August 29

Instant Pot Crack Chicken

This is the only type of crack that we approve of and that is Crack Chicken. LOL. I’m sure most of you have had it before, whether or not you realized it, or you have at least have heard of this delectable version of crack. Packing a lot of flavor from the ranch packet, cheese, and bacon – it’s always a hit at potlucks or parties. It’s an incredibly simple recipe to make, and it takes minimal effort. You can decide how you want to eat it, as a dip or in a sandwich or even in a lettuce cup…. It’s one of those dishes that is guaranteed to disappear every time you make it.

Instant Pot Crack Chicken

Chicken crack is the only type of crack allowed! This one is great and is an easy dish to put together for parties and potlucks.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine American, Modern
Servings 0 servings
Calories 2878 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Pot, 6qt or larger

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
  • 8 ounce cream cheese cut into 6-8 pieces
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
  • 6 – 8 slices cooked bacon crumbled
  • 2 green onions diced optional

Instructions
 

  • Pour water in the Instant Pot.
  • Place chicken and cream cheese in an even layer and sprinkle ranch seasoning over the top.
  • Select the MANUAL and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
  • When done, quick-release the remaining pressure.
  • Carefully remove the chicken and shred.
  • Using the display panel select CANCEL and then SAUTE . Whisk the cream cheese mixture thoroughly to break up any remaining cream cheese pieces.
  • Return chicken to pot along with cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly and then turn the pot off.
  • Sprinkle with bacon and green onions and serve.

Notes

Original recipe: https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/crack-chicken/

Nutrition

Calories: 2878kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 273gFat: 178gSaturated Fat: 86gCholesterol: 1058mgSodium: 6515mgPotassium: 4411mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4690IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 1113mgIron: 6mg
Keyword Bacon, Cheese, Chicken, Crack, Cream Cheese, Instant Pot, Kid Friendly
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
June 8

Instant Pot Chicken Veggie Pasta

This was a simple recipe that was really quick and easy to make. With Traci being pregnant, we’ve been looking for more nutrient-full meals that don’t go heavy on spice-flavors but are not bland. This recipe was definitely a winner. It’s also going to be great for meal prep as I bet that you probably already have at least half the ingredients. LOL.

The best way to describe this recipe is chicken soup without all of the broth. We both liked that it packed in so many veggies which also helped add great flavor. While its flavor was simple, it made for an easy palette to doctor up to each of our preferences. Just a few ideas that could be used to “kick it up” include ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, your favorite hot sauce, and parmesan cheese.

Instant Pot Chicken Veggie Pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs Chicken breast Should be roughly 2-3 breasts
  • 2 cups Chicken stock
  • 4 Chicken bouillon cubes
  • 8 ounces Pasta shells work great.
  • 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
  • Parmesan cheese optional
  • Freshly ground black pepper optional
  • Crushed Red Pepper optional
  • Hot sauce optional

Instructions
 

  • Add chicken to the Instant Pot along with bouillon cubes and 1 cup of the chicken stock. Close the valve, and set Instant Pot on the poultry setting to cook for 19 minutes.
  • When finished cooking, do a quick release. Remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork, leaving the broth in your Instant Pot.
  • Add pasta into the Instant Pot and add remaining chicken stock. Be sure pasta is fully submerged so that it fully cooks. Add your shredded chicken right on top of the pasta.
  • Set instant pot to “steam” and cook for 4 minutes. Do another quick release of the steam, Add the frozen veggies, combining them with the pasta and chicken to defrost.
  • Serve immediately along with any optional toppings.
    This can be stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator to enjoy all week!

Notes

Original recipe: https://carrotsncake.com/high-protein-instant-pot-chicken-pasta/
Keyword Chicken, Instant Pot, Pasta, Vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
April 11

Chicken & Asparagus Stir-fry

We’re doing lots of cooking at home amid this Corona virus pandemic. We have ordered some pickup weekly to support local restuarants. But we spent a small fortune on groceries before the lockdown, so it’s actually quite nice to cook together and eat “healthy” meals that we put together ourselves. We hope that you too are enjoying some time cooking and eating with whomever is in your house.

Traci found this recipe while looking up ingredients we had in the house. It ended up a hit and we enjoy it for a couple of meals. We had been hitting the Italian flavors kind of frequently, so it was delightful to enjoy the Asian inspired flavors in this dish. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Chicken and Asparagus Stir-fry

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 bunch asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds optional

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl or in a ziplock bag, combine soy sauce and honey. Add chicken, and stir to coat. Set in the refrigerator until ready.
  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, and saute until cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
  • Remove chicken from marinade, and add to skillet. Saute until nearly cooked through (with the insides still slightly pink), about 5 minutes. Then add garlic, scallions, and the reserved marinade to the pan. Saute for an additional 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the garlic is fragrant.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the cooked asparagus and sesame oil until combined. Serve immediately with rice, garnished with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Original recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/chicken-and-asparagus-stir-fry/#tasty-recipes-66019
Keyword Asparagus, Chicken, Stir-fry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
December 4

Instant Pot Keto Queso Chicken Soup

It’s been a while since we made this, but I’m just getting around to posting it…. Just from the name alone you can tell that this is going to be a good recipe! IP, Keto friendly, Queso, Chicken, Soup – I think I like every one of those keywords. LOL. This soup was really easy to make, and it tasted as good as you’d expect. It’s literally a cheese soup with chicken added. It’s like a fiesta in your mouth!

Instant Pot Keto Queso Chicken Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 2 10oz can Rotel with diced green chiles
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Stove top:

  • In a cast iron dutch oven (or normal poheat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the Rotel and taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute just to toast the spices.
  • Add in the chicken and broth, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred, set aside.
  • Stir the cream cheese and heavy cream into the soup. You may want to use an immersion blender to make it creamier than just stirring. Once the cheese has melted add the chicken back into the soup. Season with salt to your taste and serve with desired toppings.

Instant Pot:

  • Cook the chicken in the IHere is our IP Chicken recipe. Once cooked, set on side. Later, shred the chicken while you wait on the soup to come to together.
  • Set you IP to saute and heat the oil. Stir in the Rotel and taco seasonings, cooking for a minute until the spices are toasted.
  • Add in the broth, cream cheese, and heavy cream into the soup. Let cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  • (OptionaTransfer soup to blender and pulse until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender, if you don’t have a Vitamix or equivalent. Add it back to the IP.
  • Add your shredded chicken back to the soup base in the IP, and cook for about 5 minutes to reheat the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Original Recipe: https://www.castironketo.net/blog/keto-queso-chicken-soup

Nutrition

Serving: 5g
Keyword Keto
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
March 16

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

Okay I’ll be honest… I will often forget how long to throw chicken in for. So here’s my goto frozen chicken recipe for the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
NPR 5, rest 5 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • salt
  • ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in pressure cooker.
  • Close lid and turn vent to sealed.
  • For Frozen Chicken, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
    For Fresh Chicken, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
  • Allow to release naturally for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release if needed.
  • Remove chicken from liquid and let the chicken rest.
  • Serve,  or shred with 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
  • Will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Keyword Instant Pot
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

November 27

Lemon And Thyme Chicken Recipe

Lemon and thyme are two flavors that just go really well together. They also go really well with white meat, like chicken. Here’s another easy lemon and thyme chicken recipe. 

This recipe is similar to our lemon thyme chicken tenders, however, this recipe is made for the oven not a hot pan. Both are tasty. 

Lemon And Thyme Chicken Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 5 cloves Garlic minced
  • ½ cup Chicken stock
  • 2 Lemons
  • -Cut into 4 wedges
  • -Zest from 1 lemon
  • -Juice from 1 lemon
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme;
  • Sea salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F.
  • Season the chicken breasts on each side with sea salt and black pepper.
  • Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and add the minced garlic, chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice, and thyme sprigs.
  • Place in the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, basting one or twice during the process.
  • Serve warm with lemon wedges.

Notes

Original recipe: https://paleoleap.com/lemon-thyme-chicken/
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
November 26

Lemon Thyme Chicken Tenders

This was a simple recipe that was quick and easy to make. The brightness from the lemon and savory from the thyme, make them a quick hit at the table. This just shows that it doesn’t take much to doctor up some chicken to make your meal become next level.

This is similar to our lemon and thyme chicken recipe, except this recipe is made for the stovetop. The other recipe is better suited for the oven. 

Lemon Thyme Chicken Tenders

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound chicken breast tenders
  • olive oil-flavored cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • Combine the olive oil, garlic, chopped thyme, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Toss chicken with the olive oil mixture; allow to marinate for 5 minutes.
  • Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat. Cook chicken tenders in the hot pan until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Notes

Original recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/69567/lemon-thyme-chicken-tenders/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=4&isMetric=false
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
November 22

Roast Chicken Over Curry Quinoa Salad

This recipe was another great find from the FreshBox meal service. We enjoy it so much that we decided to hang on to it. 

Roast Chicken Over Curry Quinoa Salad

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup Quinoa
  • 1 bunch Kale
  • 1/2 Cucumber
  • 1 Persimmon
  • 1 bunch Dill
  • 1/4 tsp Curry Powder
  • Olive oil
  • Black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Rinse your produce well under cold water. Remove the rib from the kale leaves and discard. Tear the leaves into large pieces. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the kale leaves for 2-3 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
  • In a separate pot, combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water, curry, and salt. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside. Set oven to a broil at 500 degrees of highest temp.
  • Trim the top off the persimmon and dice it into bit size pieces. Toss with 1 tsp of oil and spread on a lined tray. Broil for 10 minutes or until just soft. Cut the cucumber into bite size pieces. Finely chop 1 tbsp of dill
  • Toss together the quinoa, kale, persimmons, cucumbers, and dill in a bowl. Taste to check seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed, if it’s dry add some oil.
  • Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Broil the chicken for 4 minutes on each side. Serve hot with the curried quinoa salad and enjoy!

Notes

Original recipe: FreshBox meal recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
September 14

Mississippi Chicken

We loved the Mississippi pot roast a lot, but sometimes it just felt heavy after eating it for a few days (meal prepping).  So we talked about trying the same recipe, but using a different protein. This time we tried it using chicken. We are certainly glad we decided to try it. Because it is really tasty! I imagine that it would also make tasty version of carnitas too, but we’ll save that for another post.

This recipe makes a lot of food, which is the main reason i like it meal prepping. The chicken releases a ton of its own juices which is perfect for that au jus flavor. I like to shred the chicken then let it sit in the juices for a bit before serving so that it can absorb even more flavor.

This recipe is perfect for making a huge chicken sandwich and then dunking it in a cup of au jus. Or throw it all over a scoop of rice, or some low card miracle noodle rice, and it is still a very filling meal. This recipe is super easy and makes a TON of food. There are so many ways to incorporate the chicken into other meals.

Mississippi Chicken

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 lbs Chicken
  • 1 package Ranch Dressing mix 1oz, dry
  • 1 package Au Jus gravy mix 1oz, dry
  • 1 stick Butter
  • 5-10 pepperoncini peppers plus a few tablespoons juice
  • Vegetables optional

Instructions
 

  • Add optional veggies to the bottom of the cooker. Carrots, onion, potato, etc...
  • Place chicken in slow cooker
  • Empty packages of dry Ranch dressing and Au Jus dressing on top of the roast.
  • Place stick of butter on top.
  • Place pepperoncini around and on top of the roast.
  • Cook on HIGH for 3-3.5 hours, or on LOW for 6-7 hours.

Notes

Original recipe: https://recipes.giffen.cloud/2018/08/29/mississippi-pot-roast/
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

August 29

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

This recipe is so simple that I kinda feel bad calling it a recipe. It is literally just two things – chicken & salsa.

You can mix it up by varying the salsa used. The chicken lets out a lot of its own juices, so don’t be afraid to use a salsa that has some kick. Because of all those juices, don’t add the whole jar of salsa, only add up to two cups, no more. Also, the thing to remember about this recipe is that the better the salsa, the better the flavor will be; As it is literally the salsa doing all of the work here.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 1 minute
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Boneless Chicken
  • 1 container Salsa
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Salt and pepper your chicken to help add flavor.
  • Add the chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Add at least 2 cups of salsa on top of the chicken.
    Don't add any more than 2 cups, as the chicken produces a lot of its own juices.
  • Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  • Chicken will become easy to break apart with a fork..
    Shred all of it right in the slow cooker and serve.

Notes

Original recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/2-ingredient-slow-cooker-salsa-chicken-recipe/
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!