Despite its reputed speed at getting dinner done, the pressure cooker was slow to win me over.
That is, until I discovered that the pressure cooker is capable of solving my No. 1 kitchen annoyance — frozen meat.
Frozen chicken is wonderful — when you remember to move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before so it thaws by the time you are ready to cook it.
And then I learned an important thing about pressure cookers: They are perfectly capable of cooking completely frozen meat.
The best dishes for this involve some sort of sauce. Sweet-and-sour chicken was delicious. Feel free to add some chopped carrots and onions to this if you don’t feel like doing a separate veggie side.
Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
If you already thawed your chicken, just reduce the cooking time to 7 minutes at high pressure. If your chicken thighs are frozen together in the package, microwave on medium power for 1 to 2 minutes. Start to finish: 30 minutes. Servings: 4
Ingredients
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Cooked brown rice, to serve
Scallions, finely chopped, to serve
Roasted peanuts, chopped, to serve
Directions
In an electric pressure cooker, whisk together soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger and hot sauce. Add the chicken thighs, stirring to coat with the sauce. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and set to cook at high pressure for 20 minutes according to manufacturer directions.
Release the pressure according to your cooker’s quick-release instructions. In a small glass, stir together cornstarch and water, then add to the cooker. Switch the cooker to sauté mode and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Mound brown rice on each serving plate, then top with chicken. Spoon teriyaki sauce over chicken and rice. Sprinkle with scallions and peanuts.
