Chicken Biryani - Instant Pot

2 Tbsp. ghee or butter
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
5 black peppercorns
5 green (or black) cardamom pods
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, diced (optional)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
6-8 mint sprigs, chopped
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
Salt
1 cup water

1. Preheat the Instant Pot by selecting Saute and adjust to More for high heat. When the inner cooking pot is hot, add the ghee and heat until it is shimmering. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom pods. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the spices are sizzling.
2. Add the onion and cook until well-browned and crisp at the edges.
3. Add ginger, garlic and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add chicken and sear on both sides.
5. Spread out the chicken to cover the bottom of the pot.
6. Sprinkle cilantro and mint over the chicken, topped by rice and a generous sprinkling of salt.
7. Pour in the water and gently push down the rice so it's mostly covered by the water.
8. Lock the lid into place. Select Manual and adjust pressure to High. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally.
10. Mix gently before serving. (Serves 6)
This is taken from Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre.

Here are my notes:
-The first time I made this I doubled the recipe in my 5.5-qt. Instant Pot and it turned out great. My mistake was forgetting to push the rice down into the water, so it was a little unevenly cooked, but still...so stinking amazing!
-Both times I generously salted the chicken and I recommend doing that. I salted the rice as well, and still ended up adding a little more salt at the end of cooking.
-I left out the jalapenos for my kids' sake. #bestmomever 😏
-I used basmati rice the first time, jasmine the second...both are delicious, but I recommend basmati.
-Even if you have to track down these ingredients at some special international grocery store, I think it's totally worth it.
-Even if it looks like a lot of work, it's totally worth it. When you throw the onions in on the butter and spices, you start weeping with joy and wonder where that smell has been all your life. Same weeping thing will also happen when the cilantro and mint are added.
-It's really good with plain yogurt, in my opinion.
-Don't forget to try and fish out all the whole spices after it's cooked. Biting into a clove is not ideal.

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

You can find the original recipe here, the following is with my slight changes.

Salad

• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 small head green or white cabbage (1 bag shredded)
• 1 large carrot (1½ cups shredded)
• 1 green papaya (1½ cups shredded - I didn't have this but it would be sooo good)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• ½ cup green onions
• ½ cup chopped peanuts

Dressing

• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 bird’s eye chili peppers (sub ½ teaspoon minced hot pepper)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup water
• Ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chicken thighs, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove from heat, drain water, let cool, and shred with two forks.
2. Chop the cabbage into very thin pieces, like it would be for coleslaw. Peel and grate the carrots. Cut off the skin, remove the seeds, and grate the papaya. Roughly chop the cilantro and green onions. Toss the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and keep chilled.
3. Mince the garlic and chili peppers. Place garlic and peppers in a small mixing bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, oil, and fish sauce. Whisk until smooth. Add the peanut butter and water and whisk again until smooth and creamy.
4. Toss the salad with the dressing. Add the crushed peanuts. Serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to one day. For best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.

Honey Mustard Chicken

This is from the More with Less cookbook...but I'll put my changes in parentheses. It's a favourite, especially with vanilla mashed potatoes.

3 lbs chicken pieces (we like legs and thighs), arranged in a shallow baking dish, skin side up

Mix together the following and pour over the chicken:

1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted (I use about half of that. I suspect it could be omitted completely, but I haven't tried that.)
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder (or more, to taste)

Bake 60-75 minutes, basting every 15 minutes, until chicken is tender. (I bake it covered for about half of the time and then uncover it.)

Vanilla Mashed Potatoes: Make mashed potatoes as you normally do, but when mashing them, add the scraped out seeds of one or two vanilla pods OR 1 tsp vanilla powder. Don't try vanilla extract! It must be seeds or powder. Don't skimp on the butter and salt. :)

Basil Chicken with Coconut-Curry Sauce

I got this recipe out of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and I'd pay money to know why it has the title it does instead of, say, Curry Chicken in Basil-Coconut Sauce. Or Basil Coconut Curry Sauce for Chicken. Anyway. Suffice it to say that I (and 2 of my kids) thought this was a big hit. I think I might even choose it for my birthday meal, it's that good.

Cut 4 chicken breast halves into 1" pieces. In a bowl, combine the following:
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours. (Or 10 minutes if you're like me.)

1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and stir-fry the onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from wok.

Add half of the chicken to the work and cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken and repeat with remaining chicken. (Add additional oil if necessary.)

Combine 1 14 oz can light coconut milk and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Carefully add to the wok, cook and stir until bubbly. Add onion mixture and chicken.

Stir in 3 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped, and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger.

Heat for 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Rhonda's changes: I used less chicken and then added 4ish cups of a raw stir-fry mix (broccoli, pea pods, carrots and cabbage) and fried that a bit before I added the onions, etc. Also, I didn't have any jalapenos, so I used 3-5 good shakes of jalapeno Tabasco sauce. I'm pretty sure I used more like a tbsp of ginger, too...why bother with just a teaspoon??

Asian Chicken Salad (or wraps!)

(I had to hurry and finish eating this so I could post the recipe!)

leftover shredded chicken
nappa cabbage, sliced very thin
green onions
cucumber
shredded carrots
fish sauce
soy sauce
lime juice (fresh, don't use bottled - yuck)
fresh mint or basil or cilantro, or a combination of any or all!
dash of olive oil

almonds or peanuts to garnish
wraps if you so desire!
canned oranges and crunchy noodles would be nice too (I didn't use them)

For those of you that are counting calories, this has approx. 100 cal/cup

Thai Curry Soup

3 c. chicken broth
1 c. bottled clam juice
1 to 2 T. fish sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 1/2 t. red curry paste
1 (8 oz). Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pcs.
1 (3 oz.) pkg trimmed snow peas
1/3 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. sugar
4 T. sliced green onion tops
4 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large Dutch oven, stirring with a whisk. Add mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add the shrimp, chicken, and snow peas; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes until heated.

**My notes: I had to change a few things, mostly because of Lack of Ingredients. I couldn't find clam juice, so I substituted some oyster sauce and a bit more water. I used about 2 Tbsp of ginger and a whole can of curry paste. I didn't use shrimp or green onion tops. Let me say that this was so, so good. Thanks and blessings to cousin Michelle for sharing it with me.

Summertime Orzo & Chicken

3/4 c. uncooked orzo pasta

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in. pieces

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink. (I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little cayenne)

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, parsley and chicken. Drain pasta; stir into chicken mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Serve warm or cold. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese.

This was great warm the first day and cold the second... we really, really liked it. I was thinking it would be a great cold side if you left out the chicken. Yum.

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz cans) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz cans) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large sauce pan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Serves 7.

Joelle Hochstedler brought us this amazing chili last fall after Mayah was born. It's sooo good; I'm not sure why I waited this long to share it on here! If I remember correctly, last time I made it, I used milk instead of whipping cream. She also brought some very delicious garlic cheese biscuits that went very well with the soup. Don't think about the calories, just eat it.

Moroccan Tagine

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks*
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 dash cayenne pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken, onion, and garlic about 15 minutes, until browned.
Mix the squash, garbanzo beans, carrot, tomatoes with juice, broth, sugar, and lemon juice into the skillet.* Season with salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

*This is how the recipe is originally on allrecipes.com. Here are my changes: 1) instead of chicken breast, use 6 (or so) chicken legs (or thighs). Fry them in oil with the onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients. After they are fully cooked in the tagine, take them out, take the meat off the bones, and add the meat back into the pot. 2) use whatever kind of broth you want. I used water and 2 chicken boullion cubes. 3) I made it all in a big pot, not a skillet. 4) I always add some cumin.

We ate it with chunks of crusty bread that we dipped into the tagine and scooped it up with. Need I mention how delish it is? It's delish. Now go make it.

Spinach Chicken Pasta

Okay, this is going to taste familiar to you. It's just another twist on the combination of chicken, pasta, spinach, and tomatoes. But it's easy and good.

Saute 2 onions and 2 (or more) cloves of minced garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
Add 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into approx. 1" cubes or larger.

When chicken is almost done, add:
1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
basil, oregano, thyme and chili pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Let simmer until sauce is reduced a bit. It will still be somewhat watery, but just serve lots of garlic bread for soaking it up.
Serve over spaghetti or pasta of your choice.

Rigatoni Bolognese

1 box (1 lb) rigatoni pasta
2 medium carrots, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pkg (8 or 10 oz) whole mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp olive oil
3 links Italian turkey sausage (about 10 oz), casings removed
1⁄2 tsp crushed rosemary
1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper
1⁄2 cup white wine (optional)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in thick purée

Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water as box directs. Meanwhile, put carrots, onion, mushrooms and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped vegetables 6 minutes. Add turkey sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in rosemary, salt, pepper and wine, if using; boil 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Spoon over drained pasta.

Notes: I just used ground turkey instead of sausage and it was fine. Also, it was a little bland so I added more rosemary and salt and put in some basil. It's very good, but my favorite thing about it is the use of vegetables. This is also from Woman's Day.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Posole

1 can (15 oz) yellow or white hominy, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) mild green enchilada sauce
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
Chopped cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Combine hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, carrots, onion, garlic and cumin in a slow-cooker. Add chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours until chicken is cooked through and vegetables tender. Skim and discard any fat from the surface.

Remove chicken; pull meat off bones into large shreds. Stir back into slow-cooker. Stir in cilantro, if using. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Karissa discovered this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine, and it was a splendid discovery indeed. So far we haven't bothered with any tortilla chips. Also, for those not around Spanish-speaking people, it's pronounced poh-SOH-lay. :)

Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar (don’t add this if you have sweetened peanut butter)
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil (I reduced this already, and might try to leave it out altogether next time)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this amount just lets you know the red pepper is there, it’s not really spicy…of course, I think that I’ve had my red pepper since we got married. Hmmm.)
4 cups broccoli pieces

3 small onions cut into wedges
4 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or equal amount of deboned, cooked chicken)

Mix first 7 ingredients together until smooth. Set aside. Saute chicken in small amount of oil for a few minutes. Add broccoli, onions and ¼ cup water. Cover tightly and steam until broccoli is slightly tender and chicken is done. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and stir gently. Serve with rice.

Ok, I’m the only one in my family who liked this, but I really love it. I found it on a blog and made a few changes, but basically this is the way it was. I think I’ll add carrots next time. (Believe me, I will make this just for myself.)

Indian Butter Chicken

I don't know how proper it is to copy recipes off of another website, but I did anyway...This is from allrecipes.com, and credit goes to the original poster. It is SO good.
1)It's really rich, so I'd save it for a special occasion if I were you.
2)Don't think about substituting anything for the heavy cream. I and another friend have both tried substituting, and it didn't turn out right.
3)Make sure you serve it with some type of flatbread for dipping. Preferably naan.

1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tandoori masala

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.
While the sauce is simmering, toss cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet.
Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes. Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken

**Robyn told me about this recipe from Best of Bridge, and it is awesome... enjoy!

Sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. chicken broth

The Rest
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/4 c. oil
2-3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 red peppers, cut in strips
2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 c. snow peas
1 1/2 c. cashews (I used peanuts)
Sprinkling of sesame seeds, toasted

Are you ready? combine sauce ingredients and set aside. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add chicken and toss. Heat wok or frying pan to highest heat. Add oil. Heat to hot, not smoking. Add chicken, ginger, garlic and onion. Stir until chicken is opaque (about 1 min.). Add pepper and carrots. Stir 2-3 min. Add peas and sauce. Cook until sauce comes to a boil. Add cashews and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Chicken Vegetable Pasta - My version*

(pictured here without the pasta)

Sauce:
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in sauce pan.
Stir in 1/2 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine:
1/2 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
1/2 C white wine (I didn't have any so I just used more broth)
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon juice
Add to butter mixture and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Chicken:
Combine and let marinate about 1 hour.
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks or thin strips
1/4 C olive oil
rosemary to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 a lemon

After marinating, fry until almost done, then add the following:
(These measurements are all approximate and you can put in whatever you want)
Vegetables:
6 stems asparagus, cut in 1" pieces
1 C broccoli florets
1 C carrots, julienne cut
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 C spinach (I used frozen)
3/4 C frozen peas
(I've also added green beans and you could add zucchini, red pepper, snow peas, etc.)

-Cook vegetables until tender crisp, adding tomatoes and spinach last.
-When everything is done to your liking, pour sauce over it.
-Toss with bowtie or shell pasta. (I don't remember how much I made, but this amount of sauce was good for a nice big portion of pasta for our family, with some leftovers.)
-Pass the parmesan cheese!

*I got this off the Olive Garden website and made a few changes.
I want to say it's SO GOOD, but if it wasn't, I wouldn't be putting it on here, now would I? Hmmm?

Yummo Chili Cornbread

Brown in large skillet:
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
a little salt and pepper

Add:
1 can Mexican style chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (don't drain either can)
random spices that sound good to you, which may or may not include:
Montreal steak seasoning, chili powder, more garlic, pepper, liquid smoke...whatever

Cornbread "shell" (as Kirk thinks it should be called):
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 to 1 c. shredded cheese (the more the merrier)

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix buttermilk, oil and eggs separately, then add to dry mixture. Stir cheese into batter. Pour the chili into a 9 x 9 square pan*. Pour the cornbread batter evenly over the chili. Bake at 400 F for about 35 minutes. It is especially good with hot sauce (such as Frank's cayenne pepper sauce). Serves 4-6. I thought this would get soggy and gross as leftovers, but it is as yum as the day it was born.

I imagined this and thought it would be good, but as I made it I started wondering what I was thinking. Turns out I was right in the first place. The moral is: I'm never wrong.**

*Two things:
1) you may want to lightly grease the sides
2) the pan I used was deeper than average and it was none too deep for this concoction

**This may not be true.

Red Lake Chicken Marinade

1/2 c. vinegar
2 tbsp. margerine
2-3 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. water

Bring to a boil and let cool. Marinate chicken thighs and legs for several hours or overnight. Grill chicken, basting with marinade.

HT: Merle Schantz

Unbelievable Chicken

1/4 c. vinegar
3 T. prepared mustard
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
ground black pepper to taste
6 T. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
1. In a large glass bowl, mix the vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight. (I marinated it over 24 hours and it was great)
2. Preheat an outdoor grill on high heat.
3. Grill 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Baste during grilling, then discard marinade.

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef or turkey (I used turkey and it's fine if it's good quality)
1 egg
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
Worcestershire sauce
ketchup
mustard
1/4 c. chopped onion
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning

Mix together and put half the mixture into a loaf pan. Push some of it up the sides of the pan a bit to make room for the filling.

Filling:
1/2-3/4 c. ricotta cheese
Italian seasoning
garlic salt
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Put filling on first layer of meat and then put the rest of the meat on top of the filling. Squirt a little ketchup on top and sprinkle on some garlic powder and a little more Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Yes, I did make this up and I didn't measure so you're guess is almost as good as mine. Just make meatloaf like you know how, except use these general ingredients. You won't be sorry. If you are, just don't ever make it again. Also, treat it well by serving it with mashed potatoes.