Cooking chicken for the freezer in the Instant Pot:
Whole Chicken (3 – 3.5 lbs)
Place thawed, whole chicken in the Instant Pot. Season with salt and pepper and add at least 2 cups of water to the pot. Set the cook time for 25-30 minutes. (Add 8 minutes for each additional pound of chicken.) Do a quick pressure release.
Bone-in Chicken (any cut)
Cook time of 20-25 minutes.
Boneless Chicken
Cook time of 15-20 minutes.
Storing in the freezer:
Remove chicken from bone and pull apart with two forks or chop. Place in a freezer bag in 1-3 cup quantities, depending on your family size and how much chicken you need for main dish recipes. (1 cup for two people, 3 cups for 4-6 people etc.)
To use:
Unzip bag and place in microwave for 1 minute. Squish the bag to break apart chicken and microwave for another minute if needed to fully thaw. Add to any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.
Cooking Beans for the freezer in the Instant Pot:
I love using these freezer beans instead of black beans. They’re great for making quick quesadillas, enchiladas and more.
Ingredients
● 1 lb. dry pinto beans
● 1 lb. dry black beans
● 10 big cloves garlic crushed
● 2 onions diced
● 4 oz can diced green chilies or diced jalapeno
● 1½ tsp. cumin
● 2 Tbs. Kosher salt
● 1 Tbs. black pepper
● water – enough to cover the beans but no higher than halfway mark on the pot
Instructions
- Sort and rinse beans. Place in the instant pot.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Set manual cook time for 25-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like the beans.
- Do a natural pressure release.
- Mash or keep them whole.
- Freeze in 1-2 cup quantities. Use in place of canned black beans.