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Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup

December 21, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Two bowls of potato, leek, and kale soup on a white background and a blue and white napkin on the side.

This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup is the perfect creamy comfort food to warm you up on a cold, blustery day.

One of my all-time favorite meals is potato soup. Creamy and rich, it’s comfort food in a bowl. This recipe uses golden potatoes, leeks, and kale for a super creamy and comforting bowl of soup on a cold, blustery day. Let me walk you through how to make it!

Close up of potato, leek, and kale soup with sour cream, bacon, and chives on top.

Ingredients for Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup

Bacon: The bacon is used as a topping, and some of the bacon fat is used for sauteing the vegetables.

Onion:I used a medium yellow onion for this soup.

Leeks: As leeks grow, they can get a lot of sand and dirt stuck inside. I give them a good wash before chopping, and I also rewash them in a strainer after chopping to get any remaining bits of dirt cleaned off.

Garlic cloves: You can use fresh garlic from either the garlic bulb or buy the pre-minced variety.

Golden potatoes: Gold potatoes have a lot more flavor and a creamier texture than some other types of potatoes. Their skin is pretty tender as well, so I don’t bother peeling these. The skins get pureed into the soup anyway, so it’s also easier.

Stock: I prefer chicken stock myself, but feel free to use vegetable stock if you prefer. One of my favorites is Kitchen Basics.

Milk: I’ve only tested this with cow’s milk, so 1%, 2%, or whole would be best. If you’re feeling extra, you can use half and half or heavy cream. Skim milk won’t give any creaminess because it has no fat. I have not tested it with any plant-based milk, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work as long as it’s unflavored.

Kale: I usually buy kale pre-chopped, but you can chop it yourself too. If I chop it myself, I usually got with a fine chop so that the kale cooks and wilts faster.

Extra toppings: The sky is the limit, but the go-tos would be crumbled bacon, minced chives, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and cheese – specifically cheddar cheese works well.

Two bowls of potato, leek, and kale soup on a white background and a blue and white napkin on the side. There is also a pot of the soup next to the bowls.

How to Make Potato Leek Soup

First, you’ll cook the bacon until super crispy (so it can be crumbled later) in a large stockpot and save about 2 tbsp. of bacon fat to saute the vegetables: onions, leeks, garlic, and potatoes.

After sauteing the vegetables, you’ll add the stock and allow the potatoes to thoroughly cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

You’ll add the milk and use an immersion stick blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion stick blender, you can transfer the soup into a regular blender to puree. You may have to work in batches, and you’ll need to transfer the soup back into the stockpot.

Once the soup is pureed, you’ll turn the heat to low if you haven’t already and add in the chopped kale. Let the soup cook with the kale in the stockpot for about 5-10 minutes or until the kale is cooked and wilted.

When you serve the soup, serve with your favorite potato soup toppings. As I mentioned above, I like bacon, minced chives, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Can You Freeze Potato Soup?

Unfortunately, potato soup and dairy containing soups don’t freeze that great. When they defrost, it may be separated, or the texture may be off. I don’t recommend it, but if you want to make this soup in advance and freeze it for later. You can make the soup up to step 3 and puree the soup without the milk and the kale. Then, freeze for up to 3 months. When you rewarm the soup, you can add the milk, cook until slightly thickened, add the kale, and cook for additional 5-10 minutes.

Overview of a bowl of potato, leek, and kale soup with sour cream, bacon, and chives on top on a white background.
Print

Potato, Leek, and Kale Soup

Two bowls of potato, leek, and kale soup on a white background and a blue and white napkin on the side.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45-50 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Category: soup
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large leek, cleaned and chopped
  • 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 lbs. golden potatoes (about 4 larger golden potatoes), chopped
  • 4 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 4–6 cups of fresh kale, chopped
  • Salt + pepper
  • Extra toppings: chives, sour cream or Greek yogurt, cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in a large stockpot until crispy. Drain bacon on towels and set aside. Leave about 2 tbsp. of bacon fat in the stockpot. Add onion and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Saute 3-5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and golden potatoes and saute for an additional minute. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
  3. Reduce heat to low, add milk, and puree using an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender to blend in batches if needed.
  4. Stir chopped kale into to pureed soup in the stockpot and keep warm on low heat for additional 5-10 minutes or until kale is wilted.
  5. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

To freeze this soup:

You can make the soup up to step 3 and puree the soup without the milk and the kale. Then, freeze for up to 3 months. When you rewarm the soup, you can add the milk, cook until slightly thickened, add the kale, and cook for additional 5-10 minutes.

Keywords: potato soup

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Filed Under: Dinner, Fall, Soup, Winter

Hibachi Shrimp Rice Bowls

December 16, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Close up of hibachi shrimp rice bowl and other bowls in the background.

These Hibachi Shrimp Rice Bowls are the perfect crowd-pleasing dinner and are super easy to meal prep for the week.

This recipe for hibachi-style shrimp rice bowls is based on the Japanese steakhouse restaurant-style food. This recipe certainly isn’t authentic, but I do really enjoy it.  Shrimp and vegetables sautéed in soy sauce with fried rice and creamy yum yum sauce? Yes, please.

Three white bowls side-by-side filled with fried rice, yum yum sauce, and hibachi shrimp and vegetables

Ingredients

Butter: The butter is divided up to cook the shrimp, vegetables, and rice separately. Given how salty soy sauce is, I would recommend unsalted butter as to have more control over the salty flavor.

Shrimp: I usually will get the EZ peel raw shrimp. It’s a reasonable price, and as the name implies, it’s very easy to peel. Plus, all of the shrimp are already deveined.

Soy sauce: I don’t find much taste difference between regular soy sauce and reduced sodium. In an effort for gentle nutrition that doesn’t compromise on taste, I usually go for the reduced-sodium version.

Vegetables: You’ll need a medium zucchini and onion. You’ll also need frozen peas and carrots too. You don’t need to thaw the frozen vegetables first – they’re small, so they cook quickly from frozen.

Egg: The egg is used for frying the rice.

Rice: Use any rice you prefer, but I like to use the microwave rice packets for a quick hack. After I cook it in the microwave, I pop it in the freezer while I work on the rest of the dish. Cold rice fries up better than hot or warm rice. You don’t want to spend 30+ minutes cooking rice and then have to allow time for it to cool down. Go for the 90-second packets; you’ll thank me.

Sauce ingredients: Mayo, ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, and a few dashes of hot sauce are all you need to make an easy yum yum sauce. If you don’t want to bother, you can totally just use the store-bought yum yum sauce.

Close up of the hibachi shrimp and vegetables in a white bowl.

How to Make Hibachi Shrimp and Vegetables

Hibachi shrimp is very easy to make. Ensure that the shrimp are patted dry with paper towels, so they get a nice sear in the skillet. The pan should be quite hot over medium-high heat. You first melt the butter, then add the shrimp in a single layer, preferably. After a minute or so, you’ll flip the shrimp and add 2 tbsp. of soy sauce. Allow the soy sauce to evaporate mostly. The shrimp are done when they are mostly pink, and their tail and head have coiled towards each other. You’ll set aside the shrimp and wipe the pan if necessary, then repeat the same process for the onion and zucchini. You don’t want to pile everything on at the same time in the skillet as the vegetables sweat out moisture that would affect the shrimp’s sear.

Close up of a hibachi shrimp rice bowl with yum yum sauce on top and a gray napkin and fork on the side.

How to Make Hibachi Fried Rice

In the same large skillet, you’ll add more butter and fry an egg, breaking the yolk and scrambling. You’ll then add the cooled rice along with the frozen peas and carrots, followed by 2 tbsp. of soy sauce. Keep moving the food around the skillet until everything is hot.

How to Make Yum Yum Sauce

You simply need to mix all of the ingredients and set the sauce aside. If you’re working ahead, I would make this in advance and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. The flavors will have more time to marinate and create a better flavor.

How to Prepare Hibachi Shrimp Rice Bowls for Meal Prep

After you prepare each component (shrimp, vegetables, rice, and sauce), keep everything in separate containers until you’re ready to use. If you’re going to pack the shrimp bowls for a to-go meal or lunch, then I would combine the vegetables and rice together in the same container to reheat in the microwave. I would keep the shrimp in a separate container and put the cold shrimp on top (shrimp don’t taste or smell great microwaved) after the vegetables and rice are reheated. Lastly, keep the yum yum sauce in a separate container and pour on top right before eating.  

Two hibachi shrimp rice bowls on a white background and in white bowls. On the side there is a pan of shrimp and vegetables as well as yum yum sauce with a white spoon.
Print

Hibachi Shrimp Rice Bowls

Close up of hibachi shrimp rice bowl and other bowls in the background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner, lunch, meal prep, seafood
  • Method: stir-fry
  • Cuisine: Japanese-American
Scale

Ingredients

Yum yum sauce

  • ½ cup mayo
  • 2 tbsp. ketchup
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • Few dashes of hot sauce or to taste (optional)

Shrimp and vegetables

  • 3 tbsp. of unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 lb. of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
  • 4 tbsp. soy sauce, divided
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 1 small-medium onion, chopped

Fried rice

  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups of frozen peas and carrots, unthawed
  • 4 cups of cooked rice, cooled
  • 2 tbsp. of soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Make yum yum sauce by mixing together the mayo, ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, and hot sauce (if using) in a bowl. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. of butter. Cook shrimp in butter for about 1 minute on each side. Add 2 tbsp. of soy sauce and cook until the soy sauce is mostly evaporated. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
  3. Dry out the large skillet with a paper towel if necessary. Heat another 1 tbsp. of butter in the same skillet and add the onion and zucchini. Saute for about 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the zucchini is softened. Add another 2 tbsp. of soy sauce and cook until the sauce is mostly evaporated. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  4. Dry out the large skillet if necessary again. Heat another 1 tbsp. of butter in skillet.  Add egg, breaking the yolk and scrambling it. Add cooled rice and frozen vegetables. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and add 2 tbsp. soy sauce. Stir fry for additional 2-3 minutes or until warmed throughout.
  5. Assemble the bowl by layering the fried rice, vegetables, and shrimp and drizzling the yum yum sauce on top.

Notes

How to Prepare Hibachi Shrimp Rice Bowls for Meal Prep

After you prepare each component (shrimp, vegetables, rice, and sauce), keep everything in separate containers until you’re ready to use. If you’re going to pack the shrimp bowls for a to-go meal or lunch, then I would combine the vegetables and rice together in the same container to reheat in the microwave. I would keep the shrimp in a separate container and put the cold shrimp on top (shrimp don’t taste or smell great microwaved) after the vegetables and rice are reheated. Lastly, keep the yum yum sauce in a separate container and pour on top right before eating.  

Keywords: hibachi shrimp, rice bowl

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Filed Under: Dinner, Meal Prep, Seafood

Instant Pot Marinara Sauce

December 15, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

a pot of instant pot marinara sauce with fresh basil and red pepper flake on the side on a white background.

This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This Instant Pot Marinara Sauce cooks in about 30 minutes but has the flavor of a sauce that has been simmered for hours.

Marinara sauce tastes best when it’s been simmered for hours thanks to the maillard reaction, which is a chemical reaction that your food undergoes when it’s browned – it gives food a much more complex flavor. By putting this marinara sauce in the instant pot, we speed up this process and get a much more flavorful sauce. To deepen the sauce, I also added shredded carrots for a pop of sweetness and nutrition as well as red wine, which also makes the flavor more complex.  

bowl of instant pot marinara sauce with fresh basil and red pepper flake on the side on a white background.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Marinara Sauce

Olive oil: We need just a bit of oil to saute the veggies in the sauce. I have also used butter, which tastes great too.

Onion: If you plan on keeping your sauce chunky, I would chop the onion fairly finely. If you like a smooth, pureed sauce as I do, you can keep the chunks fairly big and rough since it’ll all get blended up in the end.

Carrots: You can shred your own if you want, but I prefer just to buy pre-shredded carrots. Plus, I always have some on hand to throw in stir-fries and salads.

Garlic: I’m crazy about some garlic, so I like at least four cloves of garlic but feel free to adjust it as needed.

Herbs: I used dried oregano and red pepper flake but used fresh basil because I love the fresh basil’s flavor so much more than the dried. You can sub in some dried basil if that’s what you have – I think 2 tsp. would be enough.

Red wine: I used a merlot that I got from Winc, and it was perfect. Wine Folly also has a great article about pairing wine with pasta sauces.

Crushed tomatoes: There are lots of crushed canned tomatoes out there, but I recommend San Marzano canned tomatoes – they have the best flavor.

a bowl of pasta and bread with a ladle of instant pot marinara sauce going on top.

How to Make Marinara Sauce in the Instant Pot

To make this marinara sauce, you’ll need first to saute the onion and shredded carrots with olive oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. You’ll then add the garlic, herbs, red pepper flake (if using), and basil, followed by the red wine. Let the red wine reduce for a few minutes to let some of the alcohol burn off. After, you’ll add the crushed tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and make sure that the steam valve is in the closed position. You can then switch the function from saute to manual high pressure and set the timer for 25 minutes. You can use a manual steam release. If you want a smooth sauce, puree the sauce with a blender. Otherwise, you can leave it chunky.

How Long Does Marinara Sauce Last? Can Marinara Sauce Be Frozen?

You can keep the marinara sauce in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Print

Instant Pot Marinara Sauce

a pot of instant pot marinara sauce with fresh basil and red pepper flake on the side on a white background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Category: Italian, pasta
  • Method: Instant Pot
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped roughly
  • 1 cup of shredded carrots
  • 3–4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp. of red pepper flake (optional)
  • 3–4 large fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
  • ½ cup of red wine
  • 28 oz. of crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Put Instant Pot on the saute feature and add olive oil to the pot. Add onion and shredded carrots and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, oregano, red pepper flake (if using), and fresh basil leaves and saute for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant.
  2. Add red wine and simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir to incorporate ingredients fully.
  3. Put on the Instant Pot lid and make sure that the steam valve is in the closed position. Switch the function to manual high pressure and cook for 25 minutes. Manually release steam. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blend using a blender or you can leave it chunky.

Notes

You can keep the marinara sauce in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  

Keywords: instant pot marinara sauce, Italian, pasta sauce

Did you make this recipe?

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Filed Under: Dinner, Instant Pot, Vegetarian

Understanding the Different Types and Signs of Hunger

December 9, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Picture of a table of food that is being shared by many people to represent signs of hunger with the words "understanding the different types of hunger"

Did you know that there are more types of hunger than just physical hunger? Specifically, there are four different types of hunger that can help you understand your own signs of hunger and individual needs through intuitive eating. These types of hunger include physical, emotional, taste, and practical hunger. Some of these can occur at the same time or completely independent of one another.

Physical Signs of Hunger

Physical hunger is the one that most people are most familiar with – but that’s not always the case. It is possible not to know what physical hunger feels like, which can stem from continually suppressing the signal. And many aren’t familiar with the subtle signs of physical hunger, such as merely beginning to think about food. Understanding the subtle signs of hunger can help you eat with attunement to your body’s needs. These are a few ways (obvious and maybe not so obvious) that physical hunger manifests:

  • Stomach: growling, rumbling, gurgling
  • Throat or esophagus: dull ache or gnawing feeling
  • Head: light-headed, dizzy, faint, difficulty focusing
  • Mood: thinking about food, cranky, irritable, “hangry”
  • Energy: waning, lethargic, tired

If you want to understand physical hunger and its nuances better, I recommend using a hunger fullness scale like this one to explore your feelings of physical hunger.

hunger fullness scale that shows a scale of 1-10 to show the signs of hunger at each level

Emotional Hunger

Emotional hunger is something that many people fear by thinking that emotional eating is always problematic. In actuality, emotional eating can be helpful. We’re wired as humans to soothe and fix uncomfortable feelings. Physical hunger is an uncomfortable feeling, so we eat to soothe it – problem solved. Boredom, loneliness, stress, and grief are all uncomfortable feelings, so it’s natural for us to try something like eating (that is generally enjoyable or can be enjoyable) to soothe those feelings too. Food won’t fix many of those problems, so it’s important to seek other coping mechanisms that help the root issue. And other times, coming home from work after a really crappy day and eating something that evokes pleasant memories or experiences can genuinely feel good. And that’s okay too. Emotional eating is entirely valid.

Taste Hunger

Taste hunger happens when it’s just that food tastes good or a special occasion where it is part of the ritual to eat (like a wedding cake, for example) even if you’re not physically hungry. These are both acceptable. From a taste perspective, we are wired to enjoy highly palatable foods. If you’re not physically hungry and wanting to enjoy food for the sake of taste, pause after a few bites and ask if the taste is just as good as when you took your first bite. Taste satisfaction will dissipate. Another question to ask if you’re not sure is, “when will I be able to enjoy this particular food truly? Is it now, or will it be better later?” Either way, you get to enjoy any food you want, whenever you want, and the bottom line is to enjoy the taste and move on. Don’t get hung up on feeling guilty – that’s the part that typically disrupts our ability to do what’s best for ourselves.

Practical Hunger

Practical hunger isn’t hunger, per se. It’s more about the practicality of keeping yourself from getting too hungry. Here’s a situation – you try not to schedule meetings during lunchtime, but one comes up anyway, and it’s not appropriate for you to eat during the meeting. You know, after the meeting, you’ll be hungry, and this meeting sometimes runs over. So, you opt to eat lunch before you go to the meeting to ensure you have a sustained amount of energy and don’t find yourself hangry after the meeting.

More on Signs of Hunger and Cues

As a VERY general rule of thumb, you can assume that physical hunger will likely hit at least every 3-5 hours, which can help you plan ahead for windows of time that you will likely be hungry. Keep in mind we are not machines or robots. Your activity level, hormone fluctuations, what you ate the day before or even the meal before, etc., are all just a few factors that impact our hunger cues, so it’s completely normal and natural to have hunger outside of those windows. When you experience hunger in any of its forms, the important thing is that you honor it.

Are you interested in understanding more about your body’s cues through intuitive eating? Book a free session to work with me to cultivate a better relationship with food and your body through intuitive eating.

Filed Under: Nutrition

Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl

December 5, 2020 by Melissa 2 Comments

overview of two buffalo chicken rice bowl with an avocado, cilantro, forks, and a napkin on the side on a white background.

This Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl is one of the easiest meals you can put together. It’s a great option for meal prep for the week and makes an easy lunch or dinner.

I am so excited to share this Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl. You can make everything just for this meal, or it’s a great way to use up leftover shredded chicken or rice. It’s got the classic buffalo spice, and it’s paired with a cabbage slaw that is coated in a tangy, dill dressing that is very similar to ranch dressing.

Close up of a buffalo chicken rice bowl.

Ingredients

Rice: You can use any rice you like. White or whole grain, go with whatever makes you happy or you have on hand.

Cabbage slaw mix: Any bag of cabbage slaw mix will do. If you want to change it up, you can opt for other types of slaw such as the kale or broccoli slaw mixes – those would taste good as well.

Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt makes an excellent base for a slaw dressing. Just make sure you get the plain and not flavored. It adds a lovely buttermilk like taste to the slaw dressing – making it like buttermilk ranch.

Mayo: Use any kind you like to mix with the Greek yogurt. When I don’t have homemade mayo on hand,  I’m team Duke’s Mayo all the way.

Apple cider vinegar: This adds an extra tang to the dressing.

Honey: Obviously, this adds the sweetness, but you can sub agave nectar if you prefer.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, dried dill, salt, and pepper are the key seasonings to the slaw dressing. They’re the basics for that ranch flavor.

Buffalo wing sauce: I personally like Frank’s Wing Sauce (not the original Frank’s Hot).

Melted butter: The wing sauce has some butter flavor to it, but I like to add a little extra melted butter to add to the sauce for the chicken.

Toppings: A little avocado and cilantro add extra creaminess and a kick of freshness to the rice bowl.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

This recipe is fairly straight forward. You make the rice and have the chicken already cooked and shredded. The biggest part is making the slaw. You’ll make the slaw dressing by mixing the Greek yogurt, mayo, vinegar, and seasonings together and toss the shredded cabbage with the dressing. Then you’ll toss the cooked chicken with the buffalo sauce and melted butter. The only part left is to layer the bowl with the rice, chicken, slaw, and toppings of avocado and cilantro.

Overhead view of the buffalo chicken rice bowl on a white background.

Tips for Prepping Ahead and Adapting

I really like having an easy prepped or pre-made protein and carb source to have around to use in recipes like this throughout the week. I like to make this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, or sometimes, I’ll buy the pre-shredded chicken from Costco or get a rotisserie chicken and shred it myself. The same goes with the carb source, I’ll make a batch of rice in my instant pot (like this one), but mostly, I’ll get instant rice or the 90-second microwave rice. All of these options work great for recipes like this.

To make this extra easy, I buy the pre-shredded coleslaw mix rather than shredding up cabbage myself. You can do that if you want, but that will add some time. That’s how life is though – sometimes, I have a lot of time to make things myself, and others I need some pre-made items to help me along. No shame in either, and you can still bang out a completely nutrient-dense meal with minimal effort. I love recipes like this for that exact reason. If you opt for mostly the pre-prepped/convenient items, then you’ll only have to mix up the sauces. If you want to it be extra easy, you can also opt not to make the slaw dressing and go with your favorite store-bought ranch. It’s all adaptable to your individual needs and desires.

Close up of two buffalo chicken rice bowl with an avocado and a napkin on the side on a white background.
Print

Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl

Close up of two buffalo chicken rice bowl with an avocado and a napkin on the side on a white background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: meal prep, dinner
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice
  • 1 bag of cabbage slaw mix (12–16 oz.)
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried dill
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ lb. cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken (like this recipe here)
  • Buffalo wing sauce, to taste
  • 1 tbsp. butter, melted                                                          
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2–3 tbsp. of fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook rice to package’s instructions.
  2. Prepare the slaw: Mix Greek yogurt, mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, and dried dill together in a bowl. Toss dressing with cabbage slaw—season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a separate bowl, toss the cooked shredded chicken with melted butter and enough buffalo wing sauce to coat or to taste.
  4. Layer each bowl with a layer of cooked rice and top with slaw, buffalo chicken, avocado, and cilantro

Keywords: buffalo chicken, meal prep, rice bowl

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Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner, Meal Prep

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

December 2, 2020 by Melissa Leave a Comment

Overview of instant pot shredded chicken in the instant pot bowl.

This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This instant pot shredded chicken is an easy way to meal prep a source of protein for the week and can be used in countless recipes.

I got my Instant Pot about five years ago. I didn’t even know what it was – my brother-in-law got me one for Christmas. I definitely thought I wouldn’t use it. Boy, I was wrong – I use it all the time and will never give it up. This recipe is the one that I probably make the most. Before I got my Instant Pot, I was terrible at remembering to pull out chicken from the freezer a day or two ahead of time then cooking it. With this recipe, you don’t even have to thaw the chicken. It makes a last-minute meal come together in no time.

View of two raw chicken breasts in chicken broth with seasonings in an instant pot to make instant pot shredded chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken: I like skinless, boneless chicken breast the best. You can use bone-in chicken, but I would advise against skin-on as it will probably not be so good. You could sub in skinless chicken thighs if you like dark meat. Sometimes, I’ll use a combination of breasts and thighs. You can use fresh or frozen chicken breast; it just takes a little longer for the instant pot to pressurize with the frozen chicken.

Chicken broth or stock: My favorite is Kitchen Basics Unsalted – it has such a deep flavor for store-bought. I choose the unsalted so I can better control the salt in my food.

Seasonings: If you’re planning on using the shredded chicken in other recipes, you can opt for basic seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, paprika, etc.

You can add other seasonings to the instant pot if you’d like to jazz it up a bit.

For an Italian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon on top.

For a Cajun spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning.

For a Latin/Mexican spin: Add 1 tbsp. taco seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lime on top.

For an Indian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of garam masala and 1 tsp. of ground ginger.

A glass dish filled with instant pot shredded chicken on a white background with two forks on the side.

How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot

First, you add the chicken to the instant pot, followed by the broth and your desired seasonings. You’ll put the lid on and make sure the steam valve is sealed. You’ll cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and allow a natural release for about 5-10 minutes. After you pull the chicken out, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces using two forks. You can season the chicken with additional seasonings or citrus juice, as detailed above.

The chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

How to Use Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Many recipes, especially soups, casseroles, and meal prep bowls, call for simple shredded chicken breast. Having some of this instant pot shredded chicken on hand makes all of these recipes that much easier. A couple of recipes of mine that work well include:

  • Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
  • Smoked Chicken Enchiladas (No smoking required – there’s a couple of secret ingredients to create the smokey flavor.)
A glass dish filled with instant pot shredded chicken on a white background.
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Overview of instant pot shredded chicken in the instant pot bowl.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
  • Total Time: 30-40 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Category: meal prep
  • Method: instant pot
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2–3 lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken (breast and/or thighs)
  • 1 cup of chicken broth or stock
  • Salt and pepper, to taste and/or other seasonings as desired (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken to the instant pot, followed by the broth/stock and your desired seasonings.
  2. Put on the lid and make sure the steam valve is sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes and allow a natural release for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken and shred into bite-size pieces using two forks. Season chicken with additional seasonings and/or citrus juice if desired.

 

Notes

The chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Seasoning suggestions:

  • For an Italian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon on top.
  • For a Cajun spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning.
  • For a Latin/Mexican spin: Add 1 tbsp. taco seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lime on top.

  • For an Indian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of garam masala and 1 tsp. of ground ginger.

Keywords: shredded chicken, chicken, instant pot, meal prep

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Filed Under: Chicken, Instant Pot, Meal Prep

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Melissa Macher, RDN

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