Boneless, skinless chicken

Green Enchilada Chicken Chili {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto options}

January 24, 2020

I love me some chili! My husband can’t stand beans so we usually leave them out. That’s the great thing about chili – it’s SO VERSATILE! You literally can put any veggies in it, throw in a protein, some seasonings, some sauce, and let it get happy!

This chili is no different. It’s very reminiscent of a corn chowder, but with a smokey mexican flare that is delicious.

Feel free to go crazy with toppings. Throw on some fresh tomatoes if you’re missing them from this dish, some sliced avocado, diced onions or scallions, cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, crunchy chips, french fried onions, you name it.

I’m so glad I made a large batch of this…leftovers of chili just get better with time.

As the recipe name states, you can switch this recipe up to fit almost any dietary need or lifestyle. If you’re paleo, leave out the corn and dairy and sub in some dairy free cheese or sour cream and switch the corn for some chopped butternut squash or cauliflower florets or rice (or leave it out all together!)

If you’re keto, replace the corn and potatoes with squash, zucchini, or cauliflower. Also, pay attention to the sugar count in some enchilada sauces. You could also sub it out for some salsa verde that is low in carbs.

If you’re doing a round of whole30, leave out the dairy and replace with coconut cream or even some unsweetened almond/cashew milk will do the trick. For the corn, replace it with one of the previous listed veggies and if you can’t find compliant green enchilada sauce sub in some compliant salsa verde!

Really, if you have the base and seasonings right, you’re still gonna get that comforting chili flavor that we know and love!

Print Recipe
Green Enchilada Chicken Chili {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto options}
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet or soup pot over medium heat, saute the diced onions, celery, and potatoes for 5-6 minutes until the onions and celery have started to soften.
  2. Add the chicken pieces and saute for 3-4 minutes until they've just started to cook on the outside.
  3. To the pot, add the remaining ingredients and seasonings.
  4. Bring the pot to a simmer then cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
  5. Cook for 25-35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the chicken and potatoes (or whatever veggies you are using) are cooked through. As it cooks, it will thicken and if you are using potatoes, those may thicken the chili even more as you cook it. Feel free to add a little broth, water, or more milk.
  6. Top with desired toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, crushed chips, scallions, or some crushed red pepper or diced jalapenos for some heat!

Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Friendly}

January 1, 2019

Easy and comforting food is what I’m all about.

Even if you’re following a low-carb diet, doing a round of Whole30, or have dietary restrictions, your food can still partake in delicious and non-restricting food if you get creative! However, if foods that are reminiscent of things that may be deemed “unhealthy” are triggers for you to overeat, always proceed with caution!

This Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup is a new favorite of mine! I personally love some (by some, I mean A LOT) Italian food with parmesan cheese, however it can be extremely heavy on the stomach and I can easily overeat and feel like a bloated blob that doesn’t feel like doing anything afterwards. You guys know that feeling and it’s just not fun. It may have been delicious, but is it really worth it? Or rather, worth it that often? Sometimes, it happens and you eat ALL of that chicken parm. haha! But, when you’re feeling like a lighter version, try this!

This Chicken Parmesan Soup may be lacking in the breading department, but you still get all of that good flavor that you’d normally get in the original dish. It’s paleo, whole30, and keto-friendly – meaning it’s free of dairy, gluten, and grains and still low in carbs!

Sign me up – especially since I’m just starting my January Whole30!

For this recipe, I made everything in my Instant Pot (two separate cooking times), but feel free to cook the spaghetti squash however you like (i.e. microwave or oven) while cooking your soup then adding it to the instant pot once it’s finished cooking.

Or, you can make the soup on your stove top! I’ll include the directions for that method too – check out the recipe notes below!

Print Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup {Paleo, Whole30, & Keto Friendly}
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Cut spaghetti squash in half (long ways or short ways! I've done it both ways and it turns out just fine!) and remove the seeds. Add the squash and 1 cup of water to the instant pot. Cover, seal, and cook for 12 minutes (smaller squashes can cook in as little as 8 minutes) on high pressure - then do a quick release. You can cook your squash in the microwave or the oven. Whatever you prefer!
  2. Once the squash is finished cooking, remove from the pot. Clean/rinse out your instant pot and set the squash aside to cool slightly so it's easier to handle.
  3. To the instant pot, add the chicken, diced onions, spaghetti sauce, broth, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and all of the seasonings.
  4. Attach the lid, seal, and set for 15 minutes on high pressure.
  5. While the soup cooks, use a fork and remove the "noodles" from the inside of the spaghetti squash. Be careful to not shred into the skin of the squash. It's hard and just not fun to bite into in the soup!
  6. Once the soup has finished cooking, hit 'cancel' and do a quick release to release the steam.
  7. Shred chicken pieces - you can do this directly in the pot with a couple of forks or by removing them and shredding them separately on a plate or in a bowl.
  8. Add the squash noodles to the soup and mix. Your soup should be hot enough to heat the noodles through within a minute or two. If not, you can hit the saute button and cook it for a couple minutes.
  9. Once the noodles are heated through - serve and ENJOY!
Recipe Notes

For stovetop option:

  1. Saute onions in a large soup pot over medium heat (I usually add a tbsp or two of oil too) until they are slightly softened - about 5 minutes. 
  2. Add in chopped chicken breasts/thighs and saute for 5-6 minutes, just until slightly cooked on the outside. Smaller pieces will help them to cook quicker. 
  3. Add in spaghetti sauce, broth, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and seasonings. 
  4. Stir and bring to a boil.
  5. Cover, reduce to med-low heat, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and shreddable. 
  6. Add in spaghetti squash noodles.
  7. ENJOY!

Instant Pot Chori Pollo Sopa (Chicken & Chorizo Soup)

March 20, 2018
Cuisine

Chori Pollo has been a mexican favorite of mine since the first time I had chorizo. I almost always choose chicken over beef or pork, however, the combination of chicken with the spicy sausage is perfection and I can’t pass it up!

This dish combines all of those flavors with one of my other favorite things – SOUP! It’s also made in the Instant Pot – yet, ANOTHER one of my loves. However, you can make it on your stove top or in your crockpot, as well. It’s will just take a little bit more time.


Print Recipe


Instant Pot Chori Pollo Sopa (Chicken & Chorizo Soup)

Cuisine Mexican

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings


Ingredients

Cuisine Mexican

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. With your instant pot set to "Saute", cook onions, jalapeños, chorizo, and chicken pieces for 3-5 minutes or until onions have began to soften. TIP: Sautéing your food for a couple minutes in the beginning will help the pot come to pressure quicker.

  2. Add remaining ingredients to your Instant Pot and stir to combine. Hit the "Cancel" button to take it off of "Saute" mode.

  3. Attach the lid and turn your valve to seal. Press the "Soup" button, adjust the time to 15 minutes, and let it cook!

  4. When the timer goes off, turn the valve to vent, and do a QR.

  5. Serve with chopped green onions, sour cream, avocado slices or my Pepperjack Cheese Sauce (dairy free). See recipes notes for a link to the recipe!**

Stovetop Instructions:
  1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, sauté onions and jalapeños for 5-8 minutes until the onions have become translucent.

  2. Add sausage and chicken to onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Add spices, broth, and cauliflower rice to your pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

  4. Turn your soup down to low and let simmer until ready to serve.

Crockpot Instructions:
  1. Add all of the ingredients to your crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.


Recipe Notes

*I thaw (or cook for a couple minutes) the frozen cauliflower and then pulse it in my blender for a few seconds to "rice" it. MUCH EASIER than breaking down a fresh head of cauliflower and "ricing" it. You can sub a bag of frozen riced cauliflower. It usually only comes in 12 oz bags; if you prefer not to use a partial second bag, reducing the cauliflower to 12 oz won't hurt the recipe.

**Pepperjack Cheese Sauce