Description
Instant Pot Jamaican Chicken Fricassee. A taste of the Caribbean from your pressure cooker, braised chicken thighs with Jamaican spices.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Jamaican jerk seasoning (I get mine from Penzeys spices)
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 scallions (aka green onions), minced
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (aka habanero), seeded and minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth (Homemade or store-bought low sodium)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Brown the skin side of the chicken thighs: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker set to Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil is shimmering. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Sprinkle the chicken thighs with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of jerk seasoning. Sear the thighs in 2 batches: put 4 thighs in the pot, skin side down, and sear until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Move the browned chicken thighs to a bowl, then sear the second batch of thighs, and move them to the bowl as well. The thighs will render a lot of fat – pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot before moving on to the next step.
- Sauté the onions and spices: Add the onion, scallion whites, and scotch bonnet pepper to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of chicken and onion. Once the onions are softened, make a hole in the center of the onions and add 2 tablespoons of jerk seasoning. Toast the seasoning for 1 minute, the stir it into the onions.
- Everything in the pot: Pour in the chicken broth (and ½ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth), and scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon one last time to make sure nothing is sticking. Add the bowl of browned chicken thighs and any juices, then pour the tomato sauce over the top of everything.
- Pressure cook for 25 minutes with a natural release: Lock the lid on the cooker. Pressure cook on high pressure for 25 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 20 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes more. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release).
- Serve: Scoop the chicken thighs into a serving bowl or platter. Stir the black pepper and lime juice into the sauce, then ladle a few cups of sauce over the thighs. Serve, passing the rest of the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Notes
I serve this with white rice, and pour a lot of the sauce over the chicken and rice
Black beans are a traditional side dish with this meal - as are fried plantains, but I don’t have a recipe for that. (Yet?)
This fricassee has some heat, but mine was far from blistering. The heat level is going to depend on your Jamaican jerk seasoning. If you want more heat, add more jerk seasoning. If you want a lot more heat, don’t seed the Scotch Bonnet pepper. Beyond that…you understand your own heat tolerance, so add jerk seasoning and Scotch Bonnet peppers until it burns.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Jamaican