Instant Pot Piri Piri Chicken and Rice

I am so excited! I made Piri Piri Chicken in the Instant Pot!!!! The rice too! All at once, under pressure for just 4 minutes. If you are new to my blog I am a little Piri Piri obsessed. This is maybe the eleventh post I have written? Piri Piri is Portuguese in origin and popular in South Africa. It is used as a sauce, marinade or seasoning. Recipes vary but the common ingredients are bird's eye chilies, lemon, oil, red bell peppers and garlic. It is so delicious! You have to try something made with Piri Piri. 

Well let's back up a bit. After my post for Instant Pot Pork Chops and Celery Rice someone asked, "Can you use chicken?" I had to respond I don't know? So immediately I tried the technique with chicken cutlets and mushrooms. The chicken was perfectly tender but maybe a little drier than I liked. It was not moist but not dry either. So I thought a marinade would fix that. That is where Piri Piri came to mind. I really like the flavor of Piri Piri and most restaurants that serve it always offer rice as a side. It would be perfect for this technique. It worked so great! The rice was fluffy and the chicken flavorful and moist. I made my own Piri Piri sauce but you can buy bottled sauce at some grocery stores. I have seen the Nando's brand at my store. I like making my own because I can control the heat. You can use whatever hot peppers you like. Can't find bird's eye chilies? Use jalapenos or serranos. I find that as a raw sauce it is spicy but when cooked it is not that hot. The sweetness of the peppers come out when cooked. In fact, I think kids would probably enjoy the chicken and the adults can add the raw sauce for heat. It was so good! I only did two cutlets this time but I have cooked up to six without a problem. I wish I had some thin cut boneless pork chops because I am dying to try that too. I think it would be so tasty! I hope you will give Piri Piri and this #InstantPot recipe a try. Thanks for visiting today. I really appreciate it.

Instant Pot Piri Piri Chicken and Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken cutlets or 2 chicken breast, butterflied
Piri Piri Sauce <<Click here for recipe
Olive oil cooking spray
1-3/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1-1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. Piri Piri Seasoning <<Click here for recipe
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Marinate chicken in Piri Piri Sauce for 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.

Place Instant Pot on Saute. When hot spray or drizzle with olive oil, brown chicken on one side only. Remove chicken and turn off heat. Add water, stir well scrapping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add rice, seasonings and garlic stir to combine. Arrange peas, onion and bell pepper on top of rice, then chicken. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off and let rest 5 minutes before performing a quick release. Remove Chicken and fluff rice with a fork. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary and serve. If you enjoy spicy foods serve with a little extra Piri Piri Sauce.

Don't have an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker? 

Try these recipes for the grill and microwave:

Piri Piri Chicken

Microwave Spiced Rice

Want a side or topping to accompany this dish. 

Check out these older posts:

Broccoli with Sweet Soy Glaze

Piri Piri Mushrooms

Piri Piri Squash

Piri Piri Grilled Asparagus

Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw

Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Last Wednesday was an unusual day for me. I guess I was feeling adventurous? First I did something different with my hair when I went to the salon. Then I went to our sushi restaurant (Sake Sushi) and did not order sushi. I always get sushi? But this time, I got ramen off of the daily specials. It was a first for me. I have never had real proper ramen, just the cheap packaged ramen. I was really impressed. The broth was creamy looking not clear. And the first bite well it was almost smoky and definitely savory. So good! The bowl was beautiful too, loaded with lots of flavorful toppings; like nori, green onion, fish cake (another first), perfect grilled chicken and a ramen egg. The RAMEN EGG! Oh my gosh! I was so surprised with that savory, salty little egg. It was so good! I can’t wait to go to a ramen house one day. I really loved it! So when I got home I started to do some research.

I started by searching for instant pot recipes. Wait! Did I tell you dear sister bought an instant pot during the Amazon Prime Day sale. She is keeping it at my house. [Smile] So that means I got a new toy. I have been using it more than I thought I would. So look forward to more instant pot recipes in the future. This being the very first. Anyway... I knew I wanted to make the eggs and the broth in the instant pot. I found a few recipes but the broth did not look the same. So I kept searching. In the end, I used a little bit of every ramen recipe I read or watched to make this ramen. I made sure to roast the bones like one recipe said to do. I added chicken bones to mellow the flavor like another recipe suggested. I made sure to brown the onions like another recipe insisted. I added dried mushrooms for umami as one recipe recommended. I made sure to stir the broth breaking up the bones to get that creamy broth rather than a clear liquid. I seasoned the broth with the flavors of Japanese soup base as another blog suggest. I used mirin, tamari, and instant dashi for the kombu and bonito flavors. It turned out so good! Very close to the inspiration ramen I had at Sake Sushi. I even made the ramen egg too. I need to work on my technique with this one. The flavor is spot on but as you will see in the photos the shape and color was uneven. I made the mistake of putting something on top to weight it down in the marinade. So one side was squished and had less color and therefore flavor. Don't weight it down! I have four in the frig right now secured with a rubber band and hanging from a chopstick across a plastic container. I feel this is going to turn out much better. My favorite parts of this ramen is the broth, ramen egg and chicken; in that order. I think you should definitely make sure to put those ingredients in your bowl. Maybe add some green onion, not too much just a little sprinkle. The chicken was a surprise to me too. The mirin really added to the color and grill marks. I have never had grilled chicken turn out that attractive. I may start adding mirin to more marinades.

This whole experience was a lot of fun. I made six - two cup containers of ramen broth. I put three in the freezer right away. So now I have it just waiting on me to have a craving. This was time consuming not instant as the title might suggest. But the instant pot was an invaluable tool to the process. It let me develop great flavor in less time and really made the broth spectacular. I see myself doing this again real soon. I hope you give it a try. If you have instant pot or ramen tips for me please comment. I would love to hear about your successes too.

Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Makes 12 cups of broth; 6 servings

Ingredients

For ramen eggs:

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

3 Tbsp. mirin

9 Tbsp. water

For broth:

2 to 3 lbs. pork neck bones

1 to 2 frozen rotisserie chicken carcasses

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

4 green onions, whole

3 dried black mushrooms

5 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. mirin

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. miso paste

1 tsp. instant dashi granules

For grilled chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

Reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

Mirin

Sesame oil

Black pepper

For ramen bowl:

6 servings Ramen noodles, boiled to package directions

Ramen broth

For toppings:

Ramen eggs, halved

Fish cake or imitation crab, sliced

Toasted nori

Grilled chicken, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

Mushrooms, reserved from broth and sliced

Directions

Ramen eggs:

Combine tamari, mirin and water in a plastic bag. Set aside.

Place steam rack inside the pressure cooker. Add exactly 1 cup of cool tap water into the pot. Place eggs straight from the refrigerator in the center of the pot. Cook at Low Pressure for 5 minutes*, then quick release (QR).

After quick release, immediately take out the eggs and soak in ice bath to stop them from cooking. Let them cool for 5 minutes or longer.

Gently peel the eggs. Put the eggs in the sauce bag and close tightly. The eggs should be submerged in the marinade. Marinate for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. I recommend overnight.

Take the eggs out of the marinade and discard the marinade. Cut each egg in half to serve. Enjoy the eggs as is or place them in your ramen bowl as a topping.

*Note: Want to know how to cook the eggs just like you like them. [Click Here] to learn how to cook soft, medium or hard boiled eggs in your pressure cooker.

Ramen broth:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pork neck bones in a roasting pan, season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, flip bones over and roast 30 minutes.

In the last few minutes of cooking time, place instant pot on saute. Add canola oil and sliced onion. Cook the onions until brown on one side then flip to brown on the other side. Stir to separate into rings and brown evenly. Turn off and add a little water if necessary to prevent burning.

When pork has finished roasting, transfer the bones to instant pot with the onions.  Immediately pour off fat and discard. Add 1-1/2 cups of the water to the pan, and use a spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the pan drippings to instant pot with the onions. Add chicken bones, ginger, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms. Add cool water to the max fill line. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well. Scraping the bottom of the pot and breaking up bones. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for another 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well again, breaking up bones some more. Place the instant pot to saute and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes or longer. Turn off if broth begin to splash over the edge of the pot liner.

Let the liquid cool for a little while. Reserve the mushrooms and set aside. Remove the other solids and discard, then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, and transferring the liquid to another container. Clean the liner of the instant pot and pour broth back into pot. Season broth with tamari, mirin, sesame oil, miso and dashi. Keep warm and allow flavors to blend.

Serve the broth, refrigerate overnight and remove the fat cap (if you prefer) before re-heating or freeze for your future bowls of ramen.

Grilled chicken:

Place chicken breast in a freezer bag pound to even out thickness. Season chicken with black pepper, a drizzle of sesame oil and equal parts tamari and mirin to cover chicken. Marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, flipping and moving around in the marinade at least once half way through marinating time.

Preheat grill for 10 minutes, lower heat to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken for 6 minutes, flip chicken and grill for 6 more minutes or until internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached. Remove from grill and rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice chicken for use as a topping.

Ramen bowl:

To assemble the ramen, cook the noodles (discarding any flavor packets), according to package instructions.

Divide the noodles between bowls. Pour the hot broth directly over the noodles, then add whatever toppings you desire. Serve immediately.

Linking to:
Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sundays

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

At Thanksgiving a family friend asked if I had a wild rice soup recipe. I didn't but it has been on my to do list for a while. So after the holiday I started experimenting. I wanted to use leeks instead of onions, but the first time I tried to make it I could not find them. I used onion instead. I also wanted to use a box wild rice blend. The first pot was delicious but the wild rice blend was not "wild" enough. The first attempt was so good. Dear sister loved it. But I really wanted to try it with leeks and more wild rice. The second time I was able to find leeks and a "wilder" rice blend. I really couldn't tell much difference. So if you can't find leeks don't worry about it. I suggest finding a rice blend with as much wild rice as possible. It will just have more texture and chew the more wild rice there is in the blend. This may not be the healthiest of soup recipes but it is really, really, creamy and tasty. So worth the calories! I think the decadence of butter and half & half makes it very filling. I love the mushrooms, leeks and the wild chewy rice too. A great twist on chicken soup. I am so glad I finally tried making this soup. I will definitely make it over and over again. I can't wait to try it with leftover turkey one day.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 leeks, chopped and rinsed thoroughly (or 2 small onions)       

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1 dash red pepper flakes

1-1/2 tsp. Italian Herb Rub

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 cooked chicken breast, diced

1 (4.3 oz.) box long grain and wild rice mix (save seasoning for another use)

1 cup half and half

Directions

In a Dutch oven, saute the carrot, celery and leeks(white and pale green parts) in butter for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and peppers. Add garlic, mushrooms and Italian herb rub continue to cook until mushrooms begin to brown and soften. Stir in the flour until blended. Continue to stir constantly until no longer smells like flour. Gradually add broth, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, return to a boil. Add the rice; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Add half and half and continue to cook until warm through. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary and serve.

Notes: Try to find a rice mix with more wild rice or use 1/2 cup of royal blend wild rice blend.

Wild Rice Blend and "Wilder" Rice Blend

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice Soup

Here is another copycat soup. I was inspired yet again from a can of Progresso soup. This soup is sort of like a light version of taco soup. Or maybe the soup version of Santa Fe Rice and Beans. It is all the yummy ingredients of tex mex in a savory broth. I love the snap of the corn and the creamy black beans. The tomatoes and chilies really add great flavor to the broth too. I made this soup twice once with can tomatoes and hatch chilies I roasted myself. It was good and spicy. The next time I used a can of tomatoes with green chilies and it had a milder heat. So you can choose your perfect spice level. Both are delicious. Now I had no intention of adding cheese to this soup, but dear sister did. It is totally optional but really good. It taste even more like Santa Fe Rice and Beans with the cheesy garnish. Now let me tell you the best part about this soup. The leftovers! There is something about that time in the frig that makes the broth addictive. I would definitely consider making it ahead of time if you can wait that long.

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. chicken fat, olive oil or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups unsalted chicken stock

15 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained*

15 oz. no salt added corn, undrained

15 oz. low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2- 2-1/2 cups cooked chicken diced

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup instant rice

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste
Mexican blend cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions

Place 3-1/2 quart soup pot on medium high heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until onion is translucent and begins to brown. Add garlic, salt and pepper saute 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients except rice; bring to a boil. Add rice lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until rice is cooked. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Serve garnished with cheese (optional).

*Note: For a low sodium or spicier version; substitute 15 oz. no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained and 2 roasted hatch chilies, deseeded and chopped for the can tomatoes with green chilies.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This soup has been years in the making. I began developing this recipe after making someone else's version of Chicken Pot Pie Soup. It was good but not what I thought of when I hear chicken pot pie. I have been tweaking it a little each time I make it until I decided this is how I want to make it every time. This is the third recipe I made with those baked chickens I made a few weeks ago. You are probably thinking to yourself what took her so long to post this? Or maybe, she isn't using week old chicken? No the photos are that old. I had a slight mishap when taking my photos. You see, I will let you in on a little secret. Sometimes food stylist place a small dish in soup bowls so the ingredients sit on the bowl and show up at or above the liquid in the soup. This usually works well. See the bowl in the fore ground, you can see all the ingredients. The bowl in the background not so much. But this time, the little bowl I used floated up above the liquid. I did not notice it until I went to edit the photos. I never watch the ingredients in the bowl when I take the photos. You would think the food should stay put right? I am always look at the composition. Whoops! Well it has taken me this long to photoshop the photos and muster the courage to go ahead and post them anyway. I am a novice at photoshop and had a hard time making that little bowl disappear. The soup on the other hand disappeared fast. This soup has all the creamy, savory goodness of a chicken pot pie without the crust. I love all the veggies. You can use your favorites. I have tried many combinations and they are all great. But I have to say this combo of onion, celery, carrots, peas and potatoes is what makes it like my favorite pot pie. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients 

2 Tbsp. chicken fat, olive oil or butter
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic smashed
1 Idaho potato, peeled and diced
2 cans healthy request cream of celery or cream of chicken soup (I like 1 of ea.)
4 cups fat-free unsalted chicken stock 
2 cups water 
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Herbs de provenance
2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped 
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste 
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or to taste 
Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup half and half

Directions 

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, celery and carrot in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent and starts to get golden, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add potatoes, cream soup, chicken stock, water, bay leaf, Herbs de provenance and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add chicken and peas to pot; bring back to a simmer. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Simmer for 5 minutes or until peas are thawed and chicken is warm through. Add half and half, stir to combine. Remove bay leaf, turn off heat and serve.

See that little white bowl peeking through the soup and veggies. 

Sneaky little bowl!

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Chicken Cacciatore Soup

I told you in the previous post I baked two chickens and made several new soups this week. After making many many soups with rotisserie and baked chicken I have decided it really makes the best chicken soup. There is something about using the pre-cooked chicken that keeps it moist and tender. In my experience when you start with raw it has to cook forever to get tender. Then the veggies are over cooked. In a quick 30 minute soup like this the veggies are perfect but the chicken is usually tough and dry. So using pre-cooked chicken you get the best of both. You can cook the veggies to just the right consistency then add the perfectly cooked chicken. The results are amazing! For my second soup this week I looked to Chicken Cacciatore. I was really craving spicy tomato flavors and mushrooms. This soup really hit the spot. It is loaded with veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. The broth is rich with Italian tomato flavor and has a nice spoonable texture. It was really deliciously savory. I look forward to making it again in the future. What's funny is the photos turned out a little "Halloweenie". Don't you think? I wanted to use dear sister's slate board and the napkins she gave me. And when I looked at the photos they looked a little different or unusual. The black and white background with the green bowl full of soup looks a little spooky, almost Photoshop-ed. I didn't like it at first, but now I think I do. They seem totally appropriate for fall and Halloween. Maybe you should give this soup a try before a cool night of spooky Halloween activities?

Chicken Cacciatore Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Chicken fat (butter or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped                                            

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. dry sherry or wine

15 oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

27 oz. traditional pasta sauce

4 cups fat free unsalted chicken stock

2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/2 tsp, rosemary, crushed

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes; to taste

Directions

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, and bell pepper in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt, black and red pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent, add mushrooms continue to sauté until mushrooms soften and begin to brown. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. De-glaze pan with sherry.

Add tomatoes, pasta sauce, and chicken stock; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and rosemary to pot and bring back to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sundays