Pineapple Salsa Chicken

I recently joined Pampered Chef as an Independent Consultant. As part of my starter kit, I received the Quick Cooker, Pampered Chef's amazing electric pressure cooker. I have an old-style pressure cooker that you use on the stovetop. The only gauge was a steam rocker that you would use to adjust the heat depending on how fast it was rocking. I liked it as it saved a lot of time cooking and the food was incredibly flavorful, but it really was a guessing game most of the time.

With the electric pressure cookers, you have pre-programmed settings and times (which you can adjust) as well as a "Custom" food setting that allows you to set the level of pressure as well as the time. I loved it from the moment I received it, and I totally get why everyone is raving about all the different pressure cookers on the market right now. It's the same kind of flavor and ease of cooking as a slow cooker in a fraction of the time!

Where I used to use my stovetop pressure cooker once every few months, I use my Quick Cooker at least once or twice a week (and sometimes more)!

A couple of days ago, my husband suggested salsa chicken as an easy meal that might give us some leftovers. I can get pretty busy, and I don't always feel like cooking every day so making a meal that renders leftovers is always a plus in our house!

I had picked up some Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa a few weeks back with chicken salsa in mind, but hadn't made it before so I was looking for ideas. As I typically do, I scoured the internet looking at a whole bunch of recipes for different types of flavor profiles, different cooking methods (slow cooker, stovetop,  pressure cooker, etc.), and I ended up creating a really simple recipe that's easy to make and even more delicious that we had imagined.

We served it on a bed of brown basmati rice, but we immediately realized that it would make a great taco or enchilada filling and it would even work as a sandwich filling. I know we'll be trying it a number of different ways!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 1 jar Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1+ tbsp. Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Southwestern Seasoning to taste.

Pour chicken broth into inner pot of the Quick Cooker (or whatever electric pressure cooker you use), and place chicken breasts in an even layer in the bottom.

Crush garlic and add to salsa with 1 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning. Stir to combine, and pour over chicken breasts.

Put the lid on the Quick Cooker and lock into closed position. Select the Chicken/Poultry setting and set for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts. For smaller chicken breasts, set for 10 minutes.

When cooking is done, allow the steam to naturally release for 15 minutes, and then press Cancel and manually release remaining steam. 

Remove the chicken breasts* and shred them. Return shredded chicken to the pot and stir to thoroughly mix into the salsa sauce.

Cooking Tip:
For a thicker sauce, use only 1 cup of chicken broth.

*Always test chicken for doneness with a meat thermometer. Chicken should be cooked to at least 170°F.

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size: Approximately 1½ cups (1/6 of recipe)

Calories	275
Calories from Fat	41.7
Total Fat	4.6g	7%DV
Saturated Fat	1.3g	6%DV
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	115mg	38%DV
Sodium	836mg	35%DV
Total Carbohydrate	11.8g	7%DV
Dietary Fiber	2.4g	9%DV
Sugars	9.4g
Protein	43.6g