nothing too spicy, prefer chicken and pasta dishes), and the link was emailed to the group. We chose our day and then the recipe based on their criteria. Our contribution? Chicken Paprikash. And just as The Hubs was leaving to transport the goods, he commented that one of their passions was delivering meals on wheels to those in need. What goes around, comes around…

This Hungarian classic can be on the table (or in the car as the case would be) in an hour if you use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. And less than 10 ingredients to boot! To streamline the process even more, prep the dill while the chicken cooks, as it’s not used until the end of cooking to finish the sauce and as a garnish. We happened to use dried dill, saving even more time.

Paprika is a key ingredient in this dish, so make sure yours is fresh and fragrant; paprika that has gone stale and lost its flavor and color will result in a bland, lackluster stew. Buttered egg noodles are the perfect accompaniment. Even though you might be tempted, don’t use low-fat sour cream. It lacks richness and body and will make a lean, watery chicken paprikash.

Chicken Paprikash

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. salted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed and discarded
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill, divided
  • Egg noodles, cooked to package directions

Directions

  1. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the butter and let melt. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add the paprika and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Stir in ½ cup water, scraping up the browned bits. Nestle in the chicken in an even layer, slightly overlapping the pieces if needed.
  4. Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 10 minutes.
  5. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
  6. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a dish and tent with foil.
  7. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the pot, then select More/High Sauté and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to simmer and is lightly thickened.
  8. Press Cancel to turn off the pot, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of dill. Using potholders, carefully remove the insert from the housing and pour the sauce over the chicken.
  9. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons dill (or parsley).

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Thanks to Milk Street for this easy recipe