Pressure Cooker Arroz con Pollo

Chicken and rice is an absolute favorite in my house. This chicken meat was incredibly tender- falling off the bone- in this pressure cooker version. The rice was full-flavored and fabulous.

This recipe was adapted from The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook: Authentic Flavors and Modern Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker bye Deborah Schneider. I used a stove top pressure cooker. I branched out from my comfort zone and used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. 😉 I also substituted a Cubanelle for an Anaheim chile and increased the garlic.

We ate it with a green salad. Wonderful!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 thighs) or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tsp coarse salt, divided
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small white or red onion, diced
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Cubanelle, Anaheim, or Poblano Chile, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced or one 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained (I used Basmati rice)
• parsley or cilantro, minced, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to a bare simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Add the saffron threads to the hot broth and let steep for about 30 minutes.
3. Season the chicken pieces on all sides with 1 tsp of the salt, the black pepper, and the pepper flakes. (I used a 9×13-inch pyrex dish.)
4. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
5. Working in batches, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until well browned on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate.
6. Add onion, garlic, and diced chile to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and the remaining 2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened.
8. Stir in the saffron-infused broth and the remaining 1 cup broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
9. Stir in the rice and, using a wooden spoon, gently swirl the rice until it falls in an even layer.
10. Return the chicken to the pot, arranging the pieces in an even layer, then pour in any accumulated juices.
11. Secure the lid and seal under pressure, set to meat/stew on an Instant Pot. (I brought my pot up to high (2nd ring) but may reduce to the first ring next time because a lot of the rice was crispy- but delicious- on the bottom of the pot.)
12. Cook for 20 minutes.
13. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then move the pressure to venting to release any remaining steam.
14. Open the pot and let cool for 10 minutes to allow the rice to firm up prior to serving.
15. Serve garnished with minced herbs, as desired.

Winter Squash & Red Bean Mole

This is an another amazing vegetarian chili variation. Hearty too. It was especially wonderful for me as well because it incorporated a lot of flavors typically used in a traditional Mexican mole, one of my absolute loves.

This recipe was adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Table: 250 Brand-New Recipes from the Natural Foods Restaurant that Revolutionized Eating in America from the Moosewood Collective. I doubled the recipe, increased the garlic, and omitted the ground fennel. We ate it with corn muffins and a green salad. Fabulous!

Yield: Serves 8 to 12

• 4 T olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (I used 2 large onions)
• 10-12 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground fennel seeds, optional
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 T chopped fresh thyme of 2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup seeded and chopped poblano peppers (can substitute cubanelle peppers)
• 3 cups seeded and chopped red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (I used 2 red, 1 yellow, & 1 orange)
• 6 cups diced butternut squash (bite-size cubes), from 1 medium butternut squash
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 6 T pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 T sesame seeds
• 2 15-oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped, or to taste
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• sour cream, for garnish
• thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

1. In a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat, warm the oil. (I used an enameled cast iron pot.)
2. Add the onions, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, thyme, salt, and black pepper and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the onions soften, stirring often to prevent sticking.
3. Add the celery, poblano peppers, and bell peppers and cook for another 5 minutes until the peppers brighten and become fragrant.
4. Stir in the squash and cook for a minute or two more.
5. Add the tomatoes and water to the pot, cover, bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
7. Using a spice grinder, mini food processor, or a mortar and pestle, finely grind the pepitas and sesame seeds.
8. When the squash is tender, stir the ground seeds, kidney beans, chipotles to taste, and chocolate into the stew. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Stir in the cilantro.
10. Garnish with more cilantro, sliced scallions, and/or sour cream, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• White Sandwich Bread

Two Years Ago:

• Southern Cornbread Dressing

Three Years Ago:

• Rigatoni with Cabbage, Creme Fraiche, & Pumpernickel Bread Crumbs
• Sweet Potato Soufflé with Gruyère

Four Years Ago:

• Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole

Five Years Ago:

• Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard
• Chicken Chili with Chipotle & Poblano Chiles

Six Years Ago:

• Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas & Spinach