A few weeks ago, I asked our Facebook group if there was any interest in Instant Pot Lean & Green recipes and the response was overwhelming! I’ve done a ton of research and found a bunch of great recipes. My plan was to take some of those recipes and make them 5&1 compliant. When I came across this one from Optavia, I knew I had to give theirs a shot first. My verdict: the chicken was awesome! The ‘cauliflower rice bowl with avocado and cheddar’? Not so much. So, here’s my take on theirs: Chipotle Chicken with Ranch & Feta Slaw.
To start, you’ll use their recipe as follows:
Chipotle Chicken Ingredients {yields four servings}:
- 1, 14.5-oz. Can Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 1/3 C Salsa
- 1 Canned Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce + 1 tsp Sauce
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1½ lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Combine first six ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Place chicken in Instant Pot, and pour sauce over top. Secure lid and close pressure valve. Set to 20 minutes at high pressure. Allow pressure to release naturally before opening. Remove chicken and shred, and then toss back in sauce.
Their recipe as above yields four servings of approximately 6 oz of chicken per serving, which is one Leaner. The condiments and greens as above would convert to 2 greens and 2 condiments.
PS. If you’ve never used these to shred chicken, you’re totally missing out. I love them!
Now, if you want to give theirs a shot, go for it. For me, it was too mushy, not enough contrast in texture, and it just felt fatty with the warm cauliflower, cheese, and avocado together.
Here’s where I changed things up:
Since my recipe removes the cheddar, avocado, and cauliflower rice, my calculations are a little different in how you finish it off.
Ranch & Feta Slaw Ingredients {per serving}:
- 1 C Shredded Red {green is ok, too} Cabbage {1 Green}
- 2T of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Homestyle Light {1 Healthy Fat}
- 2T Reduced Fat Feta {1 Condiment}
Mix cabbage, dressing, and 1T of feta in a bowl. Plate and top with 6 oz of chipotle chicken and sprinkle remaining feta on top. For me, the ranch added a coolness {yet still creamy} factor and the cabbage added amazing crunch. Lastly, the feta added the perfect amount of saltiness to balance the chipotle.
Feel free to double, triple or quadruple the slaw as needed. I make one serving at a time and freeze the remaining chicken for future meals. The meat freezes/defrosts beautifully!
Hack Queen 