Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes

Pressure cookers reduce cooking time, helping your food retain more nutrients and flavor. Check out these pressure cooker chicken recipes with international flavors.

Pressure cookers dramatically reduce cooking time, which means your food retains more nutrients and flavor. You’ll save time and use less electricity or gas. When you need to make a dinner in a hurry, throw in the ingredients and your meal will be done while you’re cleaning up.

In summertime, your kitchen will be cooler if you use a pressure cooker rather than pans on the stovetop. You’ll also have only one pot to wash.

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Here are some pressure cooker chicken recipes to try, with the flavors of Mexico, China, India, and Italy.

1. Salsa verde chicken (for four to six)

• ¾ cup onion
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 2 lb chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)

This dish requires making the salsa verde first. Ingredients include:

• 3/4 lb tomatillos or green tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 serrano chilis
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 sprigs cilantro
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky residue. Quarter the onion.

Add the ingredients except the cilantro and salt to a large pot and just cover with water. Bring the water and ingredients to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Blend the cooked ingredients and the cilantro with the cooking water until smooth. (About 30 seconds.)

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pot. Pour the blended salsa back into the pot with the hot cooking oil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the salt and adjust if necessary.

You’ll need about a cup for the chicken and should have a little extra.

Now put the ¾ cup of onion, a cup of salsa verde, and the chicken in your cooker. Cook thawed chicken on high pressure for 12 minutes, or frozen chicken for 20 minutes. Turn the pressure valve to Vent to release the pressure.

You can take the chicken out and shred it, remove two-thirds of the liquid from the pot, and then return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir in the remaining liquid. You can also serve it as breasts with the liquid spooned over it. Use extra liquid for cooking rice.

2. Orange chicken (for four to six)

• 2 lbs chicken breast or thighs, thawed, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup orange juice no sugar added
• 1 tbsp ginger grated
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp rice wine or dry white wine
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce optional
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• Zest from 1 orange

Cornstarch Slurry:

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp orange juice

Dry the chicken with paper towels before you cut it up. Using the Sauté function on your cooker, add oil, and sauté the chicken until golden for up to 3 minutes. Remove any bits stuck to the bottom.

Add everything else except for the cornstarch slurry. Stir gently until all the ingredients are combined and coated in sauce. Close lid, cook for 5 minutes on High Pressure, with the vent closed.

While the chicken is cooking, combine 2 tbsp of cornstarch with the orange juice, whisk until the slurry isn’t lumpy.

Turn off the heat. Release the remaining pressure by opening the vent. Open the lid. Now on sauté, add the cornstarch and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. If you want the sauce thicker, let the chicken stand. Adding sugar will make it sweeter, and you can add hot sauce.

3. Tikka Masala (for four to six)

• 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1 and a half inch pieces, thawed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 garlic cloves)
• 1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 (15-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ cup heavy cream or yogurt

Heat oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high, brown onions, add garlic and ginger, and cook for a minute before adding the other spices and salt. Cook another minute before you stir in the chicken, tomatoes, and broth. Cook about 8 minutes before you release the pressure valve and remove the lid.

Whisk together the cream or yogurt and cornstarch, add to the sauce, serve, and cook another minute. Sprinkle with cilantro.

4. Cacciatore (for six to eight)

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up, without skin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 1/4 cup white wine or water

Load the onions and then the chicken into the pressure cooker, followed by the other ingredients. Lock lid and cook on high for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

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