Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken

Another great Instant Pot recipe to add to the collection. What I enjoyed most about this recipe was that it tasted nothing like other cilantro lime chicken meals that I've made before. There was not a huge cilantro or lime bite whatsoever, but a delicious subtle hint of flavors that paired well with the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. I ended up tripling the recipe below and using significantly less olive oil and ghee, but other then that made the recipe as. My only note was there was a ton of sauce to thicken up at the end, so I did throw in some arrowroot powder to help thicken it up faster. Since I did this with the chicken in the pot still, my nice chicken thighs turned into a shredded chicken real quick. I don't mind this at all, but if you want the full thigh in your meal, definitely don't throw them back in the pot until you are done thickening the sauce up and the saute mode is off. I lied, one more note is for the coconut cream all you need to purchase is a can of full fat coconut milk. You can use the thick condensed part at the top of the can for the coconut cream. A little easier and cheaper then using a can of coconut cream. Overall, we really enjoyed eating this meal all week long!​

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients:

• 6-8 boneless chicken thighs skinless or with skin*
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons ghee
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 4 garlic cloves sliced or minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• zest of half a lime
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/3 cup homemade or low sodium chicken broth **
• 2 Tablespoons coconut cream
• Chopped fresh parsley and lime slices for garnish if desired

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder.

To cook in the Instant Pot:

1. Press the Sauté function (Normal setting) on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil to the pot. 
2. Place chicken in the Instant Pot and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. This helps to seal in the juices and keep it tender. (You may have to work in batches depending on the size and amount of chicken you are using). Once browned, remove from Instant Pot and set aside.
3. Melt ghee in Instant Pot and stir in the onions and garlic. Add lime juice to deglaze pan and cook for 1 minute. Add Italian seasoning, lime zest, cilantro and chicken broth.
4. Place the chicken back into the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and turn the valve to SEALING.
5. Select the Manual (older models) or Pressure Cook (newer models) button and adjust the timer to 7 minutes.
6. It will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down.
7. When done, release the pressure after 2 minutes, then remove your Instant Pot lid.
8. Remove chicken from Instant Pot using tongs and set aside on a large serving plate. Stir in coconut cream into the Instant Pot. If you like your sauce thicker - you can thicken with arrowroot starch slurry by mixing 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch mixed with 1 teaspoon cold water. Press off and turn Instant Pot to SAUTE function. Cook and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken. Turn off and add chicken back to the Instant Pot to coat with sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite sides and garnish with lime slices, if desired.

To cook on the stove:

1. In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat add olive and cook for 4-5 on each side, or until chicken reaches 165 degrees. Transfer browned chicken to plate and set aside.
2. Return pan back to heat and melt ghee. Stir in onion and garlic. Add lime juice to deglaze the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add Italian seasoning, lime zest, cilantro and chicken broth. Stir in coconut cream [If you like your sauce thicker - you can thicken with arrowroot starch slurry by mixing 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch mixed with 1 teaspoon cold water.
3. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened up slightly, add the chicken back into the pan until hot. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite sides and garnish with lime slices, if desired.

Notes:
*For chicken breasts: use 3 breasts, sliced horizontally in half.
**I use ⅓ cup of broth combined with the juice from the lemon in a 6 Quart Instant Pot DUO with no problems or *burning sign - if needed you can increase the amount of liquid if this combination doesn't work for your Instant Pot model

Original recipe found here