Instant Pot Chicken Salsa Verde
For Carli, our social media intern from The Cove School, one of her independent living goals is to learn how to cook.
The path to transition isn’t always straightforward, and as Carli noted in her letter last week “it is hard!” She’s burned pans, and, both under and over seasoned her food. I can attest to the same culinary journey as Carli, and in the words of Julia Child “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
Two years ago, the very first time I used my Instant Pot I burned the bottom black. The transition from using a slow cooker to a pressure cooker was a little rocky, and the little liquid I did use in that particular pulled pork recipe quickly turned to caramel under heat and pressure, when it combined with the sugar in the BBQ rub.
In the two years since the burning episode, I’ve learned that while soups and stews remain relatively straight forward, to convert certain other recipes from the slow cooker to the pressure cooker setting requires extensive testing. We recommend seeking out good, well tested recipes.
To create a pathway to success we follow our guiding principles as set out in our intention back in 2012. This weeks recipe, Chicken Salsa Verde, includes a simple 5 minute prep recipe and a slightly longer, more involved alternative depending on skill level and time available. We’ve also included a Pressure Cooking 101 outline below if you’re just getting started.
Pressure Cooking 101
Sauté Function
To bring out the best flavor, use this function as you would a stovetop sauté pan to soften onions and brown meat before adding the seasoning and liquids.
Meat
Most cuts of meat can cook well in the pressure cooker when using the correct times and methods.
See the Pressure Settings for advice on the best outcomes.
Try our Instant Pot Carolina Pulled Pork recipe *
Liquids
Recipes listing ingredients which absorb liquids, such as grains and pulses, require exactly the right measurements otherwise the result is either a burned or unnecessarily sloppy/liquid dish.
There is no one single liquid ratio for absorbtion because it also depends on other added ingredients in the recipe. This is a great resource for plain rice cooking which I have tested, with a 1:1 ratio rice to water.
Try our Instant Pot Curried French Lentil Tortilla and Red Lentil Coconut Curry recipes.*
Seasoning
Dried spices, salt and black pepper hold up in the pressure cooker and be sure to add them at the right time for each recipe. Stir them in after the sauté stage of onions and other vegetables to build the flavor layers. Remember that you can always add more salt at the end, but you can’t take it out if you over season in the beginning.
Fresh herbs are best stirred through at the end of cooking to keep their vibrancy, nutritional value and potency.
Try our Italian Bean Soup recipe *
Pressure Settings
Even when the cooking time is over, the pressure and heat will continue to cook the ingredients inside until the pressure is released and the lid removed.
For lean meats, grains and pulses (lentils for example) it is important to release the pressure carefully on Quick Pressure Release so as not to overcook, and avoid burning.
Conversely, for tougher cuts of meat such as pork shoulder, leaving the pressure to Natural Pressure Release after cooking will allow the meat to rest in the juices and relax, making it more tender.
Frozen Foods
Unlike the slow cooker setting, it is safe to cook frozen foods on the pressure cooker setting because of the speed with which it gets up to a high temperature.
You will want to increase the regular cooking time accordingly, anywhere from 50% to 100% more depending on the size of the frozen piece of meat.
Keep in mind that If you regularly batch cook freezer meals, think about freezing them in round, heat-proof containers such as ramekins, silicone and stainless steel.
* You can substitute our Indian Dal blend for a tablespoon of your own Madras curry powder, and the Smoky BBQ blend for two tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub, and the Mediterranean for a tablespoon of an Italian herb blend.
- 6 tomatillos, / 1 can
- 1/2 cup / 1/2 small onion
- 2 tsp / 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green jalapeño, seeded (optional)
- 2 tsp tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small bunch / 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro **
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup low fat sour cream
- in a small blender add the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, oregano, salt, oregano, and cilantro, blend until chopped
- transfer the salsa verde mixture to the Instant Pot
- lay the chicken breast in the salsa verde
- secure the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure valve to Sealing
- press the Manual / Pressure button and adjust the cook time to 6 minutes
- once cooked, turn the dial to Venting to Quick Pressure Release
- remove and shred the chicken and stir back into the salsa
- stir in the sour cream and serve on tortillas
- **substitute the homemade tomatillo salsa verde ingredients with 16oz of your favorite store bought jar/can.
“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
– Julia Child
