Chicken and Mushroom Risotto – Another Pressure Cooker Success Story!

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arborio rice, Chicken, Chicken and Mushroom Risotto, instant pot, Pressure Cooker

Up until a few years ago, I had never made risotto. I became a fan of Gordon Ramsey’s Hells Kitchen show and risotto was a regular on his menu. It always looked so good, I decided I needed to give it a try. Why did it take me so long to discover this dish??? It is so delicious and my family is now addicted! Last night, I decided to try making it in my pressure cooker as my new unit has a specific setting for risotto. The pressure cooker really makes cooking risotto a breeze! Usually, you really have to stand over your risotto and do a lot of stirring, but not with the pressure cooker. You basically get things started in the pot, close it up and let it cook! Comfort food at its finest!

I served my risotto with a side of roasted chili garlic asparagus. I’ll share this recipe in a separate post, so keep your eyes peeled! This was wonderful too!

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

3 tbsp. butter, divided

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite size pieces (I used thighs. They are cheaper and have great flavor)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

8 oz. baby portobella mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 cup white wine (Always cook with a wine you would drink! If it’s not good enough to drink, why would you want to put it in your food?!? I used Apothic White. This is currently one of our favorite affordable white wines.)

1 tsp garlic salt

1/3 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated

Add olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter to pressure cooker and set to saute. Warm until butter is melted, then add your chicken and onions. Saute until onions are softened. Don’t worry about cooking your chicken through. Add the garlic and mushroom and saute another minute or two until fragrant. Add your rice and stir for another minute or two. Pour in your broth, wine, salt and pepper and stir. Close up your pressure cooker and set the vent for pressure cooking, not steam. Use the risotto setting on your cooker or set for 6 minutes of pressure cooking. Following the pressure cooking phase, let the cooker sit for about 15 minutes allowing the pressure to escape naturally. Open the pressure cooker, add last tablespoon of butter and parmesan cheese. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper to your taste.

Enjoy!

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Hot Tub Chicken – Well That Just Sounds Fun!!!

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bundt, Chicken, Fennel, Hot Tub Chicken, Jeff Mauro, marinade, Roasted Vegetables, Sweet potatoes

I never thought I would use my bundt pan this way!!! One of my favorite cooking shows is the Food Network’s “The Kitchen”. A panel of people from cooks to Iron Chef’s discuss various cooking techniques, recipes and tools. One of the regular hosts, Jeff Mauro, demonstrated the recipe for Hot Tub Chicken. Just the name peaked my interest! Who doesn’t love a hot tub!!! It’s not just fun, it also happens to be mighty delicious! This brined chicken with roasted veggies is moist and incredibly flavorful. So grab your bundt pan and let’s get going!!!

Don’t forget to save that chicken carcass to make your own chicken broth once your done carving that chicken.

Hot Tub Chicken With Roasted Fennel and Sweet Potatoes

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 lemons, zested and juiced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

Chicken and Roasted Vegetables:

One 3- to 4-pound chicken, skin slightly separated from the muscle for marinade penetration

8 red, yellow or orange mini bell peppers, halved

1 medium sweet potato, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Special equipment: a bundt pan

For the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, paprika, chili powder, lemon zest and juice and garlic.

For the chicken and roasted vegetables: Put the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag, add the marinade and marinate for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.

When ready to roast, position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven (to leave clearance for the bundt pan and chicken) and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the peppers, sweet potatoes and half of the fennel and onions in a bowl with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet, leaving the center clear for the bundt pan.

In the bottom of a bundt pan, add the wine, garlic, rosemary and remaining fennel and onions. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a square of foil, cover the hole of the bundt. Stand the chicken upright on the bundt center over the foil. Roast until the chicken registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 50 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, strain the residual juices in the bundt pan and pour into a medium skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the butter.

Carve the chicken and place over the roasted vegetables on a platter. Pour the pan sauce over the chicken and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken with Artichokes and Olives in a Bread Bowl – One of My Favorite Recipes From my Mom

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Artichoke Hearts, bread bowl, Chicken, marsala garlic, Olives, white wine, wine reduction

My mom wasn’t known for her cooking skills, but she had a few recipes that I just loved! Unfortunately, I lost her recipe that inspired this dish, but I faked it and it turned out wonderfully! This is basically chicken in a white wine reduction sauce that is place in a hollowed out bread bowl. The bread soaks up the sauce and is so delicious! You eat the chicken and tear apart the bread and have a piece with your dinner. Yummm!!!! This is a visually beautiful dish and fun to eat. It’s perfect for impressing your dinner guests!

This is a recipe you could play with. You may have your own saucy meat dish that would be good served in the bread bowl. Give it a try! In this picture, you might be able to see that I actually didn’t have a bread bowl, but I used sliced French bread. I had some bread on hand that had gotten a tiny bit stale and was starting to harden. It was perfect for this dish! The sauce soaking into the bread softened it right up and gave it a delicious flavor.

Chicken With Artichokes and Olives in a Bread Bowl

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup white wine (I only had Marsala wine on hand, so I used that, but you could use your favorite white wine for cooking)

2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 box of frozen artichoke hearts

1 – 4 oz can black olive slices, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

Salt and pepper

1 large or 2 small sourdough rounds, cut off the top and hollow out or several slices of French or sourdough bread

Pour olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium high heat. Once pan is hot, place chicken in pan. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on each side about 4-5 minutes each. Reduce the heat under your pan to medium and remove chicken from pan and place on an oven-safe plate, it can still be pink in the middle. Place chicken in a 275 degree oven to keep warm while you deglaze your pan. Pour wine and chicken broth in pan and stir to remove chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in Dijon mustard, add artichoke hearts, olives and garlic and stir. Simmer sauce and allow to reduce. This should take about 30 minutes. Add chicken back to pan and continue to simmer and spoon sauce over chicken, so it can take on some of that wonderful flavor. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken another 10 minutes or so. Place your bread in an oven-safe baking pan. Transfer chicken into baking pan in the bread bowl or over bread slices and then pour sauce and all contents of your skillet over the bread, trying to cover equally so all parts of the bread will soak up sauce. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Ensure your chicken is cooked through, but don’t burn your bread.

Enjoy!

Chicken, Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Skillet – Williams-Sonoma to the Rescue!!!

Tags

Chicken, mushroom, one pan dish, pearl couscous, roasted garlic, sauce, Williams-Sonoma, zucchini

I recently celebrated my 50th birthday (Yikes!) and my longtime friend of 46 years gifted me with a wonderful basket filled with goodies from Williams-Sonoma. This Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Skillet Sauce was one of the delectable items in that basket. I mixed the sauce with chicken, zucchini and pearl couscous to make a fantastic one skillet meal. This sauce had a bold, savory flavor that added the perfect amount of flavor without the need for additional seasoning. It made this impressive meal incredibly quick and easy to make.

This could even be altered to be a vegetarian meal by leaving out the chicken and adding additional vegetables or even beans or tofu!

Chicken, Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Skillet

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 zucchini, diced

1 Jar Williams-Sonoma Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Skillet Sauce

2 cups pearl couscous

2 1/2 cups water or fat free broth

Cook couscous according to container directions with water or broth. Meanwhile, in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray cook chicken until lightly browned on all sides. Add zucchini and skillet sauce and stir. Once cous cous is cooked, add this to the skillet and stir. Once chicken is cooked all the way through, your dish is ready to serve. Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce

Tags

Chicken, crockpot, Dinner, peanut, Rice, sauce, slow cooker, Thai

 
This was originally posted by another blogger, but it sounded so good!!! Now that my peanut hating daughter no longer lives at home, I’m going to have to try making this!!!

(This recipe is dairy free.) Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 7 hours on low (or 3 to 4 hours on high) Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts 1 cup coconut milk 3/4 c chunky PB 3 tbsp honey 3 tbsp soy sauce Juice from 1 lime 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes […]

https://combschristensonfoodandstuff.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/crockpot-chicken-with-thai-peanut-sauce/

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Pasta – Our Family’s All-time Favorite Pasta Dish

Tags

Cheese, Chicken, creamy, pasta, Pasta with Chicken and Pepper Cheese Sauce, pepper, recipe, spicy

My sister has been telling me I need to blog this recipe, so here we are! I found this recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine probably over 20 years ago and have been making it ever since! The spicy, creamy sauce over pasta and chicken is so very delicious! It has just the right amount of spice! It’s a nice enough dish to serve to company and it’s an easy dish to multiply in order to serve a large group. This was a favorite when our large family group would go to Tahoe for snowy get-aways. The teenagers loved coming in from playing in the snow to this spicy, warm dish!

I chose to keep the dish as low-fat as possible by using fat free dairy ingredients. You can change it to low-fat or full-fat ingredients based on your taste.

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Pasta

3 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 tsp tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp seeded, chopped jalapeno pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3/4 cup fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free milk

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup fat free Monterey Jack or motzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

8 oz linguine or spaghetti, cooked and drained

Combine 1 tbsp of the flour, salt, and ground peppers; toss with the chicken to coat. In a large skillet heat oil and cook chicken 4-5 minutes or till tender. Remove chicken; add onion, red pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in remaining flour. Add broth, milk and Worcestershire sauce; cook and stir until bubbly. Shir in cheese until melted. Stir in sour cream. Add chicken and heat through (do not boil). Serve over pasta. Makes 5-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives – A Quick Dinner For One!

Tags

basil, Chicken, gnocchi, kalamata olives, marinara, parmesan, pasta, pesto

 On nights when my husband and daughter go to our church’s youth group, we usually just grab leftovers to eat for dinner. The other night, I was in the mood for something other than the leftover risotto we had, so I decided to get a little creative! How about gnocchi with chicken, Kalamata olives, tomato pesto and fresh basil? Worked for me! It was delicious!
I had some dried gnocchi in the pantry, leftover marinara and pesto sauces and some pre-grilled Foster Farm chicken in the fridge. I almost always have fresh basil and a jar of Kalamata olives hanging around the house, so a tasty dish was coming together! Kalamata olives aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the additional acid that they added to the dish.

This dish could easily be adapted to be vegetarian or even vegan by eliminating the chicken and/or cheese. It was super quick to make (about 10 minutes) and was enough for me with 1 or 2 servings leftover.

So here’s what I did….

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives

16 oz. package of Gnocchi

1 cup marinara

¼ cup pesto (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced

5 oz. grilled chicken strips

5 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

Parmesan cheese

Cook gnocchi according to package, usually boiling it 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm marinara, pesto, olives, and chicken. When gnocchi is cooked, drain and toss with sauce and chicken. Serve topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan.

Creamy Red Hot Chicken Pasta – Spicy, Creamy Goodness Without a Bunch of Fat

Tags

Chicken, Cooking, cream saucce, Food, Frank's Red Hot, pasta, peas, recipe, sundried tomatoes

I’ll admit it! I have a problem. I’m obsessed with buffalo sauce on chicken wings, pasta, cauliflower, whatever! It’s just wonderful! So last weekend I was really craving it and came up with this creamy pasta recipe that incorporated Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. It was so good!!! Just the right amount of heat off set by the creamy sauce. Then you get little bursts of sweet with the peas and other bites of zing with the sundried tomatoes. Oh my I really liked this dish!!! I think I ate all the leftovers single-handedly!

I know you’re probably thinking that with a cream sauce this must be calorie packed, but it really wasn’t. As I usually do, when I make a cream sauce I substitute fat free half and half where heavy cream is usually used. The rest of the ingredients are pretty lowfat on their own, so overall this dish packs a lot of flavor without too much fat.

Creamy Red Hot Chicken Pasta

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken

1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1 cup fat free half and half

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup bagged sundried tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp water

Salt and pepper to taste

16 oz dried pasta

Marinate chicken in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Cook pasta according to package. Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Brown chicken in frying pan. Remove to a plate. Pour chicken broth, half and half, and remaining marinade in frying pan and simmer over medium low heat scrapping meat bits off bottom of pan. Add peas and tomatoes, stirring until warmed through. Make a slurry of corn starch and water and stir into sauce. Add chicken back to pan. Continue to simmer over medium low heat stirring as sauce thickens and spooning sauce over chicken. When sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, toss with cooked,drained pasta.

Enjoy!

Tay’s Sesame BBQ Sauce

Tags

barbecue, bbq, Chicken, chinese, Grilling, sauce, sesame, tays

  
Someone else posted this recipe for homemade barbecue sauce. It looks easy to make and flavors sound fabulous! A must try!

1/4c Kraft Toasted Sesame Seed Dressing 2T Teriyaki Sauce 1/3c Sweet Baby Ray’s HONEY BBQ Sauce (USE HONEY!) 1T Soy Sauce 1tsp Green Onions (Optional, I skipped) 1/2T Brown Sugar – Sea Salt Pepper 1/2T Olive Oil 1/2T Flour Premix Sauce. Set aside. LIGHTLY Sea Salt and Pepper Legs. Add in Oil, toss. Sprinkle in half the Flour, toss. […]

https://dinkingaround.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/tays-sesame-bbq-sauce/

Szechuan Stir Fry – A Healthy Dinner With Loads of Flavor!!!

Tags

Chicken, Dinner, pork, Rice, Stir Fry, Szechuan, vegan, vegetarian

 I had bought packages of boneless pork chops marked down that were on the small side. How am I going to stretch this meat to feed my family??? Rather than serving whole pork chops, I thought I would cut the meat into bite size pieces and make a stir fry. I was faking it, but this meal turned out so delicious! The garlic, ginger and spicy Szechuan  sauce made for a very bold sauce and the variety of fresh, organic vegetables gave it additional bright flavor and wonderful texture.

This is definitely a dish you could play with and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. You could even use a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. I just used what I had on hand and it made for a wonderful dish that we wolfed down!

The great thing about this dish is you can leave the meat out or substitute it with tofu for a vegan/vegetarian dish. Tofu would work well with this sauce! It would absorb that flavor and give you a protein boost with wonderful flavor.

Szechuan Stir Fry

3/4 – 1 pound pork or chicken, cut into bite size cubes
3 carrots, sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 head brocollini, chopped

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 pound asparagus, rough chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced

1 tbsp ginger, finely diced

1/2 cup Chicken broth

1/2 cup Spicy Szechuan sauce

1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch

1 1/2 tbsp water

Jasmati or Basmati rice

Cook jazmati or basmati rice as instructed by package. I made about 4 servings worth. Spray non-stick wok or large fry pan with non-stick spray, saute pork (or chicken) over medium high heat until browned on all sides. It’s OK if it’s not cooked all the way through. Remove meat from pan to a plate and set aside. If needed, give pan another spray of non-stick spray. Add all veggies and saute until tender, but still crunchy. Add broth, Szechuan sauce, and meat and turn heat down to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together corn starch and water and then add to rest of mixture. This will thicken your sauce. Simmer until sauce is thickened and meat is cooked through. Serve over rice.

Tip: For those of you that are less-experienced cooks, the mix of cornstarch and water is called a slurry. If you don’t have cornstarch you can also use flour. You want to mix this together really well and work out any lumps, so when you add this to your sauce, you won’t have lumps, but your sauce will thicken nicely. This is good to have in your bag of tricks as you can use it to thicken almost any sauce that isn’t reducing or thickening the way you would like. Just don’t go overboard with too much as it will affect the flavor of your sauce.

Enjoy!