Well this certainly turned out tasting and smelling amazing! Another simple meal prep recipe with little to zero prep, throw all the ingredients into your Instant Pot or slow cooker, and you're pretty much done! I boiled up some sweet potato glass noodles and roasted some zucchini to make this meal complete, and of course to get some more nutrients into the meal. This was definitely a great meal for noodles or zoodles, or better yet a combination of both! We are still keeping things low(er) FODMAP, so I ended up using Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infused with Garlic instead of minced garlic, and swapped the onion powder for Italian seasoning. I don't think either swaps made much of a difference, and like I said this meal was amazing. I will definitely be throwing this one into the meal prep rotation!

Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil OR 3 teaspoons fresh, chopped basil (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)

Directions:
Pressure Cooker

1. Select sauté function on Instant Pot, set to normal
2. Add a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil to the pot and let it melt
3. Add chicken breasts, chopped onion, and minced garlic
4. Brown slightly on both sides
5. Pour crushed tomatoes over the chicken
6. Add remaining ingredients and stir a little to combine (doesn't have to be perfect)
7. Put lid on the IP, make sure vent knob is set to SEALING
8. Set IP to manual for 20 minutes (add a few more minutes for frozen chicken breasts)
9. After cooking time has completed, NPR for 10 minutes then QPR to release remaining pressure
10. Shred the chicken breasts and serve

Slow Cooker

1. Place chicken breasts in IP or slow cooker
2. Add remaining ingredients, mixing slightly
3. Set to slow cook 4 to 6 hours on High
4. Shred chicken when cooked

​Original recipe found here

This one got two thumbs up in our house! This was my first time ever making Salsa Verde and it definitely won't be the last. Once the tomatillos are sliced and peppers are de-seeded, throw them in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes, then blend with the remaining ingredients to make the Salsa Verde. All that's left to do from here is fill your Instant Pot or slow cooker with either chicken thighs or breasts and top with your freshly made Salsa Verde sauce. I left the additional chicken broth out of this one and am glad I did because there was plenty of sauce for the chicken. You can easily double the chicken amount with this serving of Salsa Verde. I paired this one with a mix of rice and cilantro lime cauliflower rice and thought this meal was delicious. However, you can easily make this meal to your liking and throw the chicken in a taco or make up a burrito bowl with all your favorite fixings. This recipe was super simple, easy, and tasty, so you know I'll be making it again soon! 

Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients:
Tomatillo Salsa Verde

• 1.5 lbs tomatillos husks removed
• 1 large poblano pepper de-seeded and sliced in half
• 2 jalapeno peppers de-seeded and sliced in half
• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 2/3 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 lime juice of
• 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste

For the Chicken

• 2 lbs chicken thighs or breast
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Begin by making your tomatillo salsa verde. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Slice the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on your baking sheet. Place the peppers cut side down on the same sheet. Lightly brush with oil, and place in the oven. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops of the veggies are blistered (see photo in post). Remove from the oven.
2. Place roasted veggies, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime and sea salt in a blender. Pulse and blend for until smooth (don't over pulse). 
3. Now place the chicken in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Pour the salsa verde on top. Add chicken broth, and cumin. Secure the lid on your Instant Pot, ensuring the valve is turned to the sealed position. Select manual (or pressure for different models), and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
4. Use a quick release and release all steam before opening the lid of your IP. Shred the chicken with a fork and serve, adding additional salt to taste. 
5. For the slow cooker, place chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker and top with salsa verde. You do not need the chicken broth. Add in some cumin. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is fork tender.

Original recipe found here

A simple and delicious Instant Pot recipe to save for your collection! This is the kind of recipe that earns its way into the meal prep rotation. I can easily double or triple the ingredients to get enough meals for the week, the ingredients are few and simple with zero prep, and I can dump everything in the Instant Pot and come back later to a pretty much complete meal. For this one I ended up using 100% apple cider since that was the only fresh, no added sugar, apple juice I could find at the store. Maybe in the fall I will be able to find some better apple juice options and compare how it tastes to this apple cider version. I didn't think the Teriyaki Chicken turned out overwhelmingly sweet, which I was a fan of, but also might be due to not using apple juice. Anyways, I almost quadrupled the chicken amount and just doubled the remaining ingredients and thought that ratio provided plenty of sauce. I paired this with some rice and roasted broccoli and really enjoyed this meal all week long! 

​Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup 100% apple juice (no sugar added)
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp minced ginger (I used 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey (substitute 3 pitted and blended medjool dates for Whole30)
• 2 tsp arrowroot flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water to thicken (optional) 

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients (except for the arrowroot and water) into the instant pot and stir to incorporate the ingredients together, then add in the chicken.
2. Close the lid, put the valve to sealing and set the instant pot to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
3. Once it’s finished, do a quick release and remove the chicken thighs, transferring to a cutting board.
4. Add in the arrowroot water mixture and set the instant pot to “sauté”. Stir to mix in the arrowroot and let the sauce come to a simmer to thicken. While it’s thickening, shred the chicken thighs using two forks and add the shredded chicken back into the instant pot.
5. Press “cancel” once it’s thickened, and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds or chopped green onions.

Notes:
To use dates in place of honey, blend the pitted dates with 3 tbsp very hot water to make a paste, and use that instead.

​Original recipe found here