WAIT, WHAT’S AN INSTANT POT?

Okay, so maybe you don’t have an Instant Pot.  Maybe you’ve become allergic to small appliances ever since Marie Kondo told you that your slow cooker doesn’t “spark joy,” and so you purged everything except for your electric kettle (because Marie believes in tea). Well, I’m here to burst your clutter-free bubble: you need an Instant Pot. An Instant Pot is basically an all-in-one pressure cooker, slow cooker, cake baker (according to some people), yogurt producer, and more. I’ve actually had fewer small appliances in my London kitchen because the Instant Pot has just replaced the need for separate, single-purpose items. Goodbye, expensive talking Japanese rice cooker! The Instant Pot has become so popular that there are entire Facebook groups and blogs dedicated solely to the many, many talents of the Instant Pot.

STEP ONE: THREE INGREDIENTS (REALLY)

This Instant Pot chicken really does only have three ingredients: three fresh scallions (green onions), a whole chicken, and a cup of chicken broth. I usually get a chicken that’s around 3.5 to 4 pounds, which I find produces enough chicken for our family of four to make two dinners out of. Actually, I also use salt, pepper and olive oil to season the chicken, but I don’t count those in my “three” because you shouldn’t need to make a special trip to the grocery store for these things. If you don’t, well — I hate to break it to you, but maybe it’s time you and I have a talk about adulting.

Cooking a whole chicken might seem intimidating, but I promise you it isn’t, and there’s lots of good reasons to do it. First of all, whole chicken is much cheaper per pound than chicken breasts or thighs, which have added labor costs from your butcher to break down. Secondly, whole chicken is so much more flavorful than chicken breast. With the bones and all the other amazing parts, you get a much more full-bodied (pardon the pun) flavor than you would off of just a couple of parts.

STEP TWO: PREP

The prep for this chicken is stupidly easy. First, you cut the scallions into thirds. It’s not an art here — you just need small sections of scallions to scatter at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Then, it’s time to massage the chicken with olive oil before seasoning the chicken generously with salt and pepper. The chicken goes in on top of the scattered scallions, and then you pour in a cup of chicken broth around the chicken. That’s it!

STEP 3: COOK THE CHICKEN

The Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of making this chicken into the juiciest, most flavorful chicken. Simply set the Instant Pot on the “poultry” function (or 30 minutes on manual, if you’re using another brand of electric pressure cooker). The Instant Pot does a wonderful job of pressure cooking a whole chicken so that it comes out juicy, tender and flavorful every time. I love this Instant Pot chicken because it’s really a delicious blank slate — you can use it for just about anything. In fact, I’ve got three suggestions for you — check back on Wednesday!