Simple, fail-proof chicken when you forgot to have a plan

That irking question, and a pang of panic, rose in my mind again…what to make for dinner?  Despite my best intentions, in the face of my Mount Everest pile of laundry, the sweet but constant needs of my small children, and other responsibilities of farm and home, I had forgotten once again to pull something from the freezer to thaw.  

I winced.  Now what?  It is 4:00 and pretty soon I would have the hungry eyes and hands of my almost teenage boy sifting through the refrigerator seeking the nearest edible thing.  Something in that scene snapped me back into reality, reminding me that I had tools at my disposal.  

On my counter stood my trusty pressure cooker, and in my freezer a whole chicken sat peacefully on the rack.  Perfect!  Problem solved…I whipped the chicken out of its packaging, set it in the instant pot, added a bit of water at the bottom, poured a packet of Chile lime seasoning on the chicken, and voila!  In two hours, just in time for our dinner hour we would have steaming, tender, deliciously seasoned chicken ready. 

For tonight, I grabbed whatever taco toppings we had on hand, and called the whole crew to the table.  I felt a sense of quietness and rest as we sat down to a lovely but simple meal to end a busy day.  It is beautiful thing to be surrounded by family, knowing that I am serving them something that looks and tastes delicious, AND is also good for them.  Health is something precious enough to invest in, and I am grateful to be serving clean and healthy proteins to them.

Turns out that preparing chicken this way is quite the versatile option, offering a variety of meal options, from serving the chicken alongside rice and a green salad, to adding it onto the many variations of Mexican favorites like burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, or burrito bowls. 

Even better, I now had a plan for tomorrow’s meal:  Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Yes, success!

Mexican-Spiced Chicken

Ingredients:

One whole chicken

2 T Chile-Lime Seasoning, or other Mexican inspired spice blend

1 1/2 cups water

Salt to taste

Place chicken on rack in pressure cooker bowl.  Add water to bottom of bowl.  Pour spice mixture on top, adding salt if desired.  Turn pressure cooker on and set to 2 hours of cooking time if chicken frozen, one hour if it is thawed.  Double check chicken for doneness - breast should read at least 180 degrees on a thermometer.  Meat should be tender and easily pulled apart.  If meat is tough, pressure cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.  

Using a fork, pull meat off of bones and place on a separate plate for serving.  Sprinkle a small amount of cooking liquid over chicken for added flavor.  

If you wish to make bone broth or stock, save the bones and cooking liquid.  

If you have a great recipe featuring pastured chicken, please share it so we can all learn from each other!