View RSS Feed

Frugal Yet Fascinating

Soup Night at the OK Corral

Rate this Entry
12 Comments
by
Luckybustert
, 05-29-2009 at 12:55 AM (2705 Views)
I've been playing with my new pressure cooker this week and I am LOVING it! I used to hate to cook chicken because it seemed to take so long to cook and I was usually in a hurry to get something on the table. But thanks to the miracles of pressure cooking, I've discovered I can have chicken on the table in 20 minutes!!

Earlier this week I took a family pack of chicken drumsticks I'd bought on sale out to thaw. Once thawed, I divided it into two batches (probably would have been better to do that *before* freezing it, but hey....baby steps here), one to cook that day and one to cook the following day.

The first batch I put in the pressure cooker with 2 packets of Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb and Garlic and 2 cups of water. 20 minutes later I had the most tender, delicious (and thoroughly cooked!) chicken. We had those drumsticks for dinner and again for lunch the next day, and instead of tossing the broth as I would have done in the past, I put it in a bowl in the refrigerator.

The next batch of drumsticks were browned in olive oil and I caramelized a couple of onions in the same pan. This all went into the pressure cooker with a 14 oz. can of chicken broth and two tablespoons of Garlic Gourmay Garlic Dressing/Dip Mix (have bought this at gun shows and at a garlic festival, but also available through their website online). And 20 minutes later, voila! Perfect chicken! This time I removed the chicken from the bones and half of it we used for chicken fajitas that night. The other half of the chicken, and the broth, went into the refrigerator for tonight's soup.

This afternoon, I took both containers of the broth/chicken out of the refrigerator, scraped off the fat that had solidified on top, and dumped both into a stockpot. I added a can of tomatoes that had celery and onions in it...we'd picked those up at the grocery salvage store...and two sliced zucchini and brought it to a boil. Then I added a cup of brown rice, reduced the heat some, and it was done about 30 to 40 minutes later.

I served it with a salad, and hubby said it was absolutely the BEST chicken soup he'd ever had! I agree with him and to think it started with "cookin' juices" I would have thrown out in the past!

I'm loving frugality....and my pressure cooker!

Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to Facebook Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to Tweet This Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to Digg Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to del.icio.us Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to StumbleUpon Submit "Soup Night at the OK Corral" to Google

Categories
Uncategorized

Comments

  1. mauimagic's Avatar
    What a great commentary on your wonderful use of your pressure cooker!! Haven't checked messages for a few days - what kind and size pc did you get?
  2. Luckybustert's Avatar
    I got the Cook's Essentials Stainless Steel 5 Quart Pressure Cooker -- item K14941 on QVC, it was $85.91 after shipping. I probably could have found one for a little bit less if I'd actually gone out to a store but then I would have had to factor in the cost of gas, and knowing me I would have been tempted to spend more while I was out so I think it was worth slightly more to be able to stay at home and avoid any extraneous shopping

    It's so incredibly simple to use. I remember watching my grandmother use a pressure cooker when I was young and it always seemed so very scary to me!
  3. hollyhill's Avatar
    I have never used a pressure cooker and I have never owned one.... I think I always thought they were scary too.

    So does the chicken come out kind of steamed...?
  4. IndigoMom's Avatar
    Oh wow, do keep us posted on how you like it. I always thought using a pressure cooker made everything sort of taste boiled. But it sounds like a good thing for those hot nights it's not pratical to cook outdoors - beats heating up the kitchen having the oven on for an hour for chicken! The soup sounds yummy too!
  5. Debbie-cat's Avatar
    Yes, keep us posted on how easy it is to use the pressure cooker. I had one a few years ago and it was a real old AND real scary one! I finally got rid of it and am thinking of getting a new one. Your recipes sound delicious.
  6. Sara Noel's Avatar
    Glad you're enjoying your pressure cooker. I came across this and thought it was interesting. I didn't know you could fry in them, too.
    http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_I..._cooking2.html
  7. frugal-fannie's Avatar
    I always thought it was for beef, thanks for the hint. I will have to try it with chicken now.
  8. Luckybustert's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by hollyhill
    So does the chicken come out kind of steamed...?
    It was definitely moister than it would have been if I'd baked it in the oven. I found it very much like if I'd cooked it in a crockpot or dutch oven all day.
  9. Luckybustert's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by IndigoMom
    I always thought using a pressure cooker made everything sort of taste boiled.
    I think that can be avoided through creative use of spices and seasonings. I want to try a mix of shoyu, garlic and lemon next.
  10. Luckybustert's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Debbie-cat
    Your recipes sound delicious.
    Thanks Debbie! I like to get in the kitchen and come up with new concoctions...lol...most of the time they turn out alright and I'm glad this time I wrote down what I did. It's so frustrating when something turns out really good and then I can't remember what I did so I can duplicate it later.
  11. Luckybustert's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sara Noel
    Glad you're enjoying your pressure cooker. I came across this and thought it was interesting. I didn't know you could fry in them, too.
    http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_I..._cooking2.html
    I'm originally from Kentucky and I *love* Kentucky Fried Chicken! I'm definitely going to have to try this one...thank you for sharing it
  12. Luckybustert's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by frugal-fannie
    I always thought it was for beef, thanks for the hint. I will have to try it with chicken now.
    We were really happy with the way the chicken turned out using the pressure cooker. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did