Spicy Southwest Chicken Soup

May 17, 2024

This is a more “from-scratch” and meat-inclusive version of my quicker, spicy southwest veggie soup.

Ingredients

amount	ingredient
50g	black beans, dry
50g	white beans, dry
100g	kidney beans, dry
1 lb	chicken breast
24g	oil
160g	onion, diced
150g	bell pepper, diced
28 oz	tomatoes, diced
28 oz	water
15g	Better Than Bouillon
12 oz	corn, frozen
1 oz	jalapenos
2 T	cumin
1 T	chili powder
1 tsp	salt
to taste	black pepper
½ tsp	garlic powder
½ tsp	MSG

Process

Instant Pot

add all dried beans to Instant Pot and cover with ~1″ of water

pressure: high
time: 15 minutes
release: 10 minute natural

drain beans, set aside

sauté: high

add oil and chicken, sear until chicken is no longer pink; set aside
add onions and bell peppers, cook until translucent
add all other ingredients, including chicken, to pressure cooker

pressure: high
time: 4 minutes
release: 15 minute natural

remove chicken breast and set aside to cool enough to handle
blend soup sporadically with immersion blender until desired consistency reached (optional)
dice chicken into bite-sized pieces, return to pot

Stovetop

I’ve never bothered to make beans on the stovetop and wouldn’t recommend it to others. If you already have beans (canned, frozen, or just extra lying around, proceed with the below. Otherwise, just submerge dry beans in water and cook them forever.

in heavy-bottom pot, add oil and sear chicken until no longer pink; set aside
add onions and bell peppers, cook until translucent
add the rest of the ingredients, including chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through and all other components have meshed together
remove chicken and allow to cool enough to handle
blend soup sporadically with immersion blender until desired consistency reached (optional)
dice chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to pot

Notes

This soup goes great with:

a dollop of sour cream
corn tortilla strips, chips, or broken up tostada/tortilla shells
shredded cheese of choice
avocado
fresh cilantro
fresh jalapeno coins
a dash of hot sauce

better than takeout ○ chicken ○ meat

Quick Moroccan Chicken

January 25, 2024

Credits

Recipe adapted from G-Free Foodie.

Ingredients

amount	ingredient
1½ lb	chicken breast^*
4	dried figs, halved and destemmed
4 oz	tomato sauce // marinara sauce
¼ cup	onions, chopped
1 tsp	garlic, minced
2 T	apple juice
1 T	olive oil
1	bay leaf
½ tsp	thyme, dried
¼ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	black pepper
to taste	harissa paste // hot sauce (optional)

^*frozen is fine!

Process

place all ingredients in Instant Pot

pressure: low
time: 10 minutes
release: 10-15 minutes natural release

Notes

I used frozen, thin chicken breast directly, without thawing first
It made a fair amount of soupy sauce, which I used to make couscous
- to do this, replace ½ the water used for the couscous with the sauce / liquid from this recipe
pictured below: recipe paired with couscous, hummus, and pickled onions.

Instant Pot // Mains // Recipe

african ○ chicken ○ dump and go ○ meat ○ moroccan ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick

Chicken Tender Wrap

January 14, 2024

Frozen, breaded chicken tenders and flour tortillas turn into spicy chicken wraps with bold flavor and a pop of bright citrus.

ingredients

amount	ingredient
1	flour tortilla, large, warmed
1 slice	cheese, American (optional)
1 – 2	chicken tenders, spicy
to taste	mayonnaise
to taste	hot sauce
to taste	onions & jalapeños, pickled
to taste	cilantro, fresh, chopped
to taste	lettuce greens

assembly

heat tortilla according to preference (see notes below)
if using cheese, lay cheese on top of hot tortilla and add hot chicken tender on top so the cheese melts easily
layer the rest of the ingredients on top, ending with the lettuce so that you can more easily hold things down to roll without getting your hands dirty
roll up tortilla; it’s not necessary for complete overlap if you’re careful with holding it properly while eating

notes

naturally, all amounts are to-taste so do and use whatever you like
tortilla can be heated any way you prefer:
- stovetop: on a griddle, tawa, comal, or dry frying pan, turning to get nice brown spots and taking it off the heat once desired doneness is reached; do not heat too long or it will become crunchy and not foldable
- microwave: lay tortilla on microwave -safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel, heat until just warmed through; this will yield a soft, pliable tortilla that’s not crunchy at all
- airfryer / toaster oven / oven: heat for a few minutes until warmed through; avoid getting brown spots as it will turn into a giant tortilla chip pretty quickly, especially in a toaster oven or air fryer which works faster than a standard oven
any chicken tender will work, I use a spicy breaded variety and pop it in the airfryer for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through
I use Frank’s hot sauce and find the simplicity of it plays nicely with both the mayo and pickles
for the greens, use whatever you have on hand: iceberg, spring mix, spinach, arugula, celery tops, romaine, etc.

Airfryer // Mains // Meal Ideas // Microwave // Oven // Stovetop

american ○ better than takeout ○ chicken ○ frozen foods ○ fusion ○ meat ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ sandwich

Chicken Salan

April 12, 2022

Credits

Recipe adapted from Tea for Turmeric.

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredients
1½ lb	chicken breast, raw, cubed
50g	oil
160g	onion, chopped
1½ tsp	salt
150g	tomatoes, chopped
1	serrano pepper, slit
1 T	garlic, minced
1½ tsp	ginger, minced
6	black peppercorns, whole
3	cloves
1 tsp	cumin seeds
½ tsp	cayenne pepper
½ tsp	turmeric
¼ tsp	coriander powder
¼ tsp	cumin powder
1½ cup	water
½ tsp	coriander seeds
½ cup	cilantro, chopped

Process

Sauté onions, salt in oil until lightly golden; deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water, if necessary
Add tomatoes, serrano, ginger, garlic; sauté for a few minutes
Add chicken; sauté until color changes and chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 5 minutes
Add all the spices except coriander seeds; sauté for 2 minutes
Add water

Pressure: High
Time: 7 minutes
Release: natural for 5 minutes

Taste for salt, add coriander seeds, chopped fresh cilantro; serve

Nutrition

Total Recipe: 1,330 calories
Per 100g: 119 calories

Notes

After making the masala base (just before adding the chicken), you can stick blend the mixture to make a smooth consistency.
In lieu of the above, you can also chop up the onions and tomatoes in a food processor before they go in the pot. I don’t bother with either of these.

Instant Pot // Mains // Recipe

calories calculated ○ chicken ○ desi ○ meat ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ pakistani ○ photo

Burrito Bowl

December 11, 2021
Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
196g Simple Rice & Potatoes
76g salsa
30g cheese, shredded, Mexican-style
110g Mexican chicken
50g sour cream
4 leaves lettuce, torn

Assembly
1. Top rice with salsa, sprinkle a little water over it and heat in microwave for ~2 minutes or until piping hot
2. Add cheese and heat for 30 seconds, removing halfway through to stir and insure even melting
3. Add chicken on half of the hot rice mix and cover with the other half (to heat through)
4. Add sour cream and lettuce
Nutrition

Calories: 688

Notes

Microwaved chicken has a bad smell and worse taste. Covering the chicken with the hot rice helps mitigate that. You can also heat the chicken, rice, and salsa in a dry pan on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, then fold in the cheese.
Leftovers // Mains // Meal Ideas

calories calculated ○ chicken ○ meat ○ mexican ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ rice
Chicken Quesadilla

December 6, 2021
Assembly
1. Layer Mexican chicken onto one half of a large, 10″ flour tortilla
2. Top with shredded, Mexican blend cheese and fold in half
3. Toast in a toaster oven, panini press, George Foreman grill, or on a dry pan on the stove
Nutrition

Calories: 457 (68g tortilla, 73g chicken, 42g cheese)
Leftovers // Mains // Meal Ideas

calories calculated ○ chicken ○ meat ○ mexican ○ photo ○ sandwich
Shredded Chicken Tacos

December 5, 2021
This “recipe” brings several several others together into a complete meal. You can also think of it as building with leftovers.

Recipes
Nutrition

323 calories, as pictured (including sauce)

Notes

The sauce was a new recipe I’d tried but it wasn’t what I was looking for and didn’t add to the dish. Plain sour cream would have been better.
Leftovers // Mains // Meal Ideas

calories calculated ○ chicken ○ meat ○ mexican ○ photo

Amount	Ingredients
196g	Simple Rice & Potatoes
76g	salsa
30g	cheese, shredded, Mexican-style
110g	Mexican chicken
50g	sour cream
4 leaves	lettuce, torn

Mexican Shredded Chicken

December 5, 2021

Credits

Recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredients
10g	oil, vegetable
770g	chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw
100g	salsa, medium
12g	sugar
4oz	diced jalapenos, hot, canned
10oz	tomatoes, diced, with chilies, drained
1 T	chili powder
1½ tsp	salt
1 tsp	ground cumin
1 tsp	garlic powder
1 tsp	onion powder
½ tsp	black pepper
½ tsp	smoked paprika
½ tsp	oregano, Mexican, dried
1 tsp	liquid smoke

Process

Add the oil to the bottom of the instant pot, swirl to coat
Add all other ingredients, seal lid

Pressure: High
Time: 13 minutes
Release: 15 minutes natural

Open instant pot and shred the chicken; mix it all together to rehydrate and seal the lid again

Pressure: High
Time: 5 minutes
Release: 10 minutes natural

Drain excess liquid and serve (see notes)

Nutrition

100g (drained) = 124 calories

Notes

This is a base Mexican chicken recipe, which can be used:

on top of a salad
as a low-carb bowl meal with fajita vegetables and toppings
as a higher-carb burrito bowl
in chicken tacos
in chicken quesadillas

Keep the strained liquid from Step 4 and make rice, beans, or any other dish where these flavors will shine.

Can sub regular oregano in place of Mexican
Shred chicken using 2 forks or by pressing chicken pieces against bottom and sides of pot; they should fall apart

Instant Pot // Mains // Recipe

chicken ○ dump and go ○ meat ○ mexican ○ one pot pan or bowl

Thai Basil Fried Rice with Chicken

November 25, 2021

Credits

Recipe adapted from a combination of this Allrecipes.com listing and Hot Thai Kitchen.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

Amount	Ingredient
3 T	oyster sauce
3 T	fish sauce
1 tsp	sugar
12 oz	chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw
42g	oil, neutral, divided
½ cup	onion, chopped
1 cup	bell pepper, red, chopped
½ cup	carrot, shredded
2	Serrano peppers, slit
1 T	garlic, minced
680g	rice, Jasmine, cooked
1 T	soy sauce, less sodium
½ cup	cilantro, chopped
¼ cup	Thai basil, fresh

Process

Prep

Mix oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar in small bowl; use half the mixture to marinate the chicken.
Prep the rest of the vegetables and ingredients (chop onion, bell pepper, slit Serranos)

Cook

In a large wok, heat HALF the oil until shimmering and add marinated chicken along with any marinade that’s settled in the bottom of the bowl (NOT the rest of the mixture which was set aside in step 1)
Saute chicken until mostly cooked through and no longer pink on the outside. Cut into a piece to see if it’s cooked. Remove from wok and set aside.
In the same wok, without cleaning, add the remaining oil and stir fry the onions, bell peppers, carrots, Serrano peppers and garlic to desired doneness.
Add rice and continue to stir fry.
Add marinade mixture set aside in step 1, plus soy sauce; stir to distribute sauce evenly.
Add chicken back to wok (with any accumulated juices), cilantro, and Thai basil; stir fry until chicken is cooked through.

Serve hot with sliced cucumbers and fresh lime wedges

Nutrition

Calories: 300 per serving (⅙th of recipe)

Notes

1 mini cucumber = 10 calories, juice of half a lime = 6 calories
Go easy on the serrano if you can’t tolerate heat very well
If your wok or frying pan is small, make the recipe in batches

Mains // Recipe // Stovetop

asian ○ better than takeout ○ calories calculated ○ chicken ○ meat ○ photo ○ quick ○ rice ○ stir-fry ○ thai

Ingredients

Process

Instant Pot

Stovetop

Notes

Credits

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ingredients

assembly

notes

Credits

Ingredients

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Nutrition

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Nutrition

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Assembly

Nutrition

Recipes

Nutrition

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Credits

Ingredients

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Nutrition

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Credits

Ingredients

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Prep

Cook

Nutrition

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