Chicken and potatoes in the pressure cooker

TRACY'S CHICKEN THIGHS AND POTATOES 

IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

This is my goto for chicken thighs, it's easy, quick and absolutely delicious.  Thighs are cheaper, tastier and way more tender and juicy than chicken breasts and this method will convince even the die hard thigh-hater.  Seriously, it's yummy!!

RECIPE (and method)

6 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
dredge (flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, any other spices you like)
plain oil and/or bacon fat
1 large onion
1 small bag mini potatoes
2 garlic cloves
water
cream to finish

Dredge the chicken thighs and saute on high in the pressure cooker.  Fry them in batches until beautifully brown. 

Remove chicken and fry cut up onion for a few moments, then add the potatoes and garlic. Shush around a little bit.  Add about a cup of water and deglaze the pan.  Return the chicken to the pan, just set it on top of the potatoes/onion.

Lock and load, high pressure for 15 minutes.  Open either quick or natural, your choice.  This super easy dish can wait for you happily!

Remove chicken and veggies to a platter.  Turn pot on high and boil the sauce a little, add a little cream to enrich it if you're feeling the love.

Drape a little sauce on the chicken, serve with sauce on the side and in my case, with a little blob of aioli . (video recipe link below)

I didn't to play by play pics but here's the link to the video, it's real time so grab a glass of wine.

I hope you enjoy,

my CHICKEN AND POTATOES IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0leTcBL8y-4&t=9s

my AIOLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY3JkHM0ZKM&t=105s



/tracy

I felt like chicken piccata, so I made some, it was pretty easy

I had some chicken breast, some pasta and some capers.  I added some flour, some water (or broth), some lemon and some butter.  I had a pretty killer dinner for one.  This is easy to upsize to feed as many as you want. 

This is one of the drive-by meals, it's a method more than a recipe.  Once you get it, you can alter and swap things out (like salmon for the chicken which is amamamamzing!) or different pastas, you're going to use it all the time. 

Here's the link to the video, it's sort of long but if you slip past my nagging at the beginning, I think you're going to be delighted with this new shortcut :) 

https://youtu.be/2rhOGVRK0Io

/enjoy! :)

DRIVEBY Method recipe for the best crispy chicken thighs you'll eat

This is one of those quickie drive by method rather than recipe posts. This doesn't need amounts, it's a how to cook it, measurements aren't required.  Cook what you have, only a few? cook them in a smaller pan.  Got a ton to feed, use a gigantic pan.  I'm all about the easy way out here.

 My local grocery store has chicken thighs on sale frequently.  The bone in, skin on, chicken thighs are the tastiest bit of the chicken, the most tender and has the worst PR.  You can't overcook it, it is delicious, juicy and if you aren't a fan, try it again.

DRIVE BY RECIPE; TRACY'S DELICIOUS CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS (oven method)

INGREDIENTS and METHOD

chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
salt, pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Trim excess fat and skin from the thighs but leave enough skin to  cover and protect the meat.
Season both sides with salt and pepper
Place in a lightly oiled pan so they fit closely together.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 1 hr and 30 mins. 
YES, and hour and a half, do it.

Don't open the door, mess with the chicken, nothing, just wait then eat.  The skin is shatteringly crisp, potato chip crisp, peel it and eat it.  The meat is tender, soft, juicy, succulent and all those great words you use to describe chicken.

I did a youtube video of the process, I am slowly trying to get my youtube channel organized to be a direct link from here, we'll see how I manage it... In the mean time, just go make this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUHud9CUVzY


/enjoy

MISSISSIPPI Roast but wait; not with chuck but with Chicken Thighs! It's way cheaper and it's way delicious oh and did I mention I cook it in the pressure cooker? Yeah

MISSISSIPPI Roast but wait...I make it with Chicken Thighs!  It's way cheaper and it's way delicious oh and did I mention I cook it in the pressure cooker? Yeah I did. 

This is how you do it.  I didn't do play by play shots, I didn't think of it until we were eating then I realized YOU had to make this too...  I'll make it again and will do a video

TRACY'S MISSISSIPPI ROAST BUT WITH CHICKEN (IN THE PRESSURE COOKER)

INGREDIENTS

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (get the family pack)
1 package dry ranch dressing
1 package dry gravy mix
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup for my non American people)
12 peperoncino peppers, plus a little dribble of brine from the jar
1/2 cup of water

METHOD

I cut the extra fat off the thighs and brown them in a little oil.  
*don't brown the chicken in the pressure cooker, it just doesn't get hot enough, I try and try but it just is no good, use a little pan, brown a couple at a time and drop them into the cooker as you do.*
Add the water to the pressure cooker and put the chicken in. 
Sprinkle the dry mixes over the chicken, put the butter on top, the peppers around and dribble a little brine over.  DON'T MIX IT IN, just layer it all
Lock and Load the pressure cooker, set to HIGH pressure for 15 minutes.
Let the cooker come down naturally, open,
EAT

This keeps well for HOURS on warm, it freezes beautifully.  You can shred the chicken for sandwiches or just eat them over rice or potatoes, it's just crazy delicious and I think I might prefer it to the chuck version. 

Make it, it's amazing 

When you open the lid, wow.  the dark brown is some of the gravy mix, a quick stir and it dissolves, so so good

 

I served over rice with steamed green beans, oh did I mention so so good.

 

/enjoy

DRIVE BY RECIPE: PAN ROAST CHICKEN BREAST - make it fast, eat it with everything... immediate dinner or the best leftover chicken ever!

Yeah, well, I'm usually too poor (or stingy) to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  I also think it's the least tasty, least tender, least juicy bit of the bird.  HOWEVER, my local #HEB will sometimes put their chicken on at such a sale price I simply have to buy it.

Such was the case today.

Pay close attention, this goes fast... it's a

DRIVE BY RECIPE; Pan roasted Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, however many you want.
You MUST pound it, gently, to be the same thickness all the way across the piece.  Obviously, don't pound the thin end but just get it relatively balanced.  That's the secret to this whole process.
Salt
Pepper
Plain oil, grapeseed, corn, canola, something that can get HOT

One stainless frying pan, or cast iron.  It needs to go into the oven.

Here you go:

Heat pan to smoking, add a little oil to coat the bottom of the pan, put chicken in.
DO NOT TOUCH it, seriously.
When you see color on the sides, flip, shake to be sure it's not sticking (it's not, trust me, if your pan is hot enough, you're fine)
Put pan in PREHEATED 400 degree oven, hit timer 10 minutes.

Remove pan, remove chicken, cover and leave to rest 10 minutes. IF you're in the mood, make a quick pan sauce by adding a little flour to make a roux then add some stock or water to just shush around the pan to get the bits up.  OR you can simply pour in a little heavy cream and a splash of chicken stock into the pan and shush it around till it gets thick. Add chicken back into sauce for a few minutes so soak up some.

Add any juices around your chicken to the sauce, slice chicken, serve, eat, repeat :)

Here's the shots:

Pound chicken, into a screaming hot pan, flip and into a 400 degree oven for 10, then rest for 10 then eat :)

   

 

OR to do just one for sandwiches later :)

  

  

LOOK how juicy and tender that chicken is...  wow, sometimes I delight myself :D

I wanted a vinaigrette for this piece of chicken.  I'm going to slice it and use half in a sandwich and half with a salad.  Heat the pan and add a little olive oil, a little vinegar and shush it around to scrape up the dark bits, add a smidge of water and pour it into a little jar and use later... mmmmmm

   

/enjoy

QUICKIE DRIVE BY dinner idea for leftover chicken... wrap it in a crepe, throw sauce on it and call it dinner

Oh, fancy drive by leftover chicken time.

I had about half a leftover roast chicken, I picked the meat and threw it in a ziplock in the fridge. That's where we start

QUICKIE DRIVE BY -  CHICKEN CREPES WITH GRUYERE CREAM

Make 10 crepes, use a family recipe or google it or buy some, it's pretty easy either way.  Don't fret about how they look or if they're too thick, they are merely a vessel to carry chicken and gruyere cream to your mouth.

I will update this with my crepe recipe but i'm in a hurry to get this posted so it'll wait for now.

IN a heavy bottom sauce pan, make bechemal sauce.  Start with about 2 Tb butter and melt it, when it foams, add 2 T flour and fry it around for a moment, don't let it brown.  Add cold milk about 3cups at all once.  Do not fret or get all chefy and add a dribble then whisk then a dribble more, just dump it it.  I've been dumping milk into my cream sauce for 183 years and it's never been lumpy, just do it.

Dump the milk in and whisk until it comes back to the boil and thickens.  Add more milk if it's too thick.  Add salt, pepper and grates of fresh nutmeg.  When it tastes lovely and is a consistency you like, take it off heat and add a handful of whatever cheese you have.  I had Gruyere so that's what I used.

Keep a little of the sauce back to use on top and Mix the cooked, shredded chicken to the remaining sauce.

Fill each crepe with the cooled mixture and lay in a buttered pan.  Pour remaining sauce over, add more grated cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes in a hot oven till it's bubbly and heated through.

Serve with rice and something green.

  

:D

BAGS! Wine bags are up on my Etsy store TracyMakesIt and you need them :)

The coolest part of this food blog gig is the blatant self promotion.  Ok it's not, the coolest part it cooking with cooking types and talking food with food types and sharing what I do  BUT the other cool part is blatant self promotion.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TracyMakesIt

On top of cooking and writing about it, I sew.  I LOVE to create stuff and I've been called a fiber artist but that title seems too hipster, I sew, let's leave it at that.

I sell quite a few Bread Bags and if you haven't had a look, go take a peek.  I use them all the time for everything.

I am in a Maker Faire next week, it's a private sale so I am putting the cool bags I've made on my Etsy shop so everyone can buy them.  At the moment, I only ship within the USA but I am looking into finding cheaper ways to ship worldwide so all of you can inundate your friends with wine in my bags.

Here they are, take a look, see if there's anything you dig and then head over to my store.  IF you message me that you saw the link here I'll cut you a deal because we foodie types have to stick together.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TracyMakesIt

Check out what came out of my head.  They are linen or ticking and I printed the images onto them.

 

 

    /

/tracy

OH and I'll get back to food now, thanks!!  

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, my stovetop version, Easy, Cheap, Delicious and they taste like chicken!!

Let's begin.  Firstly, I will acquiesce that yes, there are a zillion ways to cook chicken.  There are even more ways to cook boneless, skinless, chicken thighs.  *I* cook chicken thighs a thousand ways.  I usually use thighs with both skin and bone BUT I have been known to divert and go both skinless and boneless. This is one of my quickie 'go to' versions.

It's stove-top but you can easily shove it in the oven if you don't want to look at it.  Looking at it is really the only involvement you have after the initial cook so that's why I keep it on the stove-top, so I feel involved and as though I'm doing something :)  Love food that deals with itself.  That being said, let's cook it.

My easy Chicken thighs, stove-top version 

A pack of chicken thighs, I found boneless skinless thighs on sale for $2.99 for 8, seriously you can't beat that.

Salt
pepper
flour
whatever herbs or spices you like (I use thyme and sometimes sage)
plain oil

chicken stock (or water, Truly, don't not make this for want of stock)

Quickie instructions; 

Season, flour and fry thighs in batches.  Drain out most of the oil and fill pan half way with stock, bring to a boil.  Scrape up any stuck bits, that's the flavor there baby. Return chicken to pan, lower heat, cover and simmer till cooked, up to 45 minutes, you can't really overcook this and the longer is better because the chicken just gets more tender

I serve with mashed potatoes and something orange or something green

EAT

LONG version with the photographs and play by play instructions 

I don't like to wash dishes, yes I have a dishwasher, that doesn't matter, I like few dishes.  SO, to that end, I marinate, season and prep all of my meat in my sink.  Yes, I wash it.  Yes, I disinfect it.  Yes, I hear you telling me not to but I am going to anyway.  So, now we have that out of the way, let's cook this.

Take thighs and put the in your clean sink, season liberally and sprinkle, also liberally, with flour.

 

Let them fry, on a pretty high flame until they are crispy and beautifully brown.  Do not touch them till you're going to flip them,

   

When the batches are done, put them on brown paper to drain a bit.

   

Drain off most of the fat left but leave the bits!  Long live the bits!!  Add some stock to the pan and bring to a boil, scrape your bits!  Bring it to a hard boil and return the chicken to the pan.  Turn the pan to low, cover it and leave it to simmer and do lovely happy things.  I leave it a healthy 30-40 minutes.  The chicken just gets more tender and succulent.  Use the time to make veggies or have a glass of wine, that's my go-to.

   

   

IF you can't cope with a pan on the stove, toss it in a low oven for 45 minutes or so.

When it's done, it looks like this, lovely and soft and juicy and unctuous.  All the right food words, all the right flavors. You can cut it, for samples, with a spoon!  I live for samples, you can probably imagine.  It's pretty important to sample.  You will want to sample this, over and over.  Truly.  It's so gloriously pure in it's chicken flavor. 

I don't give any excuse or explanation to not adding onions or other flavors here.  This is meant to be easy and delicious and it is.  It tastes more like chicken than most of the chicken dishes you make, I promise you. 

Now, when it's done and you want to eat, you can take the lid off and let the sauce reduce a bit, you can take the chicken out and add a little cream and nutmeg to make it richer (that's what I am about to do) or you can simply serve it up and eat it. 

I will post update pics later today but I wanted to get the basics down for you in case you have chicken thighs in your fridge, or freezer and realize you have to have this for dinner. 

I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think...

/tracy