Pressure Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

This week my nutritionist put me on a low fiber diet, hoping that it will help me gain some weight (I’m currently about 20 lbs underweight). I’m supposed to be eating pasta, potatoes, bread, lots of “white” foods. These are foods I normally do not eat so I had to buy a few things from the grocery store. Also, my abdominal pain has increased this week and the meds my GI doctor prescribed aren’t helping. So I really haven’t felt much like cooking nor eating this week. But Mr.Surly still needed food and since he’s been working late I didn’t want him to come home and then have to make dinner. So I’m looking for easy, no fuss meals. This dish fit the bill. Just throw everything in your pressure cooker and it’s magically done in under 10 minutes. This could be made in either a skillet or pot, it would just take longer to cook. There was also extra sauce left over, so I have some “pasta sauce” for pasta this week. Sorry about the unappetizing photo, I just took a quick picture to post along with the recipe.



Pressure Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
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Serves 2 (with left over sauce)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ c chicken broth
4 Tbsp tomato paste
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (14oz can) diced tomatoes, undrained
Your favorite seasonings, to taste:
I used marjoram, oregano, basil, and Italian seasonings
2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
Pasta, cooked and set aside

Heat the oil in pressure cooker. Add the pepper, carrots, onion and garlic, cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions soften slightly, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the chicken broth and boil until about half evaporates. Scrape up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the cooker.

Stir in tomato paste. Lay the chicken over the veggie mixture and pour the diced tomatoes over the chicken breasts. Do not stir.

Lock the lid in place, cook for 8 minutes at high pressure.

Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. Taste seasonings and adjust as necessary. I wanted my sauce a bit thicker, so I removed the chicken breasts and them set aside under a tin foil tent. I simmered the sauce until it thickened up to desired consistency (I think I may have added another Tbsp or two of tomato paste). Then I placed the chicken back in the pot, added a slice of mozzarella cheese, and covered until ready to serve. Serve chicken on a bed of cooked pasta. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Source: adapted from tasty kitchen