The house is almost clean. We are so ready to move in. It just seems like there is one more thing to do. While that is annoying, I’d rather have it done before we start moving furniture. When we do move, it will be slow. We have a lot of stuff, but only the two of us to move it. That’s the way it is when it comes to moving. Unless you pay movers, you have no help.
I know the holidays are upon us, but we are not doing anything special this year. We just don’t have time. I chose a recipe for Chicken and Wild Rice and Butternut Squash from Well Plated that takes some basic ingredients and makes something wonderful. Will be doing a different method with this recipe to adapt it to the Instant Pot. The original recipe uses a lot of extra dishes that I can eliminate using the Instant Pot. It also uses chicken thighs, which are less likely to overcook.
Here are the original stats:
Here’s what I changed:
- I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
- I increased the servings from 6 to 9 to reduce the calories.
- I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
- I changed the recipe from a baked dish to an Instant Pot dish.
Here are the final stats:
Here is the final recipe:
Chicken and Wild Rice with Butternut Squash
Serves 9
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1.5 pounds small butternut squash cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- In an Instant Pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on sauté mode. Add the diced chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the diced squash, onions, red bell pepper, and pepper. Sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the thyme, cranberries, reserved chicken, rice, water and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and allow for a natural release. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and stir. Serve warm.
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