My First Time Using Electrical Pressure Cooker: Rice And Chicken With Vegetables

A few weeks ago I was offered to test an electrical pressure cooker by Power Pressure Cooker XL. I was a bit hesitant: do I need another appliance? Would I use it?

Although I've never had a pressure cooker, my mom used hers a lot when we lived in Russia (decades ago). Most of my friends who commented on my FB asking whether I should try a pressure cooker said YES, and so I followed their advice.

The box arrived and sat by my door for a few days. I then took the electrical pressure cooker out of the box and it sat on my dining room table for a few more days. Finally, this Sunday I decided enough was enough and I should just choose a recipe from the booklet included and see what happens.

I'll be honest with you: I was scared. I hoped that I would not injure myself while testing out this appliance ;)

I chose Rice and Chicken with Vegetables recipe, but made a few changes. The ingredients are below. I liked that I could brown the vegetables with ginger and garlic and chicken directly in the Power Pressure Cooker XL. I then added rice and chicken broth and was ready to use the pressure cooker to cook my meal.

EXCEPT....I did not read the directions carefully enough before starting this process and it took me a few tries before I figured out how to close the lid correctly and what to do with the valve. Once I figured that out, everything went smoothly and the meal was done in six minutes!

Because my kitchen isn't huge, I put the electrical pressure cooker on my dining room table ;)

Rice And Chicken With Vegetables
Adapted from Power Cooking the quick and easy way by Power Pressure Cooker XL
Ingredients for 4 portions

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
salt & pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 cup broccoli florets
1 red pepper, diced
6 ounce bag frozen snow peas {or use peas or corn or green beans}
1 cup basmatti rice
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
3 green onions, sliced
black sesame seeds
soy sauce

Directions
1. Place the inner pot in the Power Cooker. Add oil and press CHICKEN/MEAT button. Season with salt and pepper and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, broccoli and red pepper and saute for a few more minutes.
3. Add frozen snow peas, rice and chicken broth. Close the lid and switch the pressure valve to closed.
4. Press the WARM/CANCEL button.
5. Press the RICE/RISOTTO button.
6. Once the timer reaches 0, your meal is done and the machine will switch to KEEP WARM. Switch the pressure valve to open {I used a wooden spoon for this!}. Once the steam is released, open the lid and you are ready to eat.
7. Garnish the final product with green onions, black sesame seeds and a few splashes of soy sauce.

video #1: one pot meal

A video posted by @mangotomato on Apr 10, 2016 at 2:11pm PDT

video #2: let the pressure out!

A video posted by @mangotomato on Apr 10, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

And here's the final product: I added scallions and black sesame seeds and a bit of soy sauce to enhance the flavor. The rice was cooked through and not overdone. The chicken (I used skinless and boneless chicken breasts) was tender and not dry. There was enough food for dinner, a few leftover lunches and an extra portion to freeze.

The whole process wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be. I clearly need to experiment more. There is an option to use the Power Pressure XL to can! And there is also a slow cook option.

Let me know what YOU like to make in your pressure cooker.

Disclaimer: I was provided with the Power Pressure Cooker XL for free. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this post.