Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Cooking Chicken in the Pressure Cooker

The pressure cooker is my go to method for cooking chicken, especially when I need shredded chicken for different recipes.  Growing up, I can remember my mom cooking whole chickens in her pressure cooker and using the meat for different recipes.  She did not use just chicken breasts, but this was before the big eat-chicken craze, so buying just chicken breasts (specifically boneless, skinless ones) was not a common option.




I typically use frozen boneless skinless chicken.  When I use a 3lb bag from Aldi, I can use the cooked meat for at least 4 meals.  With the current price of $5.99, it only makes the meat $1.50 per meal. 

Not only does the pressure cooker cook the meat quickly (about 25 minutes from start to finish if frozen), I also end up with about 2 cups of broth with each batch.

When I cook the meat, I often only use half the bag and add 2 cups of water.  I then add some spices and maybe some cut up mini peppers if I have any.  A person can add whatever spices she would like.  I have used a few teaspoons of Mrs. Dash when I have it, or I have added spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to give the chicken and broth a little more flavor.

My pressure cooker usually takes about 10 minutes to reach full pressure, and then I let the meat cook for another 12 minutes.  My pressure cooker instructions say to let the pressure decrease on its own.  That usually takes an additional 20 minutes or so.

If I need broth on my recipe that night, I will use what is left from the cooking process.  If I don't need, I put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer.  I currently have quite a few bags in my freezer right now.  I don't think I will ever have to buy broth from the store again.


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