Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Linguini with Chicken

I haven't written so much about my InstantPot, mostly because I'm busy loving and using it. I've been really wanting to get my recipes in order, before posting about them, since it's a fairly exact science.

So, this pasta recipe is one of my kids favorites and often requested. Not all pasta works well in the IP, as it's easily overcooked and mushy, but linguini works very well. I'll give two different measurements here, depending on how many you are, but it's really only a variation in garlic, pasta and water, I use the same amounts of everything else.

As you can tell from the photos, I  like to eat this with sautéed broccoli (not made in the IP). The kids prefer it plain.



Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Linguini with Chicken
Serves 3-5 (larger amounts in parenthesis below)

to cook:
pat of butter
1 (2) garlic cloves, finely minced
350 (500) g linguini, broken in half
700 (1000) ml water + 1 cube vegetable stock (or just the same amount of stock, depending on how you like to cook)
dash of Vegeta, my favorite little crutch in the kitchen these days
350 g chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
salt, pepper

to finish:
handful of grated parmesan
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
100 ml cream

Place your InstantPot on sauté and melt the butter. Let the garlic fry until fragrant. Press cancel on the IP and add linguini, water, stock cube and vegeta. Place the chicken on top, add salt and pepper. Seal your Instant Pot and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Let the IP natural release for 5 minutes, then manually release remaining pressure.

Stir in parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and cream. Either serve right away, or if it looks a  little runny, sauté for a few minutes.

Creamy tarragon chicken with apples

A huge hit with the whole family - they finished every last drop. And I can't blame them, the sauce was really wonderful. Next time, I plan to add a little bit of chili (at the same time as the garlic) to amp up the heat, but it was great just like this too.

Creamy tarragon chicken with apples
Serves 4

400 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into smaller pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp dried tarragon
2 red apples, cored and cut into small wedges (no need to peel them)
500 ml water
1 chicken stock cube (or 1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock)
200 ml cream
1 tbsp corn starch, plus water
zest from 1 lemon
salt, pepper

Start by melting the butter in a big pot. Fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat. Add apples, tarragon and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for a little bit and add the water and chicken stock. Cook for about 15 minutes, the chicken should be well cooked through at this point.

Add the cream, and cook for a few minutes longer. Stir together corn starch with water to make a slurry, and add this into your sauce (which should look quite thin and watery, but will thicken up beautifully in a few minutes.) And for the final touch, add lemon zest and see if you want any more salt or pepper.

Serve with rice.

Chicken tortilla soup in crockpot

So, yet another recipe for chicken soup in crockpot. Nothing new, but this is mine. I prepared everything in the morning and then just let it cook all day. So comfortable. I always think I should use my crockpot more but I rarely get around to it. Do you have one? What’s your favorite meal to cook in it?

Chicken tortilla soup 

 1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, grated
1 can of salsa (about 350 g)
2 jars of crushed tomatoes (each 400 g)
500 g boneless and skinless chicken thighs
cumin
chili powder
vegeta (or some other multi purpose spice)
One whole dried ancho chili

Toss everything in the crockpot. I happen to have a model that can fry, so I did pre-brown the onion a little bit, but no worries if you have a traditional crockpot. It doesn’t matter much. 

Add water - it should more or less cover the other ingredients. It’s soup, not stew. 

Cook for at least 6 hours on low. Before serving, fish out the ancho chili and discard. Also remove the chicken, shred using two forks, then add back to the pot. 

Serve with whatever toppings you want! Avocado, cheese, tortilla chips, some fresh tomatoes, sour cream, would all be very good. 

Saffron chicken in crock-pot

I bought myself a cookbook (or five) for christmas. This one is called "I didn't know my slow-cooker could do that" and it's full of weird recipes that you might not normally make in a crock-pot. And a few really useful ones, as it turns out. I was immediately drawn to one that was called "Moroccan Tagine-Style Chicken Thighs" and though this isn't that, it's heavily inspired by it.

Saffron chicken in crock-pot

Serves 4

1 kg boneless chicken thighs, skinned

Marinade: 

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp water

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cardamom

 good pinch of chili flakes

Next: 

about 15 dried apricots, quartered

400 ml water or chicken stock

1/2 g saffron

salt and pepper to taste

To serve: 

cooked cous cous

fresh cilantro

Creme fraiche or sour cream

toasted almonds

raw red onions thinly sliced

Cooked sliced carrots (my favorite way is to thinly slice, then cook in a tight-lidded container in the microwave until soft, then add a little butter and salt) 

Start by mixing the marinade. Add this and the chicken thighs to a plastic bag, massage well to distribute the marinade and then place in the fridge over night. 

In the morning, tip the entire bag into your crockpot. Add water or chicken stock, the apricots and the saffron. A little salt and pepper if you'd like, but you can always add that at the end. Give it a good stir, and then put your crock-pot on low for about eight hours. (I usually do half an hour on high just to give things a start, but that's not strictly necessary.) 

When you're ready for dinner, prepare all the sides and then taste the stew for seasoning. And that's all, folks! 

Chicken noodle soup

I improvised a quick soup for dinner, that turned out to be delicious. The whole family loved it!

Chicken noodle soup
1 onion

2 chicken breasts
1 garlic clove

Butter

1 liter water 

1 veg stock cube 

200 ml cream

1/2 red bell pepper, in thin strips

100 g sugar snap peas, sliced

1 tbsp ketjap manis

Fresh ginger, thumb-sized piece

100 g dried egg noodles, thin 

Fresh coriander

Toasted cashews

Serves two adults, two kids

Finely chop the onion and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Mince the garlic. Cook the chicken in a little butter, until slightly browned. Add onions and garlic and fry for a few more minutes. Add the water, a vegetable stock cube, and the cream. Cook on medium-low heat for about ten minutes. Add the bell pepper, sugar snap peas, ketjap manis and ginger. Cook for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain. Divide between bowls, and pour the soup on top. Top with coriander and cashews. 

Butter Chicken Tikka Masala

There's a small restaurant near my gym. They have various Indian dishes, but by no means a full menu - and some sushi. I've always had the same thing - Butter Chicken Tikka Masala. It's just tender chicken in a smooth, mild, red sauce, with rice and maybe some toasted cashews on top. Tasty, simple.

And not that hard to make at home. I used a recipe from "50 great curries of India", and while I'm not entirely happy with it, it's good enough to blog about. A word of warning though - this is a very mild dish. If you want more spice, by all means, add it.

Also note that my measurements differ a little from the original - as usual, I can't help tinker a little with the recipes I use. (The original had even less spice, by the way. )  I also left out fenugreek - didn't have it.

Please note that you have to start well in advance, to drain the yogurt.

Butter Chicken Tikka Masala
serves 3
500 g chicken, boneless (I used one breast and two thighs)
400 ml yogurt
5 garlic cloves
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander, ground
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tbsp neutral cooking oil

For the sauce:
700 g fresh tomatoes
70 g butter, cold
2 tbsp cream
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt

On the night before you plan to cook this, drain the yogurt. I simply put it in a coffee filter and let it drip off any excess liquid (lots!) overnight.

In the morning, mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Mix this into the yogurt along with chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt and lime juice.

Cut the chicken into large pieces and toss with the yogurt marinade. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least a few hours.

Also, prepare the tomatoes in advance - you want to blanch them and peel them. Easiest way is to cut a small cross into each, and drop them into boiling water. After about a minute, move them to a bowl of cold water, and when they're cold enough to handle, simply slip off the skins. Mash the tomatoes with a  potato ricer, or a fork. (Or just use a blender, I'm sure that's easier.)

When ready to cook, cook the chicken in the oil, on medium heat. Meanwhile, cook some rice, and bake some Naan if you feel ambitious. (I did!)

For the sauce, cook the tomatoes on medium heat for about five minutes. Add the butter and the spices. When the butter has melted, add the cream, and season with salt and more spices if you'd like. Immediately pour over the chicken and serve.

The book warns you not to make the sauce in advance - it's meant to be served right away. Otherwise, I suspect the butter might cause it to split.

Lemon & Tarragon Butter Chicken

I'm in quite a cooking funk at the moment. I can't seem to think of anything to do, and I'm quite stressed now that the summer vacation is over and we're all back at work. So, we've decided to try the company Middagsfrid for a week - they deliver groceries and recipes, and we do the cooking. We got our first delivery last night and it looks decidedly promising - maybe not the most exciting of recipes, but most things sound very tasty and the ingredients all looked great. I'll update as I cook, and let you know what I think!

Anyway. I made this chicken a few weeks ago, and it's absolutely splendid. I had tarragon in my garden, and it was a great match with the lemon zest and garlic - but basil or thyme would also be great. Or all three! Any fresh herbs really - you can't go wrong...

Lemon & Tarragon Butter Chicken
Serves 4

1 small chicken
50 g butter, at room temperature
1 garlic clove (small-ish)
2 lemons - the zest only, grated
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
salt, pepper

500 g potatoes
8 small fresh yellow onions

Mince the garlic, and mix with the lemon zest, tarragon, butter, salt and pepper. Rub this all over the chicken, pushing some underneath the skin as well.

Peel the potatoes and cut into smaller pieces. Cut the onions in halves or quarters, depending on size. Place all the veggies in an oven-proof dish, and then the chicken on top.

Cook in the oven at 175°C for about 40 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is completey cooked through.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kyckling med citron & dragonsmör

Crispy Chicken Stir-Fry

I love Chinese food, and we eat it every now and then - not as often as we used to, since we're now pretty far from our favorite take-out place. Still, I cook a bit myself - maybe not authentically Chinese, but I don't let that bother me.

Coating the chicken in egg whites and corn starch make it crispy and crunchy - a small extra step that adds a lot of impact. You can vary the veggies as you see fit, or according to seasons, and feel free to play with flavorings as well. A bit of citrus zest would definitely be good!

Crispy Chicken Stir-Fry
serves 2-3

450 g chicken (I prefer thigh fillets)
2 egg whites
3 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
150 g snow peas
200 g asparagus
oil for frying

sauce:
1 tbsp corn starch
150 ml water
4 garlic cloves, minced
thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
chili, to taste

Whisk the egg whites with corn starch, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and make sure it's well coated.

Cut the snow peas and asparagus into bite-sized pieces.

For the sauce, stir together corn starch and water. Set aside.

Fry the chicken in hot oil, in batches. Remove to a plate.

Fry the veggies with garlic and ginger in some oil. Add sugar, soy sauce and the water and corn starch mixture. Bring to a boil, add the chicken, and season with chili and more soy sauce. Serve over rice.

Recipe in Swedish:
Knaprig wokad kyckling

Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps

Summer is the time for picnics. Or if not picnics, at least for eating outside. There are so many occasions when it's suitable to bring your own food, rather than resorting to often very meagre offerings - say, at the zoo, or the playground.

For those times, I want something portable, and something that doesn't require plates or cutlery. Sure, you can bring a salad, but that means you'll have to use disposable plates, or have to bring home dirty dishes. I rather not. So, this summer, I'm making wraps. These ones in particular - they are so delicious.

The combination of chicken, bacon and apple - with the addition of pine nuts - is just incredible. And you can definitely play with it - I'm thinking pears would be good rather than apples, and maybe exchange those pine nuts for walnuts... and maybe add some blue cheese instead of dijon mustard? Wouldn't that be good?

Wrap them in plastic or sandwich paper, and they'll keep for at least a day in the fridge. It's a good lunch to bring to work, too.

Chicken, Bacon & Apple Wraps
makes 8

8 wheat tortillas
200 g chicken, cooked
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp thick yogurt (Greek or Turkish style)
1 tsp sriracha sauce (or another spicy chilisauce)
1 tsp dijon mustard
30 g pine nuts
150 g bacon, diced
200 g apples, peeled and diced
70 g fresh spinach or arugula, well cleaned

Shred the chicken and mix with mayo, yogurt, sriraha and dijon mustard.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, set aside.

Fry the bacon until crispy. Add the apples, and let them fry along for a few minutes, to soften a bit.

Divide the chicken salad in the middle of each tortilla. Top with bacon, apple, pine nuts and spinach, and roll into a tight wrap.

Recipe in Swedish:
Wraps med kyckling, bacon och äpple

Ratatouille Chicken in Crock-Pot

Still really loving the slowcooker! I need to try much more with it, but I haven't had that much time to plan or cook lately. I hope to get a lot done this summer though - it'll be nice to have some time off.

This was the first, but certainly not last, time cooking chicken. I decided I want something simple to go along with it, and settled on a kind-of-ratatouille. It turned out a little watery for my taste, but still very good. The chicken was awesome - very moist and flavorful.

Ratatouille Chicken in Crock-Pot
serves 4

1 1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 zucchini, diced
100 ml (a little less than 1/2 cup) fennel, finely sliced
1 red bellpepper, diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (400 g) tomato "fillets", or regular crushed (or even whole) tomatoes
2 tbsp chunky salsa sauce
1 whole, fresh chicken
salt, lemon pepper

Prepare all the veggies, and mix with the salsa, the tinned tomatoes, and some salt and cumin in the crock-pot.

To prepare the chicken, remove as much skin as possible. (It won't be great slow-cooked.) Season with salt and lemon pepper. Place the chicken, breast down, on top of the veggies. Cover with the lid, and cook on high for four hours.

Serve with some sort of grain - we had bulgur wheat, which was great.

Recipe in Swedish:
Ratatouillekyckling i crock-pot

Cardamom Chicken with Coconut Rice

This is an oh-so-delicious dinner, based on a recipe by Lotta Lundgren in an awesome new Swedish cookbook called "Om jag var din hemmafru" ("If I was your housewife"). I'll tell you about the book in a little while, I need to review it properly as it's really one of the best cookbooks to come out in a long time.

I'll make this again, but I'll change a few things. I think I'll use cream instead of milk to soak the coconut, and add it to the chicken mince. And I don't think the breadcrumbs are necessary in that case, since cream seems to bind the mince fairly well. And I might skip toasting the cardamom, to me, it didn't make a big difference.

Serve it with something fruity. Lotta suggests mango chutney, and I happened to have a bottle of Mango-Ginger Habanero Sauce that was awesome. Stir-fried veggies would be good as well, and a pinch of cilantro is always a good idea.

Cardamom Chicken with Coconut Rice
Serves 4

450 g chicken thighs (or breast)
1 egg
50 ml breadcrumbs
50 ml coconut flakes (unsweetened)
3 tbsp milk
salt
1 tsp whole cardamom seeds
butter, for frying

300 ml basmati rice
1 can - 400 ml - coconut milk
200 ml water
a pinch of salt

Start by soaking the coconut in the milk for about half an hour.

Toast the cardamom in a dry skillet for a minute or so, and then grind to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar. Cut the chicken into large dice, and mince in a food processor - it'll be super fast, so don't overmix.

Drain the coconut flakes, and mix with the chicken mince, cardamom, egg, breadcrumbs and salt. Shape flattened patties, and fry in a little butter for about 5 minutes on each side.

For the rice, mix the rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let the rice simmer, covered, until the rice is soft and the liquid is absorbed. (20-25 minutes.)

Recipe in Swedish:
Kardemummakyckling med kokosris

Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili
Serves 6

2 medium yellow onions
2 garlic cloves
1 kilo boneless chicken thighs
1 tbsp cooking oil
10 tomatoes
1 jalapeño chili pepper
300 ml water
1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ancho chili pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chipotle sauce
1 tsp salt
1 can (400 g) small white beans

To serve:
sour cream
tortilla chips

Chop onions and garlic coarsely. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Halve the tomatoes and place with the cut side down in a roasting pan. Halve the jalapeño and remove the seeds. Place in the same roasting pan.

Heat the oven, as far as it'll go. Use a broiler if you have one! Bake the tomatoes for five minutes (or a little more) or until they're starting to blacken.

Place the tomatoes and jalapeño in a food processor and chop coarsely.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Brown the onion until golden. Add the chicken and garlic, and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes/jalapeño, water, chicken stock and all the spices. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the beans, and cook for an additional ten minutes.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kycklingchili

Chicken & Bacon Pasta

A quick weekday recipe! I also have to tell you about the pasta I used here - it's from the producer Zeta, and it's made with a bronze press which gives it a great texture. I really enjoyed it, it had a great bite. The shape was called Mezze Maniche, and it was basically short, wide tubes. Yummy!

Chicken & Bacon Pasta
serves 2-3

1/2 rotisserie chicken, or two cooked chicken legs, shredded
70 g bacon
1/2 zucchini, cored and in thin slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
50 g feta cheese
1-200 ml cream (any fat content you'd like)
200 g pasta

Boil the pasta according to the package, in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile, dice the bacon and fry it in a dry pan. When it's crispy, add the zucchini and onion and fry for a few minutes. Add the chicken and cream, and let it heat through. When the pasta is done, drain - but reserve some of the cooking water - and add to the pan. Crumble in the feta cheese. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kyckling & Baconpasta