Guess who started a new job last month? Meeeee. I’m working as a pharmacy technician now, which means that I’m on my feet for 8 or so hours a day several days a week. It’s challenging work with a HUGE learning curve, but I’m slowly finding my way and learning to serve customers well. It’s very rewarding to help people stay well in this new way. I still miss teaching a lot, but am hoping (fingers crossed) to get back to that this summer now that I’m really starting to feel healthy again.
When last we met, I introduced you to one of my meal preps, pressure cooker shredded chicken. While it is filling and delicious, I like to make variations of it to keep my meals interesting and fulfilling. I’ve been making a real effort to shift my diet toward more whole foods and that means thinking about preparing things in advance so I don’t reach for a pre-packaged snack. Now more than ever I need foods that are easy to reheat so I have something healthy during my break at work that keeps me going for the rest of my shift. This hearty enchilada-style chicken checks all the boxes. It’s got a great, spice and aromatic-rich tomato sauce and tastes wonderful on its own, over rice, or even rolled up in a tortilla if you prefer.
This recipe uses a pressure cooker. I can do all of the steps in an Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one of those, just saute in your pressure cooker over medium heat for the first few steps.
Enchilada-Style Shredded Chicken
- 1 ½-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 jalepeño pepper, minced (seeds removed)
- 1 white or red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup no salt added chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
Using the saute function on an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker over medium heat, cook the onions, jalepeño, and garlic in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened.
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock/broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and then add them to the pot and stir.
Seal the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. After the time has elapsed, use the quick release function or allow the pressure to release naturally.
Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred it. Store the chicken and sauce in separate containers for easy portioning.
I like to put some of the chicken and sauce over steamed brown rice and have that alongside some type of salad. It makes an incredibly filling meal without being heavy. Super energizing, healthy, and (so important) tasty! And it reheats easily—maybe even tastes better the next day.
I’ll be introducing you to more of what I’ve been working on the last month or so very soon. I’m learning a lot about how to eat in a way that fuels my body well and keeps me feeling happy and satisfied, and I’m really looking forward to sharing that with you.
Ciao for now,
Neen
Neen's Notes 
Leave a Reply