The Broke Baker

Category: Chicken

  • Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Thai food is one of those things that I THOUGHT that I dislike, until friends started dragging me to Thai restaurants with them.  This was before I figured out that I don’t hate coconut milk when it’s in curry form, but Thai food eventually grew on me.  Now that I’m back on a diet and watching my carb intake, one of my go-to entrees is this Thai Red Chicken Curry.  It’s not insanely high in fat or carbs, so you can probably fit it into most meal plans.

    After posting a picture of my weekly meal prep, I got a lot of requests for the recipe for the Thai Red Chicken Curry.  So, happy to oblige!  Though, since I wasn’t expecting to post this, there are no pictures of the step-by-step process.

    This recipe is actually pretty flexible.  You can increase or reduce ingredients to suit your tastes without much of a fuss.  If you want to add vegetables to it, I recommend cooking them separately and then adding them at the end.  In previous experiences, the addition of vegetables made my sauce too watery.

    If carbs are not your enemy, then feel free to serve this with a side of white rice.  Yum!

    Thai Red Chicken Curry

    Ingredients

    • 1 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken (I used breast, but you can also use thighs), cubed
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 2 tbsp minced ginger (add more or less to taste)
    • 2 tbsp red curry paste (I used this one)
    • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
    • 4 oz onion, chopped
    • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
    • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.

    Head oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until they start to turn translucent.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute or until fragrant.  Add the red curry paste.

    Add the chicken pieces, stirring to coat all sides with the seasoning mixture in the pan.  Add the coconut milk, stirring until the seasoning has dissolved in the liquid.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.

    Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce is the desired thickness.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed before serving.

    Makes 4 servings.

  • Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

    Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

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    Meatloaf is not really a big thing in Hispanic households.  Growing up, my exposure to meatloaf was mainly through frozen dinners or from visiting American friends’ houses.  In fact, here I am at the ripe old age of 37 and had NEVER even made a meatloaf before.  But, because I’m me, I couldn’t settle for just any meatloaf.  It had to be buffalo chicken meatloaf.  This is a great recipe for when you’re trying to eat low-carb, because there is no flour or breadcrumbs in the meatloaf mixture.  And, you get all of the delicious flavors of buffalo wings without the guilt.

    I got the idea while I was following a low carb diet and came across a recipe for buffalo chicken meatballs.  I tweaked a few things on that recipe, but I still found it a little tedious to try to form that wet, sticky mixture into balls.  The most obvious solution to me was to make it as a meatloaf instead.  Less work, and less mess.  I can dig it.

    There are not a whole lot of ingredients, so this recipe is pretty straightforward.  Combine all of your ingredients in a bowl.  It mixes best for me when I use my hands (I wear gloves to keep my hands clean for this).  When everything is good and mixed, gently pat the mixture down into your meatloaf pan.  If you’re using a pan with a perforated bottom, make don’t press it down too hard or you might push the mixture down through the holes.

    After that, bake it until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.  That took about an hour and 10 minutes for me, but start checking the meatloaf after an hour.  You don’t want it to dry out.

    After the meatloaf is done, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before you take it out.  Since there are no breadcrumbs in this meatloaf, it will crumble easily when you slice it if you’re not careful.

    I like to serve it drizzled with some additional buffalo sauce.  Add a steamed vegetable as a side, and you’ve got a healthy and delicious meal!

    You can use

    Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

    Ingredients

    • 2-2 1/2 lbs ground chicken (or ground turkey)
    • 4 oz finely diced onion
    • 4oz crumbled blue cheese
    • 3/4 cup hot sauce or buffalo sauce (can be homemade or store-bought)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 eggs
    • Recommended materials: meatloaf pan (I used this one)

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Gently pat down into your meatloaf pan.  Bake until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees (about 60-70 minutes).

    Allow meatloaf to cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Slice and serve drizzled with extra hot sauce, if desired.

     

  • Ethiopian-Spiced Lentil and Chicken Soup

    Ethiopian-Spiced Lentil and Chicken Soup

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    I have had heard from many friends and acquaintances about the magic that is Ethiopian food.  It has always been on my list of cuisines to try, but it actually had never really happened yet.  When I got my Instant Pot about 2 years ago, one of the first things that I made in it was this Ethiopian-Style Spinach and Lentil Stew that I came across online.  It quickly became a favorite of mine.  Still, I didn’t really awaken to the wonders of Ethiopian food until a recent visit to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  There, I had an Ethiopian-style beef dish and a lentil stew that blew me away.

    I knew that I wanted to recreate those flavors at home.  After some digging around, I found what seemed like the two main components that I would need.  The first thing is niter kibbeh.  Niter kibbeh is basically clarified butter that has been infused with herbs and spices.  The flavor of this aromatic butter lays the foundation for the flavors to build on in most Ethiopian cuisine.  The second component is berbere.  Berbere is a spicy all-purpose seasoning blend that is used in several Ethiopian dishes.  Think of berbere as the Goya Adobo or the Lawry’s Season-All of Ethiopian cooking.  Most commercial Berbere blends are incredibly spicy, but the heat can be adjusted if you make your own.

    I took a stab at adjusting the lentil soup recipe to include the newfound niter kibbeh and berbere, and am very happy with the results.  I also added chicken, because extra protein never hurt anyone.

    You can easily leave out the chicken and make this a vegetarian dish if you prefer.

    If you are using store-bought berbere seasoning, I suggest starting with a smaller quantity and adjusting the seasoning to your liking.  My berbere is fairly mild and I used 2 tbsp, but that might be too much for hotter ones.

    I strongly suggest that you use niter kibbeh for this dish, but if you don’t want to go through the trouble then you can use ghee or olive oil in place of it.  It will still taste good!

    Pressure Cooker Ethiopian-Spiced Lentil and Chicken Soup

    (Adapted from this recipe)

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp niter kibbeh (you can make your own using this recipe)
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1-2 tbsp berbere seasoning
    • 2 cups dry brown lentils
    • 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs (leave them out if you want to make this vegetarian)
    • 8 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
    • 6 oz baby spinach
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Lemon wedges for serving

    Directions

    Set the pressure cooker to the Saute/Browning setting

    When the cooker reads Hot, add the niter kibbeh and the onions.  Cook until the onions start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the ginger and garlic and continue to cook until fragrant (about 1-2 mins).  Add the berbere seasoning and stir to coat. Add the chicken or vegetable stock.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

    Add the lentils and chicken.  Turn off the pressure cooker.  Cover, seal, and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 20 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally for another 10-15 minutes until releasing the remaining pressure.

    Uncover, then taste and adjust seasonings again if you need to.  Stir in the spinach until wilted, then serve with lemon wedges.

  • Pressure Cooker Mango Chicken Curry

    Pressure Cooker Mango Chicken Curry

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    Every now and then, an Instant Pot owner gets asked, “Why convert a tried and true oven/stovetop recipe to the IP?”  Sometimes, the answer is to save time.  Other times, the answer is to wash fewer dishes.  And, a lot of times, the answer is something a little unexpected: “Because I can.”  That is how I wound up with this mango chicken curry.

    I stumbled across a recipe for mango chicken curry a year or two ago during Mango Madness.  I think that it was one of my very first ventures into using mangoes in savory dishes.  It was an instant hit with my friends, and gets requested a lot.  The original recipe called for stovetop preparation.  I wanted to try to convert it to an IP recipe.  The challenge with that, of course, is that pressure cooking often leaves things a bit watery.  I got around that by using coconut cream instead of coconut milk, then reducing the sauce a bit at the end.

    Prep your ingredients first.  This will make things much easier when you get started.

    Heat the oil in your electric pressure cooker set to the Saute/Browning setting.  When the cooker reads Hot, add your dry spices and stir to coat them in oil.  Do this quickly or your spices can burn.  Add the chopped onions and peppers next, stirring to coat them in the spice and oil mixture.  Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and keep sauteeing for another 2 minutes.  Add the mango, then stir to combine.  Stir in the vinegar and the water, then season with salt and pepper.

    As a little side interlude, having two instant pots is GREAT for situations like this.  Your curry can cook in one pot while your rice cooks in the other.

    Place your chicken thighs over your mixture.  Cover and seal your pressure cooker, then cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 15 minutes.  You can also use the Poultry setting to get the same result.  When the time is up, release the pressure manually.  Uncover and remove the chicken from the pot.  Chop or shred the chicken and set it aside.  Stir the coconut cream into the liquid remaining in the pot.  Using an immersion blender, puree the cooked vegetables and fruit.  Set the pressure cooker back to the Saute setting and let the sauce come to a simmer.  Simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes, or until it thickens.  Add the chicken back to the sauce and give it another stir.  Check your seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.

    In my house, we like our curry served with a side of white rice.  I bet it would also be great with some warm, buttery naan bread.  Is your mouth watering yet?

    If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also puree your sauce in a conventional blender.  Just return it to the pot to reduce after you’re finished blending it.

    Pressure Cooker Mango Chicken Curry

    Ingredients

    • 3lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • 3-4 cups fresh mango slices
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
    • 4 tbsp minced ginger
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 tbsp yellow curry powder
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tbsp garam masala
    • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 13.5oz can of coconut cream
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    Heat the oil in the liner of your pressure cooker using the Saute/Browning setting.

    When the cooker reads Hot, add the spices and stir to coat with oil.  Add the chopped onions and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to soften.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the mango slices, and then the water and the vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

    Lay the chicken on top of the vegetable/mango mixture.  Cover, seal, then cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 15 minutes.  When the timer runs out, release the remaining pressure manually.  Remove the chicken from the pot.  Chop or shred it and set it aside.

    Stir the coconut cream into the liquid remaining in the pot.  Puree the vegetables and fruit using an immersion blender.  Turn the cooker back to the Saute/Browning setting and allow the sauce to come to a simmer.  Cook the sauce until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes.  Serve hot.

     

  • Pressure Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili

    Pressure Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili

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    For the second year in a row, my job has organized a chili cook-off.  Now, chili isn’t really my forte, and it’s not something that I make often or ever.  But, ever since I got this Instant Pot I have gotten a lot more adventurous with my cooking.  So, I figured “why not?”

    I wanted to do something that was not only unique, but that had cultural significance.  Living in South Florida, chili is not something that is really huge like it would be in a place like Texas.  Plus, I have been cutting down on the red meat for health reasons and wanted a chicken chili.  I had been working on some different variations of “Latin” inspired chilis when a lightbulb went off.  We’re practically in the Caribbean…so why not make jerk chicken chili?

    Sure enough, I wasn’t the first person to have thought of this, and I came across a great recipe to use as a starting point.  Of course, the challenge became converting it into a pressure cooker recipe, but it worked out fairly well.  I added a few adjustments of my own based on my own experiences eating Caribbean food in South Florida.  And, I wound up winning First Place!  Woohoo!

    One thing to note is that I made this chili in a 6qt pressure cooker and had a lot of issues with it coming to pressure that I suspect may have been from the pressure cooker being too full.  So, the bottom would start to scorch before the pot could actually come to pressure.  If you have an 8qt pressure cooker, I think that you will be fine, but if you’re using a 6qt or smaller than I recommend scaling the recipe down to avoid this issue.

    UPDATE 3/19/2017:  As a test, I halved the recipe and cooked it in my 6qt pressure cooker, and still had the same issue where the pot would not come to pressure before the bottom would scorch.  Once I scraped the burnt bits from the bottom of the pot, it started to simmer pretty furiously and the pot pressurized after I sealed it again.  So, the trick seems to be bring the chili to a simmer prior to sealing so that it will come to pressure.  Also, scotch bonnet peppers vary in heat by color.  I used an orange one in my first batch and a red one in my second batch, and it was SO MUCH hotter.  So, choose your peppers wisely.

    Jerk chicken chili ingredients

    I got my ingredients together, including the tiny atomic bomb known as a scotch bonnet pepper.  Scotch bonnet pepper is a key component of Jamaican jerk, so of course it needs to be included in jerk chicken chili!  I mixed all of the spices and seasonings together to form a paste to make it easier to add in later.

    DSCN4590

    First, you want to cook your beans.  While they are cooking, prep all of your veggies so that they are ready to go.

    DSCN4593

    Once the beans are done, drain and set aside.

    prepthepot

    Saute your veggies until soft, then add your seasoning paste.  Add the tomatoes, beans, and chicken.  I added the tomatoes last in this case, but I would recommend adding those before the beans and chicken.  Then, seal the pot and cook on Beans/Chili setting or on High for 30 minutes.

    DSCN4612

    Let the pressure release naturally, then open and remove the chicken.  Set the pot to Saute to reduce the chili to the desired thickness, then shred your chicken and return to the pot.  Stir in the scallions.

    Finished jerk chicken chili

    Yup…good stuff!

    Plated Jerk Chicken Chili

    I served this jerk chicken chili with mango salsa and plantain chips for dipping, but it also tastes good over rice or scooped up with naan or roti.  It’s great on its own as well.  This can be made on the stovetop or slow cooker with some adjustments if you don’t have a pressure cooker.  It will just take a bit longer.  You can also save some time by using canned beans instead of dried.

    Pressure Cooker Jerk Chicken Chili

    Ingredients

    • 3 lbs bone-in chicken legs and thighs
    • 14oz dried red chili beans
    • 1/2 cup jerk seasoning (I used Mild.  Use Hot at your own risk!)
    • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 1 green bell pepper, diced
    • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
    • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
    • 5 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, de-seeded minced (keep the seeds if you like extra spicy)
    • 1½ tsp all-spice
    • 2 tsp smoked paprika
    • 2 tsp thyme
    • 1 Tbsp cumin
    • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 Tbsp chili powder
    • ¼ cup molasses
    • 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp cider vinegar
    • 1 cup chopped scallion
    • 2 15oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (or 1 28oz can also works)
    • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    Add the beans to the inner bowl of the pot with 4 cups of water.  Cover and set the pressure valve to Sealing.  Cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 17 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally.  Drain and set aside.  In a bowl or measuring cup, combine the jerk seasoning, ginger, allspice, paprika, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, molasses, liquid smoke, soy sauce, and salt and pepper so that it forms a loose paste.

    Clean the inner bowl (or, use a new bowl) and set the cooker to Saute/Brown setting.  When hot, add the vegetable oil and saute the onions and peppers until they start to turn translucent.  Add the garlic and continue to saute until fragrant, then add the spice paste and stir until it coats the vegetables.  Add the tomtatoes, beans, chicken/vegetable stock, and chicken.  Stir to combine.

    Turn off the pressure cooker, cover and set the release valve back to Sealing, and set to Beans/Chili function (or Manual High for 30 minutes).  When the timer runs out, allow the pressure to release naturally.

    Once the pressure has been release, open the pot and remove the chicken using tongs and shred it with a form.  Set the cooker back to the Saute setting and cook until the chili until it is reduced to your liking, then return the shredded chicken to the pot.  Stir in the chopped scallions.  Serve the jerk chicken chili immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to consume.

    Enjoy!

  • Adventures in Pollo a la Brasa

    Adventures in Pollo a la Brasa

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    About a year and a half ago, I was introduced to Peruvian-style pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken), and have been hooked ever since.  Even now, I crave it at least once a week.  It’s really not a taste that can be put into words if you are accustomed to store-bought or fast-food rotisserie chickens.  The skin is usually kind of wet and sticky, instead of dry and crispy.  You just have to try it for yourself.

    So, when I finally decided that I wanted to try making it on my own, I tasked a Peruvian friend of mine with getting me a recipe.  She nabbed the recipe from The Daring Gourmet and told me that it sounded fairly close.  So, it was time to experiment!  I made a few modifications to her recipe. (more…)