Loving the BITE: Instant Love for my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker PLUS a Favorite Recipe

One of my all-time favorite recipes just got easier. How? As of late, I’ve been making it in an Instant Pot Electric Slow Cooker rather than Slower Cooker. This is new to me. I’m late to the Instant Pot craze. But what I lack in timing I’m making up in zeal, because truly, this one’s a game-changer. The biggest reason for me is time. No joke – in 25 minutes I can go from frozen meat to completed dinner. I can be running in the door between my boys’ soccer practices around 5:30, and we’re eating just after 6:00.  Game-Changer.

Here’s one of my favorite recipes (seriously, it’s company-worth) and 7 Reasons it’s been Instant Love at First Dinner for my Instant Pot.

Recipe of the week:  Delicious Thai Chicken 

Ingredients:

• 8 Chicken Thighs – can be thawed or frozen (Organic and/or local if possible)
• ¾ Cup fresh or deli salsa
• 1/3 Cup natural Peanut Butter
• 3 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 ½ Tbsp Lite Soy Sauce
• 1 ½ tsp Fresh Ginger Root, minced or grated
• 1/2 cup water
• ½ Cup Peanuts, chopped
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro
• Fresh Chili Peppers, chopped (optional)

Instructions: (prep: 5 minutes, cook in electric pressure cooker: 18-25 minutes total)

1. Place chicken in 6 quart or 8 quart electric pressure cooker.  I’ve been using the 8-quart Instant Pot. Others include the CuisineArt and .
2. Mix remaining ingredients except peanuts, cilantro, and optional chili peppers; pour over chicken.
3. If using frozen chicken, set pressure cooker time to 14 minutes. If thawed, set to 9. Make sure valve is in “sealing” setting so the cooker can pressurize.
4. Using spotted spoon, remove chicken and set on plate. Change setting to “saute” setting, and allow sauce to thicken for ~3-5 minutes if desired. Place chicken back in sauce and serve over rice, cauliflower rice, or directly on plate.
5. Sprinkle with peanuts, cilantro, and optional chili peppers.
6. Serve with Sautéed Vegetables.

Comments:

It’s simple – my electric pressure cooker is really helping me get dinner on the table these days! Here are 7 reasons I’m lovin’ it. Again, my experience is with the Instant Pot, but other brands also have great features and similar cooking benefits. None are cheap, so this is a kitchen gadget “investment” (around $99-$130).  Well worth it in my book. Here’s why:

1. I can cook dinner fast. F-A-S-T-E-R than ever. We’re talking 25 minutes from frozen meat to served. Delicious dinners fast. Without getting into the physics, the high pressure in the pot allows quicker cooking at the same temperature compared to cooking at a lower pressure. Fast. That was enough to sell me. But, here are 6 more reasons.
2. It’s safe and quiet. I think it took me awhile to get over this hump. I remember pressure cookers on the stove – circa 70s and 80s. They were noisy, they rattled, and they scared small children, like me (in the 80s). So, the thought of using one wasn’t really that appealing to me based on these memories. But, these electric pressure cookers are NOT YOUR MAMA’S PRESSURE COOKER. They are safe and quiet, with no rattling.
3. There’s little odor. Unlike my slow cooker, my house isn’t filled with the smell of dinner. Now, of course, this may or may not be a selling point to you. To me, it was. I don’t always want my towels, curtains, and sofa smelling like dinner. I like clean, crisp air more than cooked broccoli. So, I like the lack of aroma, especially when I’m using it overnight.
4. Overnight? As in slow-cook? That’s right. My Instant Pot is a 7-in-1 model, and it slow cooks beautifully, too. I’ve been making my Overnight Protein Oats in it for the last couple weeks, and the delicious aroma doesn’t keep me up through the night. Its other functions include rice maker, saute, yogurt maker (haven’t tried this one out yet, and as you likely know, I’m extremely picky about yogurt making), steamer, and more. The saute function is handy for browning meat before cooking, and thickening sauces afterwards.
5. It keeps dinner warm long after it is cooked. Unfortunately, we no longer all get to eat together – kids’ sports schedules means dividing and conquering (aka eating). So, it’s nice that I can cook something for the first round of eaters, and it’s still warm for the last.
6. One-pot cooking – you can cook meat on bottom, sweet potatoes in on that, and vegetables on top makes for easy clean up. Easy prep, quick cooking, and one pot to clean up? Yes, please.
7. As you know, I recommend “light at night” eating. I explain it in full in the video below, and you can utilize an electric pressure cooker to achieve it easily. Cook your protein in a delicious sauce. Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. Light at night for healthy eating, a lean weight and weight loss.

Of course, you can cook amazing meals without an electric pressure cooker, and that’s great, too. I’m not here to sell you on gadgets, but when one is truly life-changing for me, I will share my experience! Whether on stove top, slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot, I hope you’re finding a way to make meals at home more often than not. This truly is one of the best steps to healthier meals, and even though it can be a monotonous labor of love, it’s one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and others. Keep cooking this week!

Fuel Your Ride.  Nourish Your Body.

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