Imagine you have your parents over for dinner and now you are wondering what to make for them in a short period of time. Or perhaps your friends are coming over to your place for lunch and you have nothing to serve them except the last night’s leftovers. Or maybe it’s time to get hold of that pressure cooker you stowed away long ago in order to start cooking right away! If you want to cook chicken in pressure cooker in the quickest way possible, say in just 30 minutes, then there is nothing better than preparing delicious chicken recipes.
The best thing about using electric pressure cookers is that preparing different types of recipes get much simpler with them. There are various cooking options available these days. You don’t need to marinade, brine or baste your chicken, or to keep it prepared beforehand. You will get the same flavors that you would get from these methods anyway, but in much lesser time. You can actually make delicious salad and other side dishes while your chicken is being cooked in the pressure cooker. Here are a few delicious ways to cook chicken in pressure cooker that would make you never want to throw this amazing kitchen appliance away again.
Quick Starter Dish: Chicken Wild Rice Soup!
If you want to up your cooking game, starting off with a few basic starters is a good idea. Wild rice soup is incredibly easy to make with a yield of up to eight servings!
- You will need to choose the ‘saute’ option on your electric pressure cooker. Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the pressure cooker pot. Once the butter melts, add 1 cup of chopped onions, 1 cup of diced carrots and 1 cup of diced celery. Allow this mixture to cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir every now and then for around 5 minutes.
- You will now need to add two cans of chicken broth, 14 ounces each, into the pressure cooker. Also, add 2 large diced chicken breasts that are skinless and boneless along with 6 ounces of wild rice. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt, 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of parsley into the cooking pot.
- Now lock the lid of the cooker, select the ‘high pressure’ option and cook for 5 minutes. When the timer starts beeping, turn the cooker off and wait for 5 minutes. Then do a pressure release.
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and add to the mixture in the pot. Select the ‘simmer’ option and stir constantly.
- Add 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese and stir till the cheese melts. Add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of half-cream and heat the mixture, but not up to the boiling temperature.
Your soup is now ready to serve! This recipe would take around 20 minutes and you won’t even have to cook rice and chicken separately!
How to Make the Perfect Chicken Enchilada Pasta?
This recipe will serve around six people. Pasta is our all-time favorite, especially among the kids. So if your kids have brought over their friends unexpectedly and you need to come up with something quick, this yummy pasta will drive all your worries away!
- Select ‘saute’ and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pressure cooker pot and heat it up. When the oil is hot enough, add 1 cup of diced onions and keep it heating till they become tender. Then add 2 cloves of diced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add 1 can of enchilada sauce and 1 can of tomatoes, with 1 ¼ cups of water and 1.25 ounces of taco seasoning mix. Then stir the mixture.
- Now it’s time to add 3 cups of dried rotini pasta and 2 large diced chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless.
- Lock the lid and do high pressure cooking for 4 minutes. When the timer goes beeping, turn the cooker off and allow for pressure release.
- Select the ‘saute’ mode again and let the pasta become tender. This takes around 1 minute.
- Now turn off your pressure cooker and pour the pasta in a baking dish. Add 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese and let it melt by broiling until it develops a brownish color.
- You can now serve your pasta with green onions, olives and cilantro for garnishing.
This pasta actually is perfect for cooks who want both Tex-Mex and Italian flavors in one recipe, or those who would prefer pasta over any other main course.
Got Only 9 Minutes? Try Making Thai Thighs!
Let’s say you’ve no idea how long to cook chicken thighs in a pressure cooker without overcooking it. So you always have to scrap that idea and opt for takeouts. But what if you get to cook chicken thighs in only 9 minutes and wow everyone around? Say “No” to takeouts and find out how you can do just that!
- Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pot and select the ‘browning’ mode. Heat the oil and add 2 pounds of boneless skinless trimmed chicken thighs. Make sure to add the thighs in batches; do not fill the cooker entirely. Once the chicken is brown keep it on a platter.
- Add 0.5 cup of chicken broth, 0.25 cup of peanut butter, 0.25 cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of cilantro freeze dried, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Stir and mix.
- Now add the browned chicken back to the pressure cooker pot with any juices left on the platter. Lock the lid and allow ‘high pressure’ cooking for around 9 minutes.
- When time’s up, turn off the cooker and do quick pressure release. Remove the chicken thighs, leaving the juices and sauce on the pot.
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and add this mixture into the pot. Stir constantly using the ‘simmer’ option. Bring the mixture to a boil. The sauce will become thick by then.
- Now add chicken thighs back to the pot and let the sauce cover the chicken. Then serve your chicken with chopped green onions and chopped peanuts.
If the sauce becomes too thick or you’re using natural peanut butter then you can add more chicken broth. You can also prefer to use some sweeteners.
How to Cook Chicken in Pressure Cooker: Final Words
Although pressure cookers allow for faster cooking than most of the other cooking methods we follow regularly, there are variations among the types and models of cookers available. Electric pressure cookers are very common nowadays because they are extremely quick and convenient to use. Most people are hesitant to cook chicken in pressure cooker, thinking they will either overcook the chicken or ruin the flavors, but electric pressure cookers have made the cooking chicken process a whole lot easier.
So, no worries! We have given you recipes that you can easily prepare, even if you are a beginner. You can also try and experiment various other recipes. Become a pressure cooker pro in a matter of just 30 minutes and impress your loved ones!
