Tandoori Chicken Recipe (Instant Pot)

 This is a recipe that my husband found online several years ago, and we have been enjoying it a lot lately. Some of you may know that I have a bunch of dietary restrictions, so I am always happy when I find something that I can eat. It is also easy AND delicious! It checks ALL of the boxes.

The prep time is about ten minutes, and it cooks for 30 minutes. We often cook rice to go along with the chicken and sauce, and we do that in the Instant Pot too! My oldest daughter loved it when she visited us this summer, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law enjoyed it when we visited them over spring break!

Ready to cook!

So here is the recipe; it is officially called "Coconut Tandoori-Inspired Chicken"

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use chicken breasts)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons garam masala*

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

14-ounce can of coconut milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Freezer version: Mix everything together in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Place in the freezer and store up to three months. When you're ready to cook, follow the directions below!

Instant Pot: Add everything to the Instant Pot. If it's thawed, cook for 5 minutes on manual high pressure + 10 minutes for natural release. If it's frozen, cook for 15 minutes on manual high pressure + 10 minutes natural release. Shred and serve over rice!

 Slow Cooker: Add everything to the Slow Cooker. If it's thawed, cook for 4 hours on high, or 6 hours on low. If it's frozen, cook for 6 hours on high. Shred and serve over rice!

All done and ready to eat...yum!

*My note: I make my own version of garam masala with 1/2 Tbsp each of cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg.     ALSO, make sure you have turmeric for this recipe!

NOTES

If you let the sauce stand for 15 minutes before serving, it should thicken up slightly and take on the texture of a light gravy or curry sauce. I find chicken thighs are pretty small and cook up quickly, but make sure you check to make sure that they are fully cooked. I like to add a veggie to round out the meal. You can also serve it with rice bowls, cauliflower rice, or even as tacos or burritos.

Thanks to Pinch of Yum for this recipe!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know how you like it!

Numbers 11:4-6
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

New garden area setup

My husband and I have been talking for several years about moving our garden area after our chickens died. They lived longer than we thought they would!  But they all finally died over the winter, so we were able to use their chicken pen as a fenced garden area. Part of the reason we wanted to use the fenced area is that we get a lot of deer in our yard, especially in the past several years. I planted tomatoes in one of our wine barrels a few years ago, and the deer ate the tiny green tomatoes. UGH!

How it all began...

Once the weather began to get warm this spring, my hubby dismantled the chicken coop and began collecting scrap wood. He put the wood along the bottom half of the fenced area, so it would be a solid background for the garden. Then we put plastic sheeting over the wood. We placed long 2-by-4s on the dirt to help everything be more level. Then we began moving the cinder blocks we had around our old garden beds. My hubby did a majority of that work by himself, partly because I have been dealing with tennis elbow in my left arm. I did lift some of the blocks with my right arm. Once we got two layers set, we placed some cut-up wood pallets and other fillers in the bottom of the garden beds.

Our next step was to put garden fabric between the 2nd and 3rd layers of cinder block. We put everything from our compost bin and compost area on top of the garden fabric. It took a lot of shoveling into a barrel, but we were glad to have that step done, and our yard looked nicer!

The garden area is on the other side of the fence that you see...

Our next step was to move dirt from our old garden beds into the new garden beds. There were two beds that were about 2 feet wide by 10 feet long. It took us 3 hours to move all of the dirt bucket by bucket. We took a break for over a week after that, partly because we went out of town for a few days.

Before...

during...

and after!

We have not decided what to do with this part of the yard yet, but we may move our fire pit...

We priced topsoil at the local home improvement store and decided that it would be cheaper to buy compost from the area near our dump. We drove to the dump compost on Saturday and picked up one load. Our son Caleb came to help his Dad shovel dirt from the truck to the garden. It didn't take too long, and we even had some dirt left over! I promised our son that he would get to enjoy the fruit (and veggies) of our labor with us, literally! (haha)

That evening, my hubby and I shopped for veggies and seeds. It was kind of exciting to get to this point after so much work! We bought three tomato plants, three pepper plants, a red lettuce, two cucumber plants, two strawberry plants, spinach plants, and several herbs. We also got flowers for our wine barrels and marigolds to brighten up the garden area.

On Sunday, I planted the wine barrel plants, but that was all, since it was Mother's Day. I got a nap, and we enjoyed a nice family dinner with my mom. I was busy on Monday, but when the weather was cooler on Monday evening, we planted all the plants and seeds. The seeds that we bought are: arugula, rosemary, and three kinds of lettuce.

Then yesterday we got the watering hoses and small watering bubblers/umbrella bubblers in, as well as a soaker hose for the herbs and marigolds, which are in the cinder block holes. We are so happy to be done with all of that work and hope that everything grows well!

The water hoses are all set up...

Strawberries are all ready to water...

The basil and a marigold with the soaker hose...

I may post an update later this summer when things are really growing. It is so nice to have a garden again! (Although I hope Colorado's drought won't affect things too much...?)

Genesis 1:11-12
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Deuteronomy 11:10
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.

Isaiah 58:11
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Caleb's hockey

 Our son Caleb decided to join the local recreational league hockey this March. It has been fun to watch him compete in a sport again. He's played golf the past few years, but that is not a spectator sport! He was a little nervous to join, partly because he'd never played a real game. He could definitely ice skate, and he played lots of hockey in our garage (on roller blades) with his sisters.

He has done really well and enjoyed it a lot! He's made lots of goals and learned as he's played. We've also enjoyed seeing him indoors, instead of freezing in the wind, rain, or boiling in the sun (like in baseball!).

He's played the lower levels in his league, which are C and D. They had similar guys on two teams. The last night that they played this season with the D league was their championship, and they won! They even had an imitation Stanley Cup that they got to hold and skate around with. It's been fun to cheer with his girlfriend (now fiancée), our niece, and his sisters. We take a bag of blankets with us to the ice rink.

His first jersey was an old loaner that said "JIM" on the back, so that's what we called him when we cheered.

He got a New Jersey halfway through the season with our last name on it. It was spelled wrong, but he wore it anyway. 

The skates make him seem really tall!

Even if he has grown up, we're still his parents cheering him on!

Genesis 18:3-4
He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree."

Job 37:9-11
The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds.

The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture; He scatters his lightning through them.