Chicken Leg Quarters in the Instant Pot

Hey Y'all,

I'm sorry i haven't been posting.  I have been very busy sewing face masks for healthcare and essential workers.  I've been lucky enough to donate over 300 reusable masks!  Woohoo!  My family has been very understanding (because I haven't been cooking much haha!).  All I do is is sew!  But, thank the Lord, this virus seems to be slowing a little and so has the need for masks.  Let's pray it goes away altogether.

Now, about the Instant Pot.  They are all the rage.  I actually bought one for my Mama for Christmas because she has always loved pressure cookers.  But, she said it was "too fancy" and gave it back! (That's my Mama, folks haha).  So, I have been using and loving it!  I like to use it for meal prep and that's what I did yesterday.  I pressure cooked 4 leg quarters, deboned them, bagged up some of the shredded chicken, then used the rest in a quick recipe.  Bonus, it makes great broth in the process!

Here's how I did it:

CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS IN THE INSTANT POT

4 leg quarters
1 1/2 cups water
salt/pepper
a small piece each onion, celery, carrot (optional)

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper (If you like a little spice also use some creole seasoning). 

Pour the 1 1/2 cups water into the bottom of the pot.   You must have water to pressure cook but it also helps to make a delicious broth. 

To flavor the broth a little more I like to add a few small pieces of onion, celery and carrot.  This is optional but it's worth it in my opinion. 

Then, put the steamer rack in place.

Place the seasoned chicken on top of the rack.

Plug the instant pot in and press the pressure cook button. 

The time you cook the chicken really depends on the size of the leg quarters. 
If they are small, 20 minutes is plenty to cook them and make the meat tender and fall off the bone. 
If they are big, like mine were, go for 25 minutes. 

*Note, if you have bone-in thighs instead of leg quarters, cook for 10 minutes.

Once the time is up, let the steam naturally release for 5 minutes, then carefully open the valve for quick release of the steam.

When the steam has finished releasing you can open the pot and remove the chicken to a platter to let cool.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, you can easily pull the meat from the bone. 
You get a lot of chicken!  Plus broth!

I let the broth cool, then pour it through a strainer.  It gives great flavor to anything you're cooking!

Of course you could just eat the chicken right now. Believe me, I wanted to.  But I was meal prepping.

I made skillet chicken pot pie with a biscuit topping using the shredded chicken and broth.  It came together so fast thanks to the shredded chicken I had on hand.  Plus I still have more in the fridge for later!

If you have an Instant Pot, give this a try.  It's simple and can save you a lot of time when supper rolls around.

Chicken Paprika

I've been making Chicken Paprika for over 20 years.  I learned the recipe in a college cooking class.  It isn't difficult to make and it is so delicious!  My Pickiest -Eater -Ever Son absolutely loves it!  I think you will, too.  Here's how to make it.

CHICKEN PAPRIKA

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 onion, cut into thin slices

3 TBS oil (olive, vegetable, canola, etc)

salt/pepper   

paprika

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

Saute the onions in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika.

(I know, this is more than 4 chicken breasts, I made extra because my son will eat it for lunch the next day).

When the onions are golden, remove them from the skillet and set aside.

Brown the chicken on both sides over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken broth and return the onions to the skillet.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Put a lid on the skillet and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes (my chicken breasts were on the thin side, if you are using real thick ones simmer 20-25 minutes or until cooked through).

 Once it is done simmering, remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Whisk the sour cream into the broth and onions until smooth.  Do not boil it!  It will curdle!  Just gently warm it through.

Whisk it until it is smooth.

Remove from heat once it's warm.  Spoon sauce over the chicken.  I always serve this with angel hair pasta.  The sauce is wonderful over the pasta!

See how easy that was?  You are definitely going to want to give this one a try.  Let me know what you think.

Spicy Chicken & Sausage Pasta

Hi Guys!

I'm back!  I'm six weeks post surgery and doing well.  I had a spinal stimulator implanted to help with the chronic back & ankle pain I've been dealing with for years.  So far so good.  Praise God!

I made a really yummy pasta dish last night and made sure to take some pics so I could share with y'all.  It's pretty quick & easy, too.

SPICY CHICKEN & SAUSAGE PASTA

1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced into thin pieces
1-2 boneless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into cubes
1 onion, diced
1/2 a bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes & green chilies
1 splash Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS cane syrup (or honey)
salt/pepper
1 lb Rotini pasta (or penne, bow ties, ziti, etc)

Bring a big pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the sliced sausage on both sides.

Once browned, remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.  Add the chicken to the rendered sausage drippings.  Season it with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

Once browned, remove the chicken to the plate with the sausage and set aside.  You should have some brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.  This is called gratin in Cajun cooking.  It adds a ton of flavor to food.  We are going to get those bits up by adding the onion and bell pepper.  While they cook, the water in them will help release the bits from the skillet.
 

Cook the veggies down for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Next, add the chicken broth and the water then scrape the rest of the brown bits up.

Now add the Rotel tomatoes.  I zip them in a blender first because my picky guys don't like chunks of tomatoes.  But you don't have to.

Then add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and 1 Tablespoon of cane syrup (or honey). 

Return the sausage and chicken to the skillet.

Let this simmer for 10 minutes or so until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the skillet.

Stir well to incorporate.  Taste it to see if it needs more salt or pepper.  It has a bit of spice so you may not need any pepper unless you like it really hot.  You can garnish with green onions or parsley.

This dish is warm and filling.  Serve it with a salad or green vegetable for an easy supper.  Give it a try and let me know what ya think.

Simple Chicken and Noodles

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's finally starting to cool off a little around here.  Woohoo!  Man, I love Fall.  It makes me want to visit pumpkin patches and bake bread while wearing a sweater.  It's just awesome.

If you're busy doing Fall-y type stuff all day, you'll need a simple recipe to cook for supper.  Here's a good one:

SIMPLE CHICKEN AND NOODLES

2 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (or 10 baby carrots)
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz egg noodles (or broken spaghetti, or elbow macaroni)
salt/pepper
a little oil (2-3 TBS)
1 TBS butter


Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat a little oil over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken.  You don't need to cook it all the way through here.  It will finish cooking later on.

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.  Add the onion, celery and carrots.  Saute until softened.  To speed this process up you can add a little water then cover.  Let the veggies steam for a few minutes then stir.  Repeat until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.

Return the chicken to the pot.  Add broth.  Bring to a boil.

Add the butter then add the noodles.

Stir well and press the noodles down as best you can.

Put the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

It's done when the broth is absorbed and the noodles are tender.


Garnish with a little parsley.

This is a simple dish that's comforting and filling.  Plus it makes a little chicken go a long way.  Great way to use up a few chicken breasts.  The family gave it the thumbs up.  Give it a try and see how you like it.

Chicken and Bacon Bow Ties

Hi Guys,

Sorry it's been a while.  I've been dealing with more ankle trouble.  Ugh.  But, life goes on and I just try to roll with it. 

I usually write a menu for the week, then make a grocery list based on what I need to make the dishes on my menu.  I always check the fridge, freezer and pantry to see what's there.  That way, I only buy what I need.  However, tonight I had to wing it.  There were a couple of boneless chicken breasts in the fridge that I needed to cook.  So, I scrounged around and found the ingredients to make Chicken and Bacon Bow Ties.  Wow!  It came out great!  Here's how I did it:

CHICKEN AND BACON BOW TIES

2 slices bacon, chopped
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 TBS butter, optional
12 oz bow tie pasta
Salt & Pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

Place the chopped bacon into a big skillet.  Then turn on the heat to medium.  Putting it in a cold skillet keeps it from shriveling up too much. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is just crispy, careful not to over cook it.

Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.  Discard all but 1 TBS of the bacon grease.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add it to the hot skillet. 

Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides.

Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Add the onions to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden.

Add the diced tomatoes with juice.  Use your spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.  That's great flavor you want in your dish!

Then, smash the tomatoes with the spoon to release their juice even more.

Add chicken broth and return the chicken and bacon to the skillet.

Add the butter.  This is optional but it gives the sauce a nice silkiness. 

Now, let this simmer for 10-15 minutes to reduce and thicken.  If you time it right, your pasta should be done at the same time.

Drain the pasta then add it to the skillet.  Stir well to combine. 

You can garnish this pasta with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.  A little fresh basil or parsley would be nice, too.

This pasta was very good.  It had a slight smokiness from the bacon and a sweetness from the sauteed onion.  The whole family enjoyed it.  Then my daughter's friend came over and had some.  When I asked her if she liked it, she showed me her empty bowl.  So, I guess that's a yes.  Enjoy!