Instant Pot Steamed Chicken - Yes, I said Steamed Chicken!
My mother in law gifted me a small book of Indian recipes recently. It is called Jatt-Patt by Nargis Bhimji. It was published in 1991. I put it in my pile of books to look at later and recently rediscovered it. In that cute little book was a recipe for steamed chicken. Yuck, right? Well, really what's the difference between that and a boiled chicken? Turns out not much except now there is an Instant Pot to consider making it in. There are many little gems in this book for chicken dishes that could be adapted into an Instant Pot recipe. The Instant Pot functions as a fast steamer, nothing bakes or browns under pressure--it just cooks lightning fast and loses little nutrition or flavor.
I fished around in my freezer for a small frozen chicken. I wanted to make it so I could send a meal home with our family's seniors as a meal for the week to come. Half a chicken for each household. If it tasted good and if it worked, that is. It was after all a Parsi book, and the flavors would be appetizing for them and the meat soft to chew.
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot. It came with a trivet that has lovely handles so the whole chicken could easily be placed into and taken out of the pot. The recipe calls for sectioning the bird, but I fancied a whole chicken because it was small and it made for less work. First I had to make a paste of garlic ginger and chili powder and rub it into the skin all over the bird ( inside too ) and let it marinade for one hour before steaming it. I did that and placed the chicken on the trivet, into the pot liner, and then put it all in the fridge to marinade, covered in cling wrap.
Then I placed a peeled sweet potato, a peeled potato, and half a white onion in big chunks on top of the chicken. I made a stock with 1 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon Better than Bullion chicken base and poured it into the pot as the steaming liquid.
I pressure cooked it for 25 minutes on "Pressure Cook" sealed pressure with a 25 minutes natural release. I find I like to do a natural release for the same amount of time as the cooking time, especially for protein items. I lifted the whole meal out by the trivet handles ( carefully, as it was hot ) and placed it in a pan to cool as you see above.
There was a lovely chicken broth below the trivet which I decided to make gravy with, and it worked like a charm. Puree it, make a roux, and add the puree for instant gravy. When the protein is not pretty, like a steamed chicken, gravy is always a good idea.
The recipe then calls for a yogurt garam masala covering which is then fried till brown. Translation would be to brown the chicken after it is steamed by frying it in a covering of yogurt and spice until brown. I, however, cut the now magnificent soft, juicy chicken in half and placed it on a roasting tray, covered the two halves with the yogurt mix, and roasted it until brown. Then I let it cool and placed it into the takeout containers for everyone to enjoy later.
There is gravy over it, some nice orange slices and potato and sweet potato. It is soft and easy to chew and digest. It is spicy from the gravy and yogurt but it is also a little sweet from the sweet potato and the orange.
Ingredients:
1 small whole chicken
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chili powder to taste - I used madras red chili powder
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup water with 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion paste
Method:
Make a paste of the garlic ginger and chili powder. Massage it into the bird everywhere. Let marinate 1 hour. Place on trivet with accompanying root vegetables you like. I had one sweet and one regular potato and half an onion. Put the pot into the pressure cooker use manual high pressure for 25 minutes, sealed. When it is done let it natural release 25 minutes. Lift out of the pot ( use gloves ) cook and break into section as you wish. Just make a little gravy and enjoy! But the recipe calls for a yogurt covering made from combining the yogurt and the garam masala. I roasted the chicken at 350* till slightly brown. Divide as you see fit.
That brings me to our Sunday family dinner which was Beef Halim.
Oh, and yes a much-needed glass of wine:
~ Hugs From Mum
I fished around in my freezer for a small frozen chicken. I wanted to make it so I could send a meal home with our family's seniors as a meal for the week to come. Half a chicken for each household. If it tasted good and if it worked, that is. It was after all a Parsi book, and the flavors would be appetizing for them and the meat soft to chew.
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot. It came with a trivet that has lovely handles so the whole chicken could easily be placed into and taken out of the pot. The recipe calls for sectioning the bird, but I fancied a whole chicken because it was small and it made for less work. First I had to make a paste of garlic ginger and chili powder and rub it into the skin all over the bird ( inside too ) and let it marinade for one hour before steaming it. I did that and placed the chicken on the trivet, into the pot liner, and then put it all in the fridge to marinade, covered in cling wrap.
Then I placed a peeled sweet potato, a peeled potato, and half a white onion in big chunks on top of the chicken. I made a stock with 1 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon Better than Bullion chicken base and poured it into the pot as the steaming liquid.
I pressure cooked it for 25 minutes on "Pressure Cook" sealed pressure with a 25 minutes natural release. I find I like to do a natural release for the same amount of time as the cooking time, especially for protein items. I lifted the whole meal out by the trivet handles ( carefully, as it was hot ) and placed it in a pan to cool as you see above.
There was a lovely chicken broth below the trivet which I decided to make gravy with, and it worked like a charm. Puree it, make a roux, and add the puree for instant gravy. When the protein is not pretty, like a steamed chicken, gravy is always a good idea.
The recipe then calls for a yogurt garam masala covering which is then fried till brown. Translation would be to brown the chicken after it is steamed by frying it in a covering of yogurt and spice until brown. I, however, cut the now magnificent soft, juicy chicken in half and placed it on a roasting tray, covered the two halves with the yogurt mix, and roasted it until brown. Then I let it cool and placed it into the takeout containers for everyone to enjoy later.
There is gravy over it, some nice orange slices and potato and sweet potato. It is soft and easy to chew and digest. It is spicy from the gravy and yogurt but it is also a little sweet from the sweet potato and the orange.
Ingredients:
1 small whole chicken
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chili powder to taste - I used madras red chili powder
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup water with 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion paste
Method:
Make a paste of the garlic ginger and chili powder. Massage it into the bird everywhere. Let marinate 1 hour. Place on trivet with accompanying root vegetables you like. I had one sweet and one regular potato and half an onion. Put the pot into the pressure cooker use manual high pressure for 25 minutes, sealed. When it is done let it natural release 25 minutes. Lift out of the pot ( use gloves ) cook and break into section as you wish. Just make a little gravy and enjoy! But the recipe calls for a yogurt covering made from combining the yogurt and the garam masala. I roasted the chicken at 350* till slightly brown. Divide as you see fit.
That brings me to our Sunday family dinner which was Beef Halim.
Oh, and yes a much-needed glass of wine:
~ Hugs From Mum
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