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Easy Chicken Tikka Masala ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

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As much as I love to cook, some nights you just need something you can throw together without any fuss. That’s one of the reasons I love my Instant Pot. I’m still experimenting with it but so far everything has turned out great. Last night I made a super easy chicken tikka masala which we all loved! This will definitely be on our menu in the future.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

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One of the wonderful things about an Instant Pot is that you can cook meat from a frozen state. Thawing meat can be a pain sometimes. Not only do you have to remember to do so far enough in advance but then there’s the issue of finding space in an already crammed refrigerator (or is that just me?).

My daughter cooks frozen chicken in her Instant Pot so I decided to give it a try myself. While I generally make things from scratch, including curries and such, I happened to have a jar of tikka masala sauce in my pantry. I don’t remember when or why I bought it but when I cleaned out my pantry last week I was reminded that I needed to use it. I’ll tell you what – this turned out so delicious that I’ll be keeping a jar or two on hand all the time now!

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Easy Chicken Tikka Masala ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pounds frozen chicken (I used breasts and thighs)
  • 1 (16 oz) jar of tikka masala sauce
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced (red or green, or combination)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place frozen chicken in Instant Pot.
  2. Add sliced onions and peppers.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste (don't overdo the salt now; you can add more later).
  4. Pour in chicken broth and tikka masala sauce.
  5. Close lid making sure vent is closed.
  6. Set timer for 30 minutes on manual.
  7. When time is up, check thickest piece of chicken for doneness.
  8. Adjust seasoning if needed.
  9. Serve over hot, cooked Basmati rice.
  10. Note: The sauce will be thin. If you'd like it thicker, ladle into a saucepan and add a little cornstarch mixed with cold water (make a paste). Bring to a boil then simmer until desired thickness.
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This smelled SO GOOD while it was cooking! After it was done I ladled out several scoops of the sauce into a saucepan and added about a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in a little cold water, brought it to a boil and then simmered a few minutes until thickened. This isn’t strictly necessary but I prefer a thicker sauce.

I served it over brown Basmati rice. Naan bread would be delicious with this. I didn’t have any but did have some whole wheat pita bread which worked well, too. I also had leftover roasted potatoes and some garlic brussels sprouts from the night before which I heated up and served alongside.

This made quite a lot so I took some over to my mom last night after we ate so she could have some for lunch today (my dad isn’t a fan of Indian food). Tonight I’m going to turn the rest of it into soup. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe there will be another recipe from that.

 

By the way, did you know tikka masala was invented in Glasgow? The more you know…

~~~~~


Chicken Tikka Masala

 

Other Instant Pot recipes you may enjoy:

Menu Monday ~ French Inspired Meals

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Welcome to the first annual Francophile Week here on Life With Dee! I’ve been looking forward to this for months and hope you enjoy it. And what better way to kick off the week than with a French inspired menu? If you’ve never been to France but have wondered if what they say about the food is hype, let me assure you it’s not. David and I both absolutely loved everything we ate in Paris the week we spent there. From the croissants at breakfast to the three-course dinners…every morsel was sheer perfection. 

Menu Monday French Meals

Dee’s French Menu

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Monday

When David and I went to Paris a few years ago, our first meal was lunch at a little café. We both had the Croque Monsieur which was served with a simple green salad. Light and lovely. We both have meetings this evening so a simple, light meal will be perfect when we get home. 

  • Croque-Monsieurs
  • salad
  • fruit and cheese plate
  • coffee and small piece of dark chocolate for dessert

 

Tuesday

 

Wednesday

David will be out of town so this is a good time for me to cook something he’s not fond of. 

 

Thursday

Many years ago I read the book, Scruples by Judith Krantz. The first section tells of an awkward young girl who is sent to Paris to live with a French family. The story of her transformation was my favorite part of the book and I’ve re-read that first section many times since. Her first dinner with her new French family is described in great detail. I thought it would be fun to re-create that meal. The dinner was served in several courses and I’ll serve it that way, too. 

Scruples dinner:

  • thin vegetable soup
  • soft boiled eggs in shell
  • large green salad with sliced cold ham
  • cheese plate, bread and butter
  • fresh oranges
  • coffee

 

Friday

Boeuf Bourguignon is a bit time-consuming but perfect for a cozy at-home date night along with a nice bottle of French wine. 

Saturday

We are holding band auditions until 6 p.m. so we’ll go out to eat afterwards. Probably Italian food because we don’t have any French restaurants around here. 

 

Sunday

I don’t usually cook on Sundays. We’ll be attending Music in the Park and they will likely have a food truck or two there. 


Menu Monday - French Inspired Meals

 

This post is linked up on I’m an Organizing Junkie. For more menu ideas, check it out.

Menu Monday ~ June 26, 2017

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Summer is in full swing around here. We have lots of fun activities to attend (and organize!) in the coming weeks. This is also my favorite time of year for food. There is nothing better than fresh corn on the cob dripping with butter or the sensual pleasure of biting into a juicy, ripe peach. Yum! This week’s menu includes both of those treats, plus burgers on the grill at an outdoor celebration. Let’s take a look. 

Menu Monday

Dee’s Menu

Monday

We will be out of town. 

Tuesday

I think we may go to Trivia Night at a local wine bar. They have pretty good pizza and sandwiches so we’ll probably just eat dinner there. 

Wednesday

I’m going to try to make it to the farmers market early enough to get the “good stuff”. If so, we’ll do one of my favorite all-veggie dinners.

  • corn on the cob
  • squash casserole
  • salad
  • sliced fresh tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar
  • fresh peaches

Thursday

  • spaghetti
  • leftover squash
  • salad
  • garlic bread

Friday

  • smothered pork chops
  • rice
  • salad
  • green beans

Saturday

The little town David works in (pop. around 350) hosts a really fun 4th of July celebration (on Saturday this year) with a great fireworks show. I think we’ll take our grill and cook burgers and hot dogs for the family and then enjoy the fireworks. 

Sunday

We haven’t been to church in ages…seems we are always out of town or have something going on. But I’m very hopeful we’ll make it this Sunday and then go out for Mexican food for lunch. 

 

What’s on your menu this week? If you are in the United States, do you have any special 4th of July celebrations coming up?

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Let's Go on a Picnic

 

 

Menu Monday

Menu Monday ~ A Week of Recipes For the Grill

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We have a new grill and I’m really looking forward to using it a lot this summer. For this week, I’ve created a menu of recipes for the grill. We are actually going to be out of town or otherwise not cooking at home several nights this week so we aren’t eating all of these meals. However, I’ve saved all of these recipes to try throughout the summer. Enjoy! 

 

Menu Monday ~ A Week of Recipes For the Grill

Dee’s Menu

 

Monday

We tend to equate grilling with meat but there are numerous vegetarian options for the grill. So let’s start off the week with a “Meatless Monday” meal. 

Tuesday

For “Taco Tuesday”, how about these grilled shrimp tacos? Don’t they sound delicious? 

Wednesday

I think the combination of spicy grilled chicken sandwiches and cool, crisp coleslaw sounds like a perfect mid-week meal, don’t you? 

Thursday

We are in Kansas City for a few days this week to celebrate our anniversary. Since Kansas City is famous for barbecue, I’m including these pork chops on our menu. 

Friday

Pizza is always a good choice for Friday nights and this one sounds incredibly tasty. 

Saturday

You can’t beat a good steak for an at-home date night. 

Sunday

Ribs take a few hours on the grill but are well worth the time on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

 

Do you have any favorite recipes for the grill? If so, leave me a comment. I’m on the lookout for more to try this summer.

 

 

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Menu Monday ~ A Week of Recipes For the Grill

Menu Monday ~ A Week of Salad Recipes

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Summer is coming. Let’s lighten up a bit with a week of salad recipes!

Menu Monday Salad Recipes

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Dee’s Menu ~ Salad Recipes

 

David and I spent last week in North Myrtle Beach and it was wonderful! We hated to come home and I’ll be telling you more about it –  probably tomorrow. We both spent a lot of time in swimsuits, something neither of us has done in years. And that is part of the reason we are eating salads this week. Ha!

Our local farmers markets are open this week and I’m looking forward to all the lovely produce available throughout the summer months. I love a good salad and will be including a lot of them in the coming weeks’ menus. To kick start the season of fewer clothes we are focusing on salad recipes this week. Let’s take a look…

 

Monday

David has a firefighter meeting tonight so that means I have no idea what time we’ll have dinner. I love the fact I can prep all the ingredients for this salad and then just toss them together when he gets home. 

Southwestern Chopped Salad With Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Tuesday

Garlic, lime and pineapple? I’m sold! 

Garlic and Lime Barbecue Chicken Salad

Wednesday

I bought one of the last packages of fresh green beans at Aldi. The woman working that section told me they had come in and sold out in nothing flat. I’m looking forward to using them in this next salad. 

Salad Niçoise

Thursday

I’m planning to take my mom up to Norman to eat lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant. This will be an early Mother’s Day outing. Neither David, nor my dad are big fans but she and I love this place. I try to take her up there once a year. For dinner, we’ll switch cuisines and have my Asian Pasta Salad. 

Asian Pasta Salad

Friday

I like to make Friday dinners a little more “special” and this steak salad looks like it will be perfect for kicking off the weekend. 

Steak Salad With Caramelized Red Onions

Saturday

A chicken Caesar salad is always a winner and this one, while not exactly traditional, looks delicious. 

Ultimate Chicken Caesar Salad

Sunday 

We’ll finish the week with my yummy Taco Frito Salad. 

Taco Frito Salad

 

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What about you? Do you enjoy a good main dish salad? If you have a favorite leave me a comment and tell me about it (or leave a link to the recipe).

 

SALAD SET

salad set

 

Salad of the Week

 

Salad of the Day

 

Superior Salads

 

Menu Monday ~ Salad Recipes

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. For more great menu plans, check it out!

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

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I learned to make homemade Thousand Island dressing as a kid. It is so simple it hardly qualifies as a recipe but I was asked to share so here goes. 

Thousand Island Dressing

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Thousand Island Dressing

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Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup of mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip!)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in glass jar.
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And that’s all there is to it. I like to mix it up in a small glass jar with a lid so I can refrigerate leftovers. Bonne Maman jam jars are perfect for this and the lids are cute.

The best thing about this salad dressing recipe is that it uses ingredients I always have on hand. I can whip up a batch in less than two minutes and it’s delicious, too!

It’s also really good on hamburgers or as a french fry dipping sauce.

 

Thousand Island dressing

 

Thousand Island Dressing

 

Salad Set

salad set

Salad Samurai

 

Bonne Maman preserves

Menu Monday ~ Guest Post Recipe Roundup

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I love doing theme menus once in awhile to break up the monotony. This week we are going to focus on reader recipes which have been shared with me as guest posts.

Menu Monday - guest post recipes

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Menu Monday – Guest Post Recipes

 

Did you know I used to have a blog called Dee’s Kitchen? I shared my recipes and also hosted guest posts many Fridays. I rolled all of those posts over to this blog when I started it. However, they aren’t formatted properly and many don’t have photos. One of these days I’ll fix them. Maybe. But in the meantime there’s no reason not to share the yummy goodness of some of those guest post recipes.

I’ve linked to a guest post recipe each day. Keep in mind that there may not be a photo and the formatting is likely to be rather wonky. I also haven’t checked to see if there are broken links.

Still, these are some really tasty recipes and I’m certain you’ll find a few to try.

Monday

Let’s start out with a vegan recipe for Meatless Monday.

Tuesday

This casserole recipe was created by one of my cousins. Click on it to read more about the name of the recipe. 

Wednesday

I know some people think of soup as just a cold weather meal but I love soup year round! 

Thursday

This next recipe comes from a blogging friend who lives in England!

Friday

Y’all know how much I love New Orleans dishes, right? Yum!

Saturday

We usually have some sort of project going on Saturdays so it’s a good time for a simple meal. 

Sunday

I don’t often cook a big meal on Sundays but sometimes a special meal just sounds like a good thing to do. 

 

What’s on YOUR menu this week?

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Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to see featured on Life With Dee? Check out the easy guidelines:

Guest Post Guidelines

 

Instant Pot – Love mine!

Instant Pot

 

Menu Monday - guest post recipes

 

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin With White Wine Butter Sauce

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When temperatures rise many of us look for meals that can be made without heating up the kitchen. That’s when a slow cooker or Instant Pot come in handy. This pork tenderloin recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal and tasty enough for company. 

Pork Tenderloin

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

 

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Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin With White Wine Butter Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 pork tenderloins (2-3 pounds total weight)
  • 1 onion - thinly sliced
  • 2 stalks celery - diced
  • 3 carrots - 1/2 inch slices, on the diagonal
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, Herbs de Provence (to taste)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
    • For sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (or leftover champagne)
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions

  1. Layer onion, celery and carrots on bottom of slow cooker.
  2. Season tenderloins with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Creole seasoning and Herbs de Provence.
  3. Place tenderloins on top of vegetables in slow cooker.
  4. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
  5. Pour chicken broth over and cook on low 6 hours or until tender.
    6. To make sauce:
  6. Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat.
  7. Add flour and stir continuously about 2 minutes.
  8. Add white wine and stir until combined.
  9. Using a turkey baster, collect juices from slow cooker and add to sauce.
  10. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened.
  11. Remove from heat and add sour cream, stirring well to combine.
  12. Slice tenderloin, place meat and vegetables over cooked egg noodles and spoon sauce over all.
    13. Serves 4 generously.
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Note: I failed to get a photo so I’ll have to add one the next time I make this. Sorry about that!

~~~~~

I am loving my Instant Pot. Not only is it a pressure cooker but it can also be used as a slow cooker. The best part is that it also has a sauté feature so I can brown meat in it first then switch to slow cooker. That means one less pan to wash…always a good thing!

Instant Pot

 

I love the color of this slow cooker!:

slow cooker

slow cooker cookbook

Slow Cooker Revolution

Instant Pot recipe book

 

Pork Tenderloin

Menu Monday ~ April 17, 2017

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How was your weekend? Did you have a nice Easter (if you celebrate)? I had my parents over for a turkey dinner yesterday after church. I know ham is more traditional but I just happen to really like turkey. I’m cooking a small ham on Wednesday, however. Let’s see what else is on the menu, shall we? 

Menu Monday

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Dee’s Menu

Monday

I cooked a small turkey breast for Easter so I’ll use the leftovers tonight. 

  • turkey and noodles

Tuesday

Wednesday

  • baked ham
  • cauliflower in white sauce with cheese
  • salad
  • peas
  • baked apples

Thursday

We have an evening meeting at 6 p.m. We just can’t eat early enough to be able to do so before this meeting yet I know we will be hungry by the time we get home. That’s why I’m making a big meal on Wednesday. We’ll just heat up leftovers when we get home. 

Friday

Saturday

I have an out-of-town event to attend and am not sure what time I’ll be home. I think I’ll get David to take me out to dinner. 

Sunday

The usual – Mexican food after church and save half for dinner. 

~~~~~

 

Do you want to eat a healthy, organic, grass fed diet but don’t think you can afford it? My friend, Victoria of A Modern Homestead, explains how they do it on less than $200 a month. Click here to find out how:

 

I am loving my Instant Pot. Not only is it a pressure cooker but it can also be used as a slow cooker. The best part is that it also has a sauté feature so I can brown meat in it first then switch to slow cooker. That means one less pan to wash…always a good thing!

Instant Pot

 

Lentil Tacos

 

Busy Day Swiss Steak

 

Menu Monday

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Take a look for more menu ideas!

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

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I believe every busy homemaker could benefit from a few easy slow cooker recipes for those hectic days. I’m especially fond of the recipes that don’t require any browning first. That’s why this Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas recipe is a winner with me. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and then the slow cooker does all the rest of the work. And it’s delicious! 

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

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Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 8-10 warm flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • lettuce, tomato and guacamole as desired

Instructions

  1. Slice chicken into 1/2 inch diagonal strips and place in slow cooker.
  2. Top with onion and bell pepper.
  3. In small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, salt, chicken broth and lime juice.
  4. Pour over chicken and cook on low 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
  5. Spoon several slices of chicken and sauce into center of each warm tortilla.
  6. Top with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and guacamole.
  7. Fold over and serve.
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It’s nice to serve these with Mexican rice and perhaps a salad. But in a pinch, chips and salsa will do. The night I took this photo was one of “those days” and I didn’t even bother to cut up lettuce and tomato. They were still yummy, though.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

 

Taste of Home Slow Cooker Cookbook

Slow Cooking For Two

I have a slow cooker which I’ve had for many years but I am also loving my Instant Pot. Not only is it a pressure cooker but it can also be used as a slow cooker. The best part is that it also has a sauté feature so I can brown meat in it first then switch to slow cooker. That means one less pan to wash…always a good thing!

Instant Pot

 

Menu Monday Slow Cooker Recipe Week

 

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

This post is linked up at Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday. I have found some incredible recipes there. Take a look!

Full Plate Thursday