Greek Chicken Kebabs

I was looking for a grilled chicken recipe for the summertime, when I found a variation of this one. I usually find something online, then change it to meet the tastes of my family, and the ingredients I have on hand. I wanted something different than just plain grilled chicken, and this was fabulous. Everyone in my family loved it, even my picky eater son, who eats mostly peanut butter, wants me to make this again. Plus, food is just more fun on a kebab!

This is excellent served with pita bread, a garlicky tzatziki, and a Greek salad. Many variations on vegetables can be used.  

I served this over cauliflower rice, which I sautéed with chopped onion and sprinkled with some chunks of Feta cheese. 

Another plus is that as I made the kebabs, I could tailor each one to each person's taste. For example, my husband doesn't like onions, so I left the onions off his, and my older son doesn't like tomatoes, so I omitted those of his kebabs. 

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 large green or red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, quartered and separated into pieces
12 cherry tomatoes
12 zucchini slices (about 1 to 2 zucchini, depending on size)

8 wooden or metal skewers (I used metal)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper together in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes before use.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat; lightly oil the grate.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess liquid. Discard the remaining marinade. Alternately thread pieces of the marinated chicken with pieces of bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini slices onto the skewers.
5. Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning frequently until nicely browned on all sides, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.

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How to cook a whole frozen chicken in an Instant Pot

Let’s get real. Who has time to defrost? Even though I make a meal plan in advance, I always forget to defrost the meal I planned! And by the time I realize this, I have to come up with something for dinner at 4 pm.

That’s why I was so excited to meet the Instant Pot!! It allows me to think of something to make for dinner at 4:00 pm and have it on the table by 5:30…even if it’s a whole frozen chicken. Yes! It’s true. FROZEN TO COOKED! I know that’s hard to believe. But miracles do happen. I threw a 5 lb frozen chicken in the Instant Pot and it set the timer for 50 minutes. It took about 15 minutes to come to pressure and then I let the pressure come down for about 15 minutes before opening the pot. So about an hour and 20 minutes total time. The chicken was perfectly tender and we ate some of it plain that night with a salad and then saved the rest for wraps and sandwiches.

One thing I did notice was that I had to really work to get my 5 lb chicken to fit in my Instant Pot. It was placed on the trivet and I had to maneuver it around a bit. So next time I’ll probably choose a 4 lb chicken, which would actually take a few less minutes to cook, as well as fit better.

If you’re a fan of the crispy skin on a chicken then you’ll probably want to take the extra step of placing the chicken under the broiler after it cooks. I just stuck my chicken on a cookie sheet and put it under a broiler set on high for about 5 minutes. That way my sons and husband, who live for the skin, can be happy.To cook this frozen chicken I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1 for this recipe.

If you love getting those whole rotisserie chickens at your grocery store, you’ll love this recipe for pressure cooker whole seasoned chicken. The chicken is cooked in minutes in your Instant Pot (my chicken was actually totally frozen) and then stuck under the broiler to crisp up the skin. Slice the chicken up to eat plain or use it in any recipes that call for cooked chicken.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken (mine was 5 lbs and fit just perfectly in my Instant Pot, so I wouldn't buy it any bigger).
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 TBSP dried sage
1 TBSP dried thyme
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
1.  Remove packaging from frozen chicken. Run a little warm water over the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. (I didn't removed the packaged giblets and neck until after the chicken was cooked).
2. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and put the bay leaf in there too. Place the trivet in the bottom.
3. In a little bowl combine the butter, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use your fingers to run this mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the trivet.
4. Cover the Instant Pot and set the timer on manual for 50 minutes. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” When the timer beeps let some of the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then switch the valve to “venting” and release the rest of the pressure.
5. When it is done cooking, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meatiest portion of the chicken. It should read 165° F. If it’s not up to temperature then you’ll want to cover the pot and cook on manual setting for 5-10 more minutes.
6. Optional: Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp up the skin.
7. Slice chicken and serve. Season to taste. I save the leftovers to use in other recipes or make sandwiches and wraps with it.

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Slow Cooker Everything Chicken

I originally found this recipe on the Skinny Ms. website, but I adapted it and added a few ingredients to customize it to my family's tastes.

Simple, easy to prepare, I make this recipe almost every Sunday in the winter to have the chicken all week long. Think about what you could do with a batch of prepared, shredded, delicious white meat chicken on hand!
I can add it to almost any recipe: tacos, pot pie, over pasta or noodles, over rice with stir fried veggies, it's versatile and adaptable!

Let me know if you try it.

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1- 2 TBSP chopped garlic

2 TBSP each chopped fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary, or any herbs you like
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
1.

Place chicken in slow cooker. Drizzle with olive oil being sure to coat all sides. Add garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Pour broth around the outside of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

When the chicken is tender and cooked through, remove it from the slow cooker and slice or shred with a fork. Serve in tacos, soup or chili, with your favorite gravy & mashed potatoes, cook it into a chicken casserole, or top it with teriyaki sauce and serve it over brown rice for a Asian twist. Enjoy!

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