Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
 
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• Corn (optional)
• 1 cup Canned Tomatoes undrained
• 1 cup Celery chopped
• 1 cup Carrots chopped
• 1/2 cup Jasmine Rice or other small grain rice
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 5-6 sprigs Cilantro with stems
• 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium Lime
  
  

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place all ingredients into the inner liner of your Instant Pot. 
• Close the pot and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes.
• When time is up, let the pot rest for 10 minutes. Then release all remaining pressure.
• Remove the chicken from the pressure cooker and shred it.
• Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup. If desired, remove the sprigs of cilantro.
• Squeeze in the lime or lemon juice. 
• Serve the soup as is, or with slices of avocado stirred in at the last minute. I like to serve with additional lime wedges, warmed corn toritllas, or crushed tortilla chips. 

• Chicken. If you want to use chicken for this recipe, cut it into small pieces and cook as directed. 
• Vegetables. Similarly, you can vary the vegetables to suit your taste.
  • Just note that since this recipe cooks for 10 minutes, you will necessarily have softened veggies.
  • You can use any frozen veggies you have lying around--that's what I typically do anyway!
  • Some additional vegetables that I might suggest for this are onions, carrots, potatoes, & fresh tomatoes. I like chayote in this recipe as well. It adds a lovely bit of bite. A few slices of red pepper added after it's cooked are also very pretty in here.
  • If you like a little more crunch to your veggies, I suggest you cook the soup with half the veggies. Once it is done cooking, turn the pot on sauté and add the remaining vegetables. Cook only for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are cooked through and serve.
  • And of course, do not forget the wonderful flavor and scent of cilantro to this. You can also add chopped cilantro after it is done cooking if you are a cilantro fan!
  • The burst of fresh lime juice at the end is so good! Use lemon juice if you don't have any lime juice.
• Keto. To make this keto, consider adding riced cauliflower instead of rice.
• Water or Broth. You may also want to use chicken stock, chicken bouillon, bouillon cubes, or chicken broth for this instead of water.
• Slow Cooker. You can make this in the slow cooker with fresh chicken as well. Add all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
• Stovetop. If you want to make this on the stovetop, just add everything into a 3-quart soup pot, and bring it to a boil. When the chicken broth or water is boiling, turn it down to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are tender.  
  
  

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g
Caldo de Pollo https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-caldo-de-pollo/
Author: Urvashi Pitre

No matter how much you love to cook (and especially if you don't!) preparing a home cooked, nourishing meal every day is a big ask! Luckily, there are lots of shortcuts for making these kinds of meals a staple for you and your family.

Today I am featuring one of my favorite tips- make a double batch when you cook, and freeze some for later!

This strategy works better for certain recipes, and these two are particularly good.

Pozole is a Mexican delicious stew and it's on my family recipe rotations once a month. It's also our New Years tradition, but you can enjoy it any time. Add your own variations of thickness and toppings. If you don't have time to make the tomatillo base (another great freeze for later candidate), substitute chili powder. It will change the taste, but it will still be delicious.
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Soupa Toscana is another of my go to meals. My daughter never complains when I make soup, and she loves to add a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.

You can use the pressure cooker or instant pot for both of these recipes. If you don't have one of these, do yourself a favor and get one! It cuts down cooking time by more than half, even 3 or 4 times, depending on what you're making. I have definitely been saved by my pressure cooker on more than one occasion. No dinner planned- no worries- you can cook frozen chicken in under 30 minutes. Dinner, done!

Try this comforting warm soup for this weather,  also known as caldo de pollo.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken- frozen, fresh, or rotisserie 
1 tbsp oil 
1 onion, diced - set some aside to use as garnish
2 garlic cloves 
2 celery, chopped 
2 carrots 
6 red potatoes 
1 cauliflower, loosely chopped or riced
2 stalks of corn 
Chicken broth or water- enough to cover ingredients
Salt and pepper to taste 
Cilantro
Preferred seasoning (basil, thyme, or Italian seasoning work well)

Directions
Stovetop:

1. Use a deep large pot over medium high heat. Heat oil and satay onion until translucent, then add garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Add chicken and the rest of the veggies and cook for 2 minutes. 

3. Add the broth and bring to boil. Cook for 30 min until flavors have blended. 

4. Garnish with cilantro and diced onion.

Instapot:

-Follow the directions above, but cook for 15 minutes in the pressurized Instapot.

This is a super easy recipe. You can use either fresh, frozen, left over rotisserie chicken. I use my Instapot because it cuts the time in half. 

Enjoy this soup anytime. I usually keep some in the freezer for about a week to have a quick and healthy meal on hand.

When I was in Mexico this time I around I really appreciated how the culinary culture uses everything, no waste. That's what tortilla soup and chilaquiles are doing- using the left overs and making them even more delicious by getting better flavors out of them.
 
For this tortilla soup I followed two recipes, adding a bay leaf to give the soup more flavor.  I also used my instapot. The first time I made it, I used 2 frozen chicken breasts. The second time I made it, I used left over rotisserie chicken. Both were delicious. Also feel free to make substitutions to suit what you have on hand. I didn't have corn, so I used riced cauliflower instead.

You can always use store-bought chips if you don't have the time or energy to make your own.  But I do love making my own because they are healthier and so good. Recipe at the bottom.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium)
• 14 oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 10 oz diced tomatoes with chiles 
  
• 32 oz chicken broth 
• 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 14 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
• 1 lime, juiced
• Greek nonfat yogurt
  
• Cheddar cheese
  
• Red onion
  
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Saute the the onions in the olive oil for a few minutes, until translucent, then add the garlic and jalapeño until softened.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients- chicken, chicken broth, black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with juices, corn, cilantro, ground cumin, chili powder, and bay leaf.

3. Cook in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
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4. After you release the pressure, remove the chicken and shred it with 2 forks.

5. Serve with whatever you like- I used greek non-fat yogurt, white cheddar cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, and red onion. And of course, tortilla chips!

Homemade tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 370 degrees.  Slice 8 corn tortillas into either strips or triangles.  Coat with 1 tbsp of olive oil and spread over a cookie sheet on parchment paper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, check every 5 minutes and turn to cook evenly.

Inspired by:
https://natashaskitchen.com/chicken-tortilla-soup-recipe/https://www.spendwithpennies.com/chicken-tortilla-soup/