These Wild Acres
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Instant Pot
    • Paleo
    • Keto
  • Meal Plans
  • Lifestyle

These Wild Acres

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Instant Pot
    • Paleo
    • Keto
  • Meal Plans
  • Lifestyle
Instant PotRecipes

Paleo Southwest Chicken and Cauliflower “Rice” in the Instant Pot

written by Amy August 1, 2016
Paleo Southwest Chicken and Cauliflower “Rice” in the Instant Pot

We took our first round of Berkshire Hogs to the butcher! By we, I mean Whitney did. It is quite the story of how he got 8 pigs loaded into the trailer- ask him about it next time you see him! We’ve certainly learned a lot about raising our own hogs, and can’t wait to have a freezer (or two) full of delicious Berkshire pork. Our freezer is pretty full with our last round of chickens, and with pork coming in a week or so, we really need all the freezer space we can get. So this week I’ve been on a mission- to creatively make dinner each night with our chicken. Now, I don’t know about you, but whole chicken is about my least favorite thing to cook, with chicken legs / hindquarters a close second. It isn’t that I don’t like it- I just can never seem to get the skin right (it always turns out gooey.. never nice and crisp like Pinterest would have you believe), and honestly it usually turns out overcooked and bland. While normally a week’s worth of cooking bone-in, skin-on chicken would be a daunting chore, I have a secret weapon.

Enter, the Instant Pot.

If you have cruised around this blog, or ever had a chat with me about food, I’ve likely mentioned how obsessed I am with our Instant Pot. It makes THE BEST whole chicken, spaghetti squash, cauliflower, pork roast, and numerous other things that I find tedious to cook. Since we did Spicy Sticky Chicken yesterday, I went a different direction with tonight’s hindquarters: Paleo Southwest Chicken and Cauliflower “Rice”. I used hindquarters, but you could easily use thighs, drumsticks or wings. Just adjust the cooking time of your Instant Pot.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, please- get one! Honestly, you will actually look forward to cooking weeknight dinners!

The best price I’ve found is on Amazon:

Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W

Paleo Southwest Chicken and Cauliflower “Rice”

EQUIPMENT

  • Instant Pot
  • Potato Masher
  • Kitchen Tongs
  • Mini Finger Oven Mitts
  • Spice Bowl
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Aluminum Foil

 

We just switched to new stainless steel pots and pans, which means wooden utensil (so as not to damage the pans). Currently, I’m obsessed with this set of bamboo utensils:

7 Piece Bamboo Kitchen Utensil Set with Elevating Silicone Handles and Utensil Stand

INGREDIENTS 

 

  • 2-3 Pounds Bone-In Chicken Thighs or Legs I can fit 6 hindquarters in my 6 quart Instant Pot
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 head of Cauliflower
  • 1 Tbsp Butter or Ghee
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste– I love this one because it comes in a tube! It seems most recipes only call for a little bit of paste, and I end up throwing away half cans of unused tomato paste.
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 4 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. oregano

    How gorgeous is this pepper / sea salt grinder duo!?

  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. coriander
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less if desired)
  • 1 Tbsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Freshly ground pepper tastes SO much better! It’s so easy, grab a grinder and bulk organic peppercorns here:

Brushed Stainless Steel 2 in 1 Salt and Pepper Shakers with Adjustable Coarseness – Premium Quality & Elegant Manual Design Mill – Perfect Grinder to Grind Fresh Spices Himalayan Salt and Peppercorn

Frontier Peppercorns Black Whole Organic, Fair Trade, 1 Pound

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Make the spice rub by combining the cumin, chili powder, oregano, paprika, onion powder, coriander, garlic, cayenne, sea salt, and black pepper. Coat the chicken with the rub well on all sides. Save back a bit of the spice rub to add into the cauliflower later.

Add your choice of fat to the Instant Pot- I recommend coconut oil. Set the Instant Pot to “Saute” with the lid off. Brown the drumsticks / hindquarters on all sides.

Remove the drumsticks / hindquarters from the Instant Pot, carefully add a bit of water (about 1/2 cup) – this will hiss and boil- so use an oven mitt, and don’t stand directly over the Instant Pot! Scrape the chicken bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Add the steaming rack, and carefully stack the hindquarters back into the instant pot. (Note: you do not have to use the steaming rack, this is a personal preference, but I find that if I don’t use it, the skin sticks to the bottom of the Instant Pot and can tear off.)

Set the Instant Pot for Manual, and adjust the time to 12 – 13 minutes depending on how large your hindquarters are. If you are doing just drumsticks, 10 minutes is fine. Make sure the steam valve is set to “sealing”.

When the time is up, use the quick release method to vent. Do not use natural pressure- as the chicken will continue to cook and will likely be overdone. Exercise caution! I like to use a wooden spoon to move the valve- obviously the steam will be hot!

Remove the lid and carefully remove the drumsticks with kitchen tongs. Cover them with foil to keep warm.

Cauliflower

While the chicken is cooking, break your head of cauliflower into large chunks.

When the chicken is done, remove the steam rack as well, and using oven mitts; carefully lift the inner pot and pour MOST of the liquid- leave about a cup. When you replace the steaming rack, the liquid should be almost level with the bottom of it.

Add the steam rack and cauliflower chunks to the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to Manual: 1 minute. Again, make sure the steam valve is on sealing.

It takes about 10 minutes or so to actually get up to pressure, so when the time is up, use the Quick Release method, and carefully remove the cauliflower, steam rack and all the liquid.

Set the Instant Pot to “Saute”, and add butter.

Add the cauliflower back in, and break it up with a potato masher, or this thing– which we received for Christmas, and is apparently used for breaking up ground meat while cooking? It is amazing, btw, and we have obviously found many uses for it!

Add tomato paste, and the remaining dry seasonings, saute until all the cauliflower pieces are broken up.

 

paleo southwest chicken instant pot

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe for Paleo Southwest Chicken and Cauliflower “Rice”. I would love to know: what is your go-to method for dealing with (whole) chicken?

 

Edit: I’ve discovered that the awesome tool we got for Christmas is called a Mix and Chop, and can be purchased on Amazon (where else!) here: The Pampered Chef Mix N Chop 2583


 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Tweet

Related

chickenchicken hindquartersdinnerinstant potpaleo
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Amy

previous post
Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe Round-Up
next post
Chicken Enchilada Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (Primal + Gluten Free)

You may also like

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Review + Paleo...

July 21, 2016

Homemade Almond Butter Recipe

July 24, 2016

Spicy Paleo Sticky Chicken in The Instant Pot

July 27, 2016

Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe Round-Up

July 30, 2016

Paleo Almond Butter and Chocolate Coconut Bites

August 4, 2016

Chicken Enchilada Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (Primal +...

August 3, 2016

Blueberry BBQ Chicken in the Instant Pot (Paleo...

August 9, 2016

Perfect Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

August 14, 2016

Paleo Pesto Avocado Bacon Zucchini Pasta “Zoodles” (Paleo...

August 17, 2016

Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

August 19, 2016

12 comments

Dana Ivy August 2, 2016 - 7:40 pm

Ok, I’ve heard a million amazing things about the instant pot and I think you might have just sold me!!!! While I’m perfectly happy in my marriage, I wish I could have another wedding and register for all the things again! Haha! This dinner looks delish!

Xox Dana Ivy // http://www.iadorewhatilove.com

Reply
mca.amy@gmail.com August 3, 2016 - 12:09 pm

😀 Thanks! Yes.. I’ve already added a second one to my Christmas list..

Reply
Chicken Enchilada Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (Primal + Gluten Free) August 3, 2016 - 11:05 am

[…] for lunch, and I’m suprised by this situation every. single. time. Luckily, we had leftover Southwest Chicken, so he didn’t have to holler for too long. Whitney and I were craving something a little […]

Reply
Healthy Recipes | Instant Pot Resources January 1, 2017 - 8:04 am

[…] Southwest Chicken & Cauliflower Rice […]

Reply
Valerie January 2, 2017 - 8:24 pm

Sounds yummy! How many servings will the cauliflower rice make? And if I use drumsticks or thighs instead, how do I adjust the time?

Reply
Amy January 3, 2017 - 12:47 pm

Usually a good sized head makes 4 servings… but sometimes only like 3 or 2.5 if you are feeling particularly hungry ;D
I would do a little longer for (bone-in) thighs, 15 minutes and see how it does!

Reply
Valerie January 2, 2017 - 8:26 pm

Can I just use the poultry setting?? I have yet to find recipes that use the preset function keys.

Reply
Amy January 3, 2017 - 10:37 am

Hi Valerie! You absolutely can! I *think* the default for the poultry setting is 15 minutes. So just adjust a couple minutes less if you are doing legs. To me, those buttons are just shortcuts, but you will often adjust the time either way! 😀

Reply
Valerie January 3, 2017 - 11:52 am

Thanks so much! Making this tonight for a potluck and doubling the cauliflower!

Reply
Amy January 3, 2017 - 1:02 pm

Yay! Plus it makes awesome leftovers 😀

Reply
valerie January 4, 2017 - 4:25 pm

After I scrape the pot do I discard that liquid? When I pressure cook the chicken do I put at least one cup of water in the cooker?

Reply
Amy January 5, 2017 - 9:22 am

Scrape and leave the liquid- you will need some liquid in the pot for it to come to pressure. They recommend at least a cup… but I’ve found with meat (or other things that release natural juices), a full cup isn’t necessary. I usually just guess… at least enough to cover the bottom, but not so much that the liquid touches the steam rack. There should be at least a cup when you do the cauliflower- there will be more from the chicken juices… I hope that all makes sense!!!

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

About Me

About Me

Hey! I'm Amy. I love sharing delicious, and nourishing recipes- especially ones that are fast + easy! Currently testing out keto, and loving my Instant Pot!

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

Subscribe to My Best Bites!

Exclusive Recipes Right to Your Inbox!

Subscribe to get my latest posts by email.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Top Posts & Pages

Keto Pecan Pie Fudge
Preschool Busy Bag - Rainbow Popsicle Patterns - Free Printable
Spicy Paleo Sticky Chicken in The Instant Pot
Perfect Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Poached Pears with Spiced Orange Glaze in the Instant Pot
Chicken Enchilada Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash (Primal + Gluten Free)

These Wild Acres is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

@2017 - These Wild Acres. All Right Reserved.


Back To Top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.