Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is adapted from a slow-cooker one in Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen. I love the taste of the slow-cooker version, but (like many chicken recipes for the slow-cooker), it has a cook time of about 4 hours. But I'm rarely home in the afternoon to start the crock-pot! I need my slow-cooker recipes to go for 8 hours so I can start them before I leave in the morning. Instant Pot to the rescue! For my Instant Pot version, I swapped chicken thighs for breasts, replaced cream with ordinary milk, and waited to add the flour until after pressure cooking.

Ingredients

Stew:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, & cut 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
2 C chicken broth, plus extra as needed
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
salt and pepper
4-5 bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed, trimmed of excess fat
1 C frozen peas
1/2 C milk
1/3 C flour

Topping:
1 3/4 C flour
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated fine (1/2 C)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 C buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°.

Make the stew:
On the sauté setting, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Add mushrooms, carrots, and onions and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and thyme and cook until fragrant and a fond starts to form on the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in broth, soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp salt, scraping up browned bits. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into liquid. Close and seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk and melted butter together. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and gently stir until just combined and no pockets of dry flour remain. Do not over-mix. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to 3/4 inch and spread evenly on parchment-lined baking pan. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool on baking sheet.

Finish the stew:
After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, turn the valve to venting and allow any remaining pressure to escape, then open the lid. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, stir the flour into the milk, then stir this mixture into the liquid in the pot. Use the lowest sauté setting to bring the pot back to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently until smooth and thickened. Stir in the peas, turn off the pot, and let the residual heat gently cook the peas. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks and discard the bones. Stir shredded chicken back into the pot. Adjust consistency of stew with hot broth if needed, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve in bowls, topped with crumble topping.

Makes 4 to 6 servings,  total time about 40 minutes

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Italian Chicken Thighs(Slow-Cooker)

Great over pasta (such as spinach fettuccine) or garlicky smashed potatoes.

Ingredients
12 skinless bone-in chicken thighs, about 3 lbs
1 14.5-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/2 C chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except chicken and stir well. Place chicken in slow cooker; pour sauce over chicken. Cover and cook on high 1 hour, reduce to low and cook 4-5 hours more. Remove chicken pieces, and use a fork to pull meat from bones. Return chicken meat to sauce and stir to re-combine. Serve over pasta or garlicky smashed potatoes. 6 servings.

Huli-Huli Chicken

Last May, V & I went to Hawaii. It was a fabulous trip, not least of all because while we were there, V met her sweetie-pie, Sonny. A year and a half of arduous long-distance relationship later, they are still together, and we all think he is pretty certainly The One for her. Yay!
Another lovely thing that we encountered, besides Sonny, was Huli-Huli Chicken. It's sold all over Oahu, at roadside fundraisers and in supermarket delis (on the mainland we have rotisserie chicken in various flavors. In Hawaii, it's Huli-Huli). A kind of barbecue that's kind of sweet, kind of tangy, and other than that, hard to describe, Huli-Huli was also hard to replicate once I returned home. There are lots of recipes out there on the InterWebs, but none of them are quite the same as what we ate almost daily on our Hawaiian picnics.
The one I've found that comes the closest so far is this one, from Rachel Ray's Everyday magazine. I followed all the directions, except I grilled on a barbecue grill instead of broiling it. Even though it wasn't exactly the same as the real thing, all my friends (who haven't been to Hawaii) love it. Thanks, Rach! Here is Rachel Ray's recipe for Huli-Huli Chicken:

Ingredients:
One 4-pound chicken, cut in half
Salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled
One 1½-inch piece ginger, coarsely chopped
¼ cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons frozen pineapple juice concentrate

Directions:
Loosen the skin of the chicken breast and season underneath it with salt. Season the exterior of the chicken with more salt. Let the chicken rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Line a broiler pan with foil and preheat the broiler.
Using a food processor, pulse the garlic and ginger until finely chopped. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, broth, rice-wine vinegar and pineapple juice concentrate and process until well combined. Strain the marinade into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the pulp.
Blot the excess salt and moisture from the chicken and place the halves skin side down on the broiler pan. Broil, turning the chicken with tongs every 5 minutes for the first 20 minutes, until the raw surfaces have cooked. Continue to cook, turning and basting with the marinade every 5 minutes, until well browned, 20 minutes longer; cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.

Chicken Enchiladas

A little more work than Chicken Enchilada Casserole, but more richly flavored.

Ingredients
Sauce
3 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 C chili powder
2 C chicken stock
10 oz tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Enchiladas
3 C cooked chicken, shredded
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mexican spice blend
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm. can green chiles, drained and minced fine
sm. amount tomato sauce
2 C shredded cheese
16 flour tortillas
1-2 C enchilada sauce

Instructions
For sauce:
Heat oil and add flour, stirring and smoothing w/ wooded spoon. Cook 1 min. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Add remaining sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Makes 2 1/2 cups.
For enchilada filling:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chiles and saute 2 minutes more. Add chicken and seasonings and stir to combine; heat through. This is the filling.
To build:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Spread a ladleful of suace over the bottom of the pan. Dip each tortilla in the remaining sauce to soften them, then divide the filling among the tortillas- making a thin line down the middle of each tortilla. Divide half the cheese equally among the tortillas atop the filling; reserve the remaining half of the cheese. Roll up the tortillas and arrange in the pan. Spread the remaining sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas and top with the reserved cheese. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and delicious and the cheese forms a golden crust. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before serving with hot Spanish rice and beans.

Country Captain Chicken(Slow-Cooker)

A delicious slow-cooker recipe from my friend Ben. Be sure to use Madras curry powder, as regular curry powder becomes bitter with long cooking times. Traditional garnishes include any or all of the following:
sliced toasted almonds, shredded coconut, diced Granny Smith apples, and diced bananas. Serve over long-grain rice, or a with a generous helping of Samosa-Spiced Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), excess fat trimmed
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped coarse
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped coarse
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (9-ounce) jar chutney, such as Major Greyʼs
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Directions
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to plate, allow to cool slightly, then remove and discard skin. Transfer chicken to slow-cooker.
Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return pan to medium-high. Add onions, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste and, using wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits from pan bottom. Simmer until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in chutney, garlic, curry powder, paprika, thyme, and cayenne. Pour mixture into slow-cooker to cover chicken pieces.
Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, about 6 hours. Turn off slow cooker, remove lid, and gently stir sauce to recombine. Replace lid and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve with rice and choice of garnishes.
Serves 6 - 8

Faux Chicken Cacciatore (slow-cooker version)

A ridiculously easy faux-cacciatore recipe for when you are really time-crunched, or lazy. The deliciousness is directly correlated with the quality and flavor of the sauce you use.
Bone-in chicken pieces can also be used, but you will have to fish them out of the pot when done, cut/pull the meat off the bones, and return the meat to the pot. Pull off the skin before cooking, or the result will be quite greasy.
This recipe is an excellent use for frozen bell pepper strips, often sold with onions as "pepper stir fry blend"

Ingredients
1-2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1/3 C chopped onion
1/3 C bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 C strips)
3 C or 1 large jar of very yummy spaghetti sauce

Ridiculously Easy Directions
Add onions and peppers to bottom of slow cooker, then chicken, then pour sauce over all. Cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve over pasta, with salad & garlic bread.

Chicken, Apple, & Cheddar Empañadas

If making fresh pastry dough is too fussy for the time at hand, substitute prepared pie dough, canned crescent roll dough, or simply make quesadillas using the filling below and flour tortillas.

Ingredients
1 sm. Granny Smith apple, diced 1/4"
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1 sm. red onion, minced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 3/4 tsp dried)
2/3 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
pastry dough (recipe follows) or 2 cans crescent roll dough

Instructions
Mix apples & lemon juice. In medium skillet on medium heat, melt butter and cook onion and garlic until soft (3 min). Add apple & cook until just softened (2 min). Add chicken and cook through. Dump mixture into a bowl. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shred chicken; mix in cheese and seasonings. Fill small folds of dough (about 3-4 inches) with 2-3 Tbsp of filling, crimp shut with fork, and brush with beaten egg. Do not over--fill, or filling will leak out! Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until golden.


Pastry dough for empañadas:
3 3/4 C flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp shortening
12 Tbsp butter
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp ice water

Cut shortening and butter into flour, salt, & sugar. Add water 1 spoonful at a time, stirring gently until a dough just begins to come together. Press together into a ball and knead the minimum amount needed to form a cohesive dough. Roll out on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to form 3-4 inch circles, or a pizza cutter to form 3-4 inch squares. Fill with small amount of filling (2 Tbsp is usually enough), and fold in half; crimp closed with fork.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This recipe has several steps, but is still relatively easy (easier than rolling individual enchiladas, anyway!), and the results are delicious. Assembly is very much like making lasagna. You could easily add more/different vegetables such as squash and/or beans to the chicken mixture, or even make a completely vegetarian version.
Enchilada casserole keeps well as leftovers, can be frozen before or after baking, and makes a great take-along dish for pot-lucks.

Ingredients
Sauce:
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Filling:
4 C fully cooked chicken, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp mexican spice blend
2 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced fine, with some of the sauce
1 tsp salt
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
12 large tortillas, cut into 3-inch wide strips

Instructions
Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, to combine flavors.
Meanwhile, in large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until clear. Add spices and minced chipotles, saute 1 minute more. Stir in chicken & heat through, remove from heat, and stir in 1 1/2 C of the cheese. This is the filling.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray the bottom & sides of a 13x9-in pan. Spread a ladle of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Arrange 1/3 the tortilla strips in an even layer, followed by half the filling, then spread 1/3 of the remaining sauce; repeat another 1/3 of the tortillas, the remaining half of the filling, another 1/3 of sauce, the last 1/3 of the tortillas, and finally the last of the sauce. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 C of cheese. Bake at 400° until bubbly, golden, & beautiful- about 30 minutes.

Chicken Satay

This recipe makes enough of the sauce/marinade for 2 pounds of chicken. My favorite use of this fabulous chicken is to slice or dice it up, warm it briefly, and wrap it in a flatbread (also warm) with fresh baby spinach and cheese. I suspect it would also make kick-booty chicken salad.

Ingredients:

• boneless skinless chicken tenderloins, or breasts cut into strips.
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 C. peanut butter
• 1/2 C. milk (can substitute soy or coconut milk)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 C. hoisin sauce (Chinese sauce found in jars on Asian/ethnic aisle)
• juice of 1 lime, or 2 Tbsp
• 3/4 tsp ground dried ginger (or 1 Tbsp fresh grated)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Whisk together all ingredients except chicken until smooth and combined. Scoop 1/2 C mixture per each pound of chicken into a large zip-top bag (save the rest in the fridge for later). Add the chicken, seal the bag, and skoosh all around to coat the chicken. Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight.

Remove chicken and discard marinade left in bag. Cook the chicken strips by:

• Threading onto skewers and searing on a hot charcoal or gas grill, 2-3 minutes per side
• Searing on a hot griddle, 2-3 minutes per side
• Cooking on a counter-top grill (George Foreman-type), approx. 4 minutes
• Broiling, turning once, 2-5 minutes per side.

Serve immediately with reserved sauce for dipping, or refrigerate for use in other recipes.