Thai Chicken & Rice Bowls (Instant Pot)

 

Instant Pot Thai Chicken & Rice Bowl (4 servings)

 

2 T olive oil

4 chicken breasts (about 2lbs)

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

2 cups broth

1 T peanut butter

1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce

3 T soy sauce

1/2 T ginger, minced

1/2 T garlic, minced

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp Sriracha

 

For topping:

Cilantro

Shredded zucchini and/or cucumber

Shredded carrots

Bean sprouts

sesame seeds

chopped peanuts 

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, thai chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lime juice and Sriracha.  Select the saute setting on your instant pot and add the olive oil.  Sear the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes per side to seal in the juices.  You may need to do this in batches.  Once browned on each side, remove from the instant pot and place into a glass dish and pour the sauce over the top, mixing to combine.

 

Place the rice in the instant pot, add the chicken and sauce over the top of it, then pour over the broth and secure the lid.

 

 Select manual pressure setting (high) and set the timer to 12 minutes.  Do a natural release.  Shred the chicken with two forks then mix with the rice before serving.  

 

Garnish at the table with cilantro, shredded veggies, & peanuts.  Serve with extra soy sauce & Sriracha to taste.

 

 

Another Chicken Tortilla-ish Soup

One of my favorite things about winter is making soup and I make it on a regular basis.  I don't often use recipes but just start by sautéing some onion, celery, peppers, & carrot and adding broth, beans, other protein, and other vegetables.  However, I am a big fan of chicken tortilla soup, white chicken chili, and other variations.  

I wrote this one down the other day because I really liked how it turned out - very flavorful & high in protein.  I used a pretty spicy green salsa and the end result was a little spicy (which I like) but you can control the heat by which salsa & chiles you choose and add more spice at the table with hot sauce & jalapeños.

You could also probably dump this in a crockpot after sautéing the onion & bell pepper with good results. I thought the leftovers tasted even better than the first time we ate the soup.

Chicken Chile Verde Soup (serves 4)

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans cannelleni beans, rinsed
1 cup jarred green salsa
1 4oz can green chiles
2-3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken

For serving: 
Crispy tortilla strips
chopped fresh cilantro
sliced jalapeños (fresh or jarred)
Sour cream

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and saute the onion & green bell pepper until soft.  Add the pepper, salt, garlic, and cumin and sauce for 1-2 minutes more.  Add the broth, 1 can of cannellini beans, salsa, green chiles and shredded chicken.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Mash up the second can of cannellini beans and add to the soup and heat through (this will thicken it).

Serve with tortilla strips, cilantro, jalapeños & sour cream