chicken recipes

Chicken Recipes in a Pressure Cooker

By Maria Antoniet FornillosChicken cooked in a pressure cooker is one of the most flavorful chicken recipes. You are sure that the food is moist and have a much better texture compared to using a slow cooker. Imagine it can only take you around 40 minutes total time to prepare a whole chicken dish, and if you are considering another 15 minutes baking, your chicken skin can be served more crunchy. The crispy skin, tender flesh, root vegetables and flavorful broth, is definitely a very gratifying meal.

If you want to roast one whole chicken, you can cook it in less than an hour. As long as your bird doesn't touch the sides or top of the pressure cooker, you will get a nicely done whole chicken dish without distorting shape and body. An 8-quart pressure cooker usually can hold a 3.5 pound bird, on the rack. Allow me to share some of my favorite whole chicken recipes prepared in a pressure cooker.

Chicken with Olive Oil

Ingredients

• 1 lb whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ to 2 cups chicken broth

Directions

Rinse bird and liberally coat the skin with salt & pepper. Slowly heat the oil in an uncovered pressure pot then brown chicken on all sides. Remove from cooker. Put a rack in the bottom of pressure cooker and place the browned chicken on top of rack. Add the broth. Cover and secure the lid. Bring to pressure over medium high and cook for 25 minutes. When cooking time is up, release pressure by quick release method. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and pour the accumulated juice on top. Garnish with minced herbs and serve.

Chicken with Duck Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 pounds whole chicken
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or any vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

DUCK SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar or cider
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions

Heat olive oil in an uncovered cooker over medium-high heat. Add the whole chicken and brown on all sides. Remove chicken from cooker and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, paprika and marjoram. Drain fat from the pressure pot then mix in wine and broth. Return chicken to the pot, cover and secure the lid. Bring to pressure for 10 minutes over medium high heat. The internal temperature of the chicken meat should be at 180 degrees F. When cooking time is up, reduce pressure and open the lid.

Transfer chicken to a serving dish. Add the apricot preserves, white vinegar, ginger and honey into the same cooker and cook uncovered until sauce has reduced into a syrupy consistency. Pour over chicken and serve.

Pressure cooking has many advantages among which saving time & energy, preserving nutrients and detoxifying food are most significant. It only requires basic skills to become proficient in preparing simple and quick recipes. However, there is one thing to remember. Not all pressure cookers cook at the same speed. This is why learning how to buy a quality one is the best deal.

Find a Pressure Cooker at Your Smart Kitchen. Your online source for quality cookware, bakeware, cutlery, small appliances and related kitchenware at reasonable prices. See something else you may be interested in and contact us. To avail of monthly specials and coupons, become a Chef Wannabee.

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Quick And Easy Dinner Ideas

By Cathy Bendzunas

Quick and easy dinner ideas are great when you live a busy lifestyle and need a plan of action to get meals completed. All you need to do is take some time out to do some planning ahead with buying all the ingredients you need that will allow you to quickly adapt to any rush situation during dinner time. The following ideas are a great baseline to get you started.

Pasta is always and easy foundation for any meal. You can always stir fry vegetables with pasta and add your favorite cheeses. You can make your own sauce or you can buy ready made sauce from the store. Linguine, spaghetti and bow tie pasta are all examples of different pastas that go great with Alfredo sauce or even spaghetti sauce. You can also add your favorite meat such as, ground beef, grilled chicken or even seafood. This is actually a complete and quick dinner meal.

Rotisserie chicken is always available at the local deli and is already prepared, cooked and ready to serve to the family. Add some salad greens from the market and you have an entire meal that is served with less the expense of a full meal at a restaurant.

Minute steaks are round steaks that are pounded thinner and can be seasoned and sautéed in olive oil or butter. You can add vegetables, bread and a salad. A baked potato can quickly be placed in the microwave to complete your meal.

Many quick and easy dinner ideas include chicken breasts. Chicken can be cooked and sautéed in olive oil and you can also add a can of cream of mushroom soup for flavor and gravy.

Casseroles are great and can be prepared in minutes. For example, the green bean casserole includes a can of green beans, cream of mushroom soup and also french fried onions. The mixture is baked for about 30 minutes.

I like to make a quick chicken salad to stuff in pita bread for a fast dinner. I always keep shredded chicken in my freezer for this but you can also use canned chicken, Add a diced tomato, a little poultry seasoning, some mayo and a diced onion. We top ours with Monterey Jack cheese. This makes a quick meal when you have to get the kids to soccer practice or have somewhere else to go right after dinner.

Quick and easy dinner ideas are very simple when you have on hand the right type of food ingredients. Being prepared will come in handy when you have a quick dinner to make.

If you want more ideas on saving time, money and creating a comfortable home, visit TheFrazzledHomemaker.com.

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