Pressure Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

Pressure Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

This warming, satisfying stew takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, thanks to the pressure cooker, which makes quick work of braising chicken and melding flavors. Use your favorite jarred green salsa as a shortcut: The salsa mingles with the chicken juices to make a thick, tangy sauce that tastes like more than the sum of its parts. (Jarred salsas vary in heat levels, so be sure to taste yours first. Make the dish spicier by leaving some of the jalapeño seeds in.) Serve the chicken over rice or whole grains, which soak up the sauce, or use the chicken in tacos, burritos or enchiladas. You can also add one cup of frozen or fresh corn, or a drained 15-ounce can of black or pinto beans to the cooked chicken and simmer until just warmed through. Pass around toppings like crunchy pepitas, tortilla chips, crumbled queso fresco or avocado, to customize at will.

Yield: 4 servings

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1½ cups jarred salsa verde

1 (4-ounce) can mild chopped green chiles

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems finely chopped (about 1 heaping cup)

Kosher salt, to taste

Fresh lime juice, to taste

Any combination of cooked rice, tortillas, pepitas, queso fresco, diced avocado and crushed tortilla chips, for serving

Add the chicken, salsa verde, canned chiles, chopped garlic, jalapeño, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin to a 6- to 8-quart electric pressure cooker; stir to combine. (Don’t add salt yet, as many jarred salsas are high in sodium.) Close the lid and turn the pressure knob to sealed. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

Turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid. If you would like to reduce the sauce, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a bowl and turn on the simmer function; let the sauce bubble for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken. Add the chicken back into the pot if you have removed it. Use two forks to coarsely shred the chicken. Stir in the scallions and cilantro. Taste, and season with salt and lime juice.

Serve in bowls, alone or with rice, or in tortillas, with desired toppings.

TIP: No slow cooker, no onion or garlic powder. Sautéed a cut up onion, then the garlic and cumin. Combine with all other ingredients including boneless, skinless thighs. Bring to boil on stovetop, then into 350 degree oven with lid on Dutch oven for 30 minutes, then lid off for 15 more. Served with flour tortillas, cilantro, scallions, queso, and sour cream, sides of rice and beans. Rave reviews!

I use the canned sauce technique all the time, it makes for a yummy stew, mild Herdez is my go to unless I buy it fresh from a Mexican grocer, I am lucky enough to be in San Diego. If you make it with pork butt and let it really reduce you get the yummiest carnitas. Adding green fresh garbanzos, when in season, or a handful of verdolagas or another green makes it a super complete meal, no need for extra starches

One of our favorite recipes. We make it at least once a month. We will often throw in frozen corn, diced red bell peppers, spinach, or any other veggies we may have in the fridge at the end, while the sauce is reducing. Serve with avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, with tortilla chips or taco shells. Sometimes we’ll also serve with pickled jalapeños and red onions, but I find it doesn’t even need it. Always a winner.