Lovin' From the Oven

Instant Pot: Chao Ga (aka Chicken Congee or Rice Porridge)

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Oh my gosh, you guys. I’m the worst. I have quite a few posts in my queue and I never posted them! I’m going to try and get them all published so I can share this goodness with you. This was from when I went through my Instant Pot phase and used it for every single meal.

I still love the Instant Pot, but I use it mostly for making rice now and days since I have zero time for anything.

I know this meal as chao ga and I’ve eaten it ever since I can remember. My mom made it, my nanny made, my dad recently learned how to make it, and now I can make it too! It’s SO DARN EASY.

It’s basically just rice cooked into chicken broth with chicken. That’s it. It’s as delicious as it sounds.

I remember eating this whenever I was sick. It was my go to meal when I was feeling under the weather and it still is. 
Normally, I’d top my chao with fried onions, but I couldn’t find them at the store since I was in a rush with a toddler. I’ll definitely have to have them for next time!

from Pressure Cook Recipes

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Instant Pot: Chao Ga (aka Chicken Congee or Rice Porridge)

Ingredients

  • 1 rice measuring cup Jasmine rice
  • 7 cups water
  • 5 – 6 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, sliced into strips
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • salt to taste
  • green onions for garnish

Directions

  1. Rinse the rice until the water is clear.
  2. Place the rice, 7 cups of water, chicken drumsticks, and ginger into the instant pot.
  3. Close the lid and make sure the valve is sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.
  4. Let the pot naturally release.
  5. Use tongs and fork to separate the chicken meat from the bones. Remove the chicken skin and bones.
  6. Mix in the fish sauce and salt to taste.
  7. Serve hot topped with green onions.
https://lovintheoven.com/instant-pot-chao-ga-aka-chicken-congee-or-rice-porridge/

Pesto Chicken Egg Muffin Bake

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My DH started doing a low carb diet, so I wanted to make something for him that was easy to grab and heat up in the mornings before work. This is seriously the easiest thing to make and you only have to make it once a week. Prep and bake it Sunday night, pop them in the fridge, and sleep in a little bit the morning after!

Good thing is toddlers love it, too. Everyone in your family can eat these. My DH smothers them in hot sauce, but I just cut them into pieces for Ellie. 

To heat them up, just microwave them for 30-45 seconds. You could probably even freeze them if you need, but we ate them all within a couple of days so there was no need for that here.

These muffin cups are also very versatile. You can omit the pesto, change the meat, add some veggies… the options are endless!

You could make it easier and bake them in liners, but I prefer spraying the pans. Enjoy!

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Pesto Chicken Egg Muffin Bake

Ingredients

  • 12 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon pesto
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 6 oz chopped chicken breast deli meat
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two muffins tins with baking spray. This recipe made 16 muffins for me, so I sprayed one entire tin and part of another.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and pesto.
  3. Stir in the cheddar cheese, chopped chicken, onion powder, salt, and pepper until evenly mixed.
  4. Pour into prepared muffin tins 3/4 of the way full.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/pesto-chicken-egg-muffin-bake/

Pesto Chicken Veggie Meatballs

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Here’s another kid-friendly and freezer-friendly recipe for you! Meatballs are so easy to make and are pretty versatile in different dishes. You can eat them as is (as pictured), throw them in marinara, or mash them up into rice. I served mine with butter cheese pasta, Ellie’s favorite.

I liked that these meatballs were loaded with veggies. It’s almost as if you’re hiding them. I was worried Ellie wouldn’t eat them, but the veggies didn’t bother her one bit.

You can change the veggies up to include carrots, corn, asparagus… anything, really. I just used what I had on hand.

I used another batch of meatballs and mashed them into marinara sauce later that week to top off some quinoa pasta. Ellie devoured that as well.  She’s such a good eater. I can’t wait to make more recipes for her! This one comes from Super Healthy Kids.

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Pesto Chicken Veggie Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken breast
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper
  • 1 cup zucchini, shredded
  • 1/2 cup yellow squash, shredded
  • 3 tablespoons pesto
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees..
  2. Pat the zucchini and squash dry with a paper towel.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the zucchini, squash, bell pepper, pesto, and salt.
  4. Gently fold in the ground chicken breast until well combined.
  5. Line a baking sheet with foil or a slipat and drizzle with oil.
  6. Using a 1" scoop, make small meatballs and place them on the baking sheet.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. For a bit of browning, broil the meatballs an additional 1-3 minutes. If browning isn't important, continue baking meatballs another 2-3 minutes, or till cooked through.
https://lovintheoven.com/pesto-chicken-veggie-meatballs/

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