Hey peeps! As promised in the last post, I am here to share with you one of my new Instant Pot dishes that’s low carb and diabetic friendly- Sriracha Miso Chicken! It’s got some spiciness, warm spices, proteins & veggies!
So, I think I am getting a hang of managing my new life as a pre-diabetic. Emphasis on “think”, there are still days where I feel like giving up. So, just between you and me, I would like to make it known that Jack is going above and beyond to take care of me. Definitely honoring the “in sickness and in health…” part of our wedding vow, though he’s speed and efforts in switching our diet is faster than my mind can adjust to sometimes.
I’ll explain what I mean, keep on reading. In the last post, I’ve mentioned that we have been eating pretty healthy already, except for carbs. I like carbs, and I don’t know any girl that doesn’t like pasta and garlic bread. I am always up for sushi and sushi is made of rice, which contains A LOT of simple carbs. Unfortunately, for diabetics, the less simple carb you ingest, the better it is to manage the condition. So, to further lower our carbohydrate intakes, we’ve eliminated bread, rice of all kinds, and pasta. We left plain oatmeal alone because I like to have a bowl of oatmeal with fruits and almond milk for my breakfast. (Jack Note: And it’s a very slow carb, so it doesn’t spike the blood sugar much.) And let’s be honest for one second, oatmeal is about the only “carby” thing I have now days along with the occasional keto pancakes. A few weeks ago Jack bought “grain-free” oatmeals home for me to try. I liked it, but I haven’t adjust to the point where I can stomach the “grain-free” oatmeal without adding oats to it. (Which is what I have been doing, I’ve been adding about 1/4 cup of plain oats to the “grain-free” oatmeal, so it tastes better and have more substance)
When he asked me how I feel about the “grain free” oatmeal, I said “I like it” The next thing I knew, we were in Whole Foods getting all the ingredients to make our own “grain-free” oatmeal…
You can say “why didn’t you tell Jack you are not there yet?” I wanted to, I wanted to tell him to slow down but I don’t know how to do it without hurting his feelings. He’s been so good and proactive trying to take care of me, whether is looking up new recipies and possible replacement of my favorite snack foods like chicken nuggets, Annie’s cocoa bunnies and the occasional tator tots…etc., or ways to get more exercises into our daily lives that I felt I couldn’t say no, even though inside I felt like my world has been turned upside down and I’m trying to swim to the shore that seem like too far for me to get to…
Okay, enough of my rant. Here’s the Sriracha Miso Chicken Recipe as promised.
You’ll need:
1 Instant Pot.
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of chicken thigh (you can use breast or any meat you like)
2 cups of frozen mixed veggies.
1/2 cup of green lentils
1/2 cup of red lentils.
1 TBSP of finely chopped ginger
1 TBSP of finely chopped garlic
Sauce:
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2-3 TBSP of Sriracha Miso Paste
Spices:
1/4 tsp of Sichuan Peppercorns
pinch of Mushroom Umami seasoning
1/4 tsp of black pepper corns.
2 whole star anises
2 dried chillies, seeds removed. ( or you can keep it whole for extra kick)
1-2 whole cloves
Steps:
- In a small frying pan, gently toast the dry spices over low heat until fragrant. move it around so the spices don’t burn. Set aside to cool.
- Place the chicken thigh or your choice of meat in the Instant Post insert. Wash the lentils, drain and add it into the pot along with vegetables.
- Combine chicken stock and Sriracha Miso paste, mix well and pour onto the chicken. Add garlic, ginger and toasted spices into the pot.
- Lock the lid, press “poultry” button and cook for 45-50 mins. *Make sure your vent is sealed and the Instant Pot is plugged in!*
- Walk away from the kitchen. Wait till the timer beeps.
- Release steam/pressure as usual, remove lid mix the chicken well, enjoy! (don’t forget to remove the spices immediately! If it sits too long, the bitterness will seep into the chicken)
At this point, you can serve it as it, which is what I did, since we are cutting down our carbohydrate intake. However, if you want more “substance” you can serve it on a thin bed of wild rice/quinoa or brown rice. The idea here is to cut down the carbs but still feel full and increase the amount of fibers.
*If you can’t find sriracha miso paste in the store, you can make your own. Your ratio is 2:1. Combine 2 TSP of sriracha sauce with 1 TSP of miso paste to make 1 TBSP of thick sriracha miso paste. The store bought version is a little bit runny, so you’ll probably thin it out with some stock or water. You can also play around to find the perfect balance for your taste. 🙂
Enjoy!
Important! put the toasted spices in an empty tea bag or cut a small piece of cheese cloth to wrap the spices in and tie with a kitchen twine for easy removal. If you let the spices sit in the pot for too long, the bitterness of the spices will seep into the chicken.
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