Buffalo Chicken Chili and Cornbread with Hot Honey Butter

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible.

Buffalo chicken chili is incredibly flavorful and creamy. It's the dinner version of everyone's favorite buffalo chicken dip. It's a white chili, meaning it has white beans, fewer tomatoes, and white protein (in this case it's chicken). I used three types of beans because I like the variety, but you can use only one type or reduce the number of beans if you have issues digesting them.

The spiciness level of the chili is up to you. I used 1 cup of Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce because I like a lot of heat, but I suggest you start out with 1/4 cup, and you can always add more at the end if you want it spicier.

It's very important to wait to add the cream cheese until the end, and make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature and cut into cubes. It should easily melt into the chili. If you have issues with unmelted chunks of cream cheese in your chili, it's probably because it wasn't softened when you added it. Even though the chili has cream cheese in it, it’s totally fine to reheat it. Just be careful to heat it on low and do not let it boil.

I used Challenge cream cheese because Challenge prides itself on its fresh products and only uses real milk, cream, and natural ingredients for a pure, superior taste.

Make sure to check out my Ultimate Soup Guide for tips on making the most flavorful soups.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Yield: 4 quarts

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 12 ounces onion, small dice
• 6 ounces carrot, small dice
• 6 ounces celery, small dice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1/2 to 1 cup buffalo sauce (depending on spice level preference, I use 1 cup)
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature and cut into cubes
• Optional toppings: Blue cheese crumbles, green onions, tortilla chips

Directions for stovetop

1. Add oil to large pot or dutch oven, and turn to medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
4. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to pot and stir.
5. Bring soup to boil and reduce to simmer. Continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. It should shred very easily.
7. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
8. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Directions for Instant Pot

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and turn on sauté setting. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
3. Turn off saute setting and add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
4. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to Instant Pot and stir.
5. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. After it is done, quick release the pressure.
6. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken. It should shred very easily.
7. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
8. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Directions for slow cooker

1. On stovetop, heat oil in pan and sweat onion, carrot, and celery to pot and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they soften. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
2. Transfer veggies to large slow cooker. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to pot. Mix with mirepoix until combined.
3. Add chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and buffalo sauce to slow cooker and stir.
4. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours.
5. Open lid to slow cooker and shred chicken with 2 forks. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in.
6. Serve soup in bowls with blue cheese and green onion.

Cornbread with hot honey butter

Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients for the cornbread

• 1/2 cup unsalted Challenge butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the hot honey butter

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Challenge unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Directions for cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place butter in 8x8-inch baking dish and move to oven.
2. Cook until milk fat in butter browns, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. 
4. Stir in honey, brown sugar, and egg. Add buttermilk last.
5. Whisk in cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool

Directions for hot honey butter

1. Add all ingredients except butter to small saucepan on stove over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, allow it to continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Once cool, mix with softened butter.
5. Slice up cornbread and serve it with hot honey butter. Store leftover butter in refrigerator.

Best pork carnitas with pickled onions and guacamole (Instant Pot, slow cooker, or oven)

These Instant Pot pork carnitas are my new favorite easy dinner recipe. There are many reasons why I love them.

First, it makes a lot of food. It’s truly a leftover lover’s dream! 

I use a bone-in pork shoulder. The smallest size I’ve been able to find is about 7.5 pounds, and very little of that is bone. That means this recipe makes about 7 pounds of meat! Sometimes I freeze half of the already-cooked meat because it’s a lot for two people to consume. Fortunately, it reheats well after being frozen.

Tip: This cut of meat runs about $3 per pound when it’s not on sale (I should specify this is the price in central Indiana), but every few weeks, local grocery stores will have it on sale for 99 cents per pound. That is an incredible price for this volume of meat! Last time it went on sale, I purchased and made two pork shoulders, and I froze the meat from one of them.

You can make this recipe a variety of different ways—Instant Pot, slow cooker, or oven. I made it in the Instant Pot. You all know by now how much I love my Instant Pot. 

Recently, I was listening to a podcast with author and New York Times food columnist Alison Roman, and she dissed the Instant Pot. She said something like you don’t feel as connected to the food because you don’t spend all day smelling it and tending to it. And while I wish I had the time to do that with every meal I prepare, it isn’t feasible.

Okay, so back to the recipe. I realize the cooking time seems like a really long time. You’ve probably never seen such a long Instant Pot cooking time. But keep in mind, this is a big piece of meat. And you want it to be super tender and fall off the bone. You could cut it up into smaller pieces, and it would cook quicker that way if you’re strapped for time. If you go that route, I would change the cooking time from two hours to about one hour.

I like to serve the carnitas with pickled red onions and guacamole, so I will include my favorite recipes for those as well.

NOTE: If you don’t own an Instant Pot, here are options for alternate cooking methods. For a slow cooker, cook for about 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. Remember, you want the meat to be super tender and fall off the bone. For the oven, roast it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 4 1/2 hours.

Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

• 7-8 pounds bone-in pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed off
• 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 oranges sliced in half
• 1 lime sliced in half

Directions

1. Combine garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chili powder, dried basil, ground coriander, and paprika in small bowl.
2. Rub spice mixture evenly over the pork and place in Instant Pot
3. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and the lime over the pork. Place the oranges and lime pulp side down on top of the meat.
4. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 2 hours.
5. Once it’s done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally.
6. Remove the pork from the Instant Pot 
7. Shred the pork using two forks and remove it from the Instant Pot and shred the meat using two forks.
8. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the meat in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the meat under the broiler for about 3 to 5 minutes. Monitor it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
9. Pour the cooking juices into a pot and boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
10. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the pork and toss to coat.
11. Serve pork on tortillas with your favorite toppings, like pickled red onions and guacamole

Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, peeled
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, agave nectar, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Slice the red onion as thin as you can. I recommend using a mandoline.
2. Stuff the red onions into your container of choice. I like to use a mason jar.
3. In a pourable large measuring glass, heat up water to the point that it’s nearly boiling, or about 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Stir in apple cider vinegar, sweetener, salt, and red pepper flakes.
5. Pour pickling mixture over sliced onions. Make sure they are immersed in the liquid.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
7. They will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Best Guacamole Ever

Ingredients

• 2 ripe Hass avocados
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 jalapeño, including seeds and finely chopped

Directions

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits
2. Scoop the flesh of the avocados out of the rind and place in a medium bowl.
3. Pour lime juice and salt in bowl with avocados.
4. Mash it all together until just combined (don’t over mix!)
5. Fold in the red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño (once again, don’t over mix!)
6. Taste the guacamole and adjust seasoning if necessary

Buffalo Shrimp Chili and Vegan Chili

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Many people have very strong opinions about chili. Some say it needs meat. Others say it’s not chili without beans.

There are many variations of the dish, and often people’s preferences are heavily influenced by region. That being said, I don’t think we need to ostracize anyone’s favorite recipe! If it's chili, it will probably be tasty no matter what's in it.

I hope you keep that in mind when reading my two recipes!

For National Chili Day on Thursday, my goal was to create tasty chili recipes without meat. I got this idea because I know many people don’t eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. Also, it seems to me more people are trying recipes with plant-based proteins.

The first recipe, buffalo shrimp chili, is a “white chili,” meaning it has white beans, fewer tomatoes, and white protein (in this case it’s shrimp, in other cases it’s chicken). I also added hominy to the chili because I like the contrast in texture it provides. You could add corn instead if you don’t like hominy, or you could leave it out.

I want to make sure you notice in the directions below that you should not add the shrimp until the very end. Shrimp cooks very quickly, and it will overcook if you cook it the same duration as the rest of the chili.

You should also wait to add the cream cheese until the very end. You just want to mix it in and let it melt in the chili while it’s finishing up. Important note: Even though the chili has cream cheese in it, it’s totally fine to reheat it. Just be careful to not reheat it so quickly it boils. Heat it slowly!

I used Challenge cream cheese in the buffalo shrimp chili because Challenge prides itself on its fresh products and continues that tradition by only using real ingredients.

My second recipe in this blog post tastes more like a traditional red chili except it’s vegan and it has tofu crumbles. If you aren’t familiar with tofu, please don’t turn your nose up and stop reading. This recipe for tofu crumbles is so incredibly easy (no need to press it) and delicious. Honestly, it does kind of taste like beef. Also, tofu is low in carbs, low in calories, and high in protein.

What’s great about both recipes is you will have plenty of leftovers to warm up throughout the week.

Buffalo Shrimp Chili
Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken or seafood stock)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (depending on spiciness)
• 1 pound frozen uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• Optional toppings: Blue cheese crumbles, green onions, tortilla chips

Directions for the Instant Pot

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and turn on sauté setting. Add onion and celery to pot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start to soften.
2. Add garlic to pot and saute 1 minute.
3. Turn off saute setting and add chili powder, pepper, and salt to pot. Mix with vegetables until combined.
4. Add seafood stock, white beans, hominy, fire roasted tomatoes, green chilies, and buffalo sauce to instant pot and stir. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
5. After it is done, quick release the pressure.
6. Turn on the saute setting and add shrimp and cream cheese to the pot. Cook until shrimp are opaque and pink and cream cheese is melted, which should take about 5 minutes.
7. Serve with blue cheese and green onions.

Directions for slow cooker

1. On stove top, heat olive oil in pan and saute onion and celery for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add garlic to pan and saute 1 minute.
2. Transfer veggies to large slow cooker. Add chili powder, pepper, salt, stock, beans, hominy, tomatoes, green chilies, and buffalo sauce to slow cooker. Stir to combine.
3. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2.5 to 3 hours.
4. Open lid to slow cooker and add shrimp and cream cheese. Cook in slow cooker until shrimp are opaque and pink and cream cheese is melted, about 30 minutes on low and 15 minutes on high.

Vegan chili
For the chili

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15-ounce) cans  kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Tofu

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 350g block extra-firm tofu

Directions for the chili

1. Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent and starts to soften.
2. Add garlic and saute 1 minute or until it turns fragrant.
3. Add in the tomatoes, beans, stock, and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and continue to simmer for 1 hour. 

Directions for the Tofu

1. While chili is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. 
3. Open the package of tofu and drain it (but there’s no need to press it). 
4. Break off chunks of tofu and add to bowl with nutritional yeast. 
5. Once you have a large bowl of tofu crumbles, combine with nutritional yeast mix until everything is evenly coated.
6. Spread the tofu mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark. The tofu should be nice and browned.
7. When the chili is ready, stir in the tofu crumbles and cook another 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Instant Pot Beef Sweet Potato Stew

Surprise, surprise, another Instant Pot soup recipe. But truly, this is my new favorite! There is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of beef stew in the winter. 

There are a few reasons why this is my favorite beef stew ever. The first is sweet potatoes! I am very passionate about my love of sweet potatoes. If you’re even an acquaintance of mine, you probably know this about me because I talk about them so frequently. I love all potatoes (who doesn’t?), but I just think sweet potatoes add so much more flavor. Also, sweet potatoes are a little bit more nutritious than white potatoes. 

Secondly, the beef chunks become so tender after cooking in the Instant Pot, they truly melt in your mouth. I use “Beef Choice Basic Stew Meat.” That’s what the package says. It’s the beef that’s already cut into chunks. If you’re partial to a certain cut of beef, just use what you want.

This stew has a LOT of vegetables, which I love, but if there’s a vegetable you don’t like, just omit it. It’s not a big deal. That’s the biggest difference between cooking and baking. You absolutely cannot omit ingredients from a pastry recipe and expect the same results.

Instant Pot Beef Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef choice basic stew meat, or other cut of beef cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion (about 1 cup), chopped
• 1 large carrot (about 1/2 cup), chopped
• 1 celery stalk (about 1/2 cup), chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups beef stock
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 12 ounces frozen peas
• Freshly chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add in a single layer to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Do not overcrowd the pot. You’ll probably have to work in several batches.
3. Let the beef brown for 2 to 3 minutes before flipping the beef chunks to the other side.
4. Once the beef chunks are browned, remove from the Instant Pot and place on a large plate.
5. Add the onion and carrot to Instant Pot and saute for several minutes.
6. Add the celery, mushrooms, and garlic, and continue to saute for about 30 seconds.
7. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, and bay leave to the Instant Pot and mix with vegetables until combined.
8. Add beef stock and stir, making sure to scrape along the bottom to remove any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
9. Add sweet potatoes before closing and sealing the lid.
10. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes with a natural release after it finishes cooking.
11. Remove the lid and stir in the peas. While stirring stew, carefully remove bay leaves.
12. Garnish stew with parsley. Serve on its own or with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Recipe adapted from With Peanut Butter on Top

Chicken and apricot tagine, slow cooker and pressure cooker versions

I love using unique spices in my cooking, so naturally tagines are one of my favorite dishes. A tagine is a Moroccan dish that is best described as a very flavorful stew. The word “tagine” is also the name of the clay pot that was traditionally used to cook the dish.

Moroccan tagines have layers and layers of flavors. The dish pairs savory elements with sweet dried fruits. In this particular recipe that I’m sharing today, a heaping portion of dried apricots is balanced with savory chicken thighs and tangy preserved lemon.

Preserved lemons are an integral part in Moroccan cooking. The flavor is what will give your dish that “wow” factor. I purchase my preserved lemons on Amazon, but I’ve also seen them at Cost Plus World Market. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute 1/4 cup lemon juice, but just know that the flavor doesn’t even begin to compare to that of a preserved lemon.

I have a few tips to share when making this dish. The first is that you can buy bags of chopped up butternut squash in the freezer section. I didn’t realize that until recently. I find butternut squash to be a pain to prepare, so this is a HUGE time-saver. Also, I loathe chipping onions, so I use this trick with onions as well.

Second, I realize if you don’t already own these spices, it can be expensive to purchase everything. I recommend buying the spices in bulk at either Whole Foods or a local spice shop. It’s incredible how much money you can save that way.

I prepared this tagine two different ways: using an Instant Pot and a slow cooker.

The recipes are nearly identical, but there is one big difference. If you are preparing this in a pressure cooker, you should add one 28-ounce can of died tomatoes with the juices. The reason is because pressure cookers require more liquid to cook than slow cookers. The slow cooker will produce a lot of moisture on its own without the added liquid.

And one last thing, please don’t skimp out on using fresh herbs. I used cilantro, but if you prefer, use parsley. It’s another big contributor to the “wow” factor.

I served this dish with pearl couscous and Greek yogurt. Pita is tagines’ friend as well because who doesn’t love bread in every way, shape, and form?

Chicken and apricot tagine, slow cooker version
Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons minced ginger 
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 preserved lemon
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 pounds butternut squash, cubed
• 1 cup dried apricots, halved
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• Cooked couscous, pita for serving
• Plain yogurt, toasted almonds for topping 

Directions

1. Warm a skillet on stovetop to medium heat. Place chicken thighs in skillet and cook without moving the chicken until side is browned, or about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, place on plate, and set aside.
2. Add the onion to the skillet and saute until soft, or about 3 minutes. 
3. Add minced ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
4. Add spices to skillet and cook until fragrant, or about 30 seconds.
5. Add preserved lemon and lemon juice, stirring well and using the lemon juice to deglaze the pan and scrape off any brown bits that formed on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
6. Dump the butternut squash and dried apricots into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add half of the onion and spice mixture on top. 
7. Layer the browned chicken thighs on top and the other half of the onion and spice mixture over the chicken.
8. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the squash is soft and the chicken shreds easily.
9. Once dish is cooked, stir in cilantro and green onions.
10. Serve with cooked couscous, pita, and or yogurt. Sprinkle almonds on top.

Chicken and apricot tagine, pressure cooker version
Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons minced ginger 
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 preserved lemon
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices included
• 2 pounds butternut squash, cubed
• 1 cup dried apricots, halved
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• Cooked couscous, pita for serving
• Plain yogurt, toasted almonds for topping 

Directions

1. Warm Instant Pot to saute setting. Place chicken thighs in skillet and cook without moving the chicken until side is browned, or about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove chicken from Instant Pot, place on plate, and set aside.
2. Add the onion to the Instant Pot and saute until soft, or about 3 minutes. 
3. Add minced ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
4. Add spices to skillet and cook until fragrant, or about 30 seconds.
5. Add preserved lemon and lemon juice, stirring well and using the lemon juice to deglaze the Instant Pot and scrape off any brown bits that formed on the bottom. Turn off saute setting.
6. Return chicken to Instant Pot and stir with onion and spice mixture.
7. Dump in the can of diced tomatoes and stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
8. Add butternut squash and dried apricots to the Instant Pot.
9. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
10. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and stir in cilantro and green onions.
11. Serve with cooked couscous, pita, and or yogurt. Sprinkle almonds on top.

Recipes adapted from this recipe by the New York Times

Instant Pot Chicken Posole Verde

Posole is a classic slow-cooked Mexican soup dating back to the time of the Aztecs. It combines chicken, lime, hominy (dried corn kernels soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution—this removes the acid and makes the corn puffy and meaty, similar to a bean), and tomatillos (similar to tomatoes but much more sour and picked while under-ripe).

The version I'm sharing is made an Instant Pot, which significantly speeds up the cooking time.

I love the contrast in the soup between the spicy jalapenos and the tangy tomatillos. The lime juice also gives it a really nice zip of flavor. Also, the hominy makes it seem hearty.

This is one of my husband's favorite meals that I make, and I hope you'll give it a try too!

Instant Pot Chicken Posole Verde
Yield: Serves 10
Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans golden hominy, drained
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 10 tomatillos, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• Cilantro, avocado, lime wedges for garnish

Directions

1. Set Instant Pot to "saute" and heat olive oil. Brown chicken in Instant Pot, about 4 minutes per side, making sure not to crowd pot. Transfer chicken to plate.
2. Add the onion to the pot and cook until tender and translucent, or about 2 minutes. Add garlic and jalapenos and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Turn off "saute" setting. Add chicken stock, hominy, tomatillos, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Return chicken to pot.
4. Cover pot with lid and into place, making sure the valve is set to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at normal pressure for 20 minutes.
5.  When the pressure cooking is complete, turn valve to “venting” to manually release steam, making sure not to burn yourself. When steam stops, remove lid and transfer chicken to a large plate and shred. Return chicken to the pot and add lime juice.
6. Serve soup and garnish with cilantro, avocado and lime wedges, and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma