Instant Pot Chicken, Kale + Orzo with Crème Fraîche + Pecorino

faster to make than it is to say!

Hi! If you’re new here, on Tuesdays I devote my newsletter to “I Love Lunch” and include an easy lunch recipe for paid subscribers. To me, lunch recipes are especially simple to make and simple to clean-up. Of course you can make the recipe for any mealtime that you’d like! I always include a number of notes following these recipes, including how to make vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free versions and other fun notes/ideas.

I will be honest and tell you that I love my air fryer more than my Instant Pot.

I use my air fryer on pretty much a daily basis (you can read my love letter to it here). I use my Instant Pot less frequently. I love it for beans and for the occasional batch of Easiest Ever Pasta Bolognese (a recipe I am very proud of!), but I just don’t turn it as often or as intuitively as my air fryer.

But I just figured out a recipe that might change that for me because it’s soooo good and easy and just gives me everything I want in a meal. I present: Instant Pot Chicken, Kale + Orzo with Crème Fraîche + Pecorino, which basically takes more time to say than it does to make (I’m open to suggestions for catchier names!).

It’s an amazing hot lunch if you work from home. If you want a warm lunch to take with you, chop or shred the chicken, stir it into the creamy orzo mixture, and pack it all in a thermos Pro tip: preheat your thermos before filling it so your food stays hotter for longer. To do this, pour boiling water into your empty thermos, let it sit for a minute or two, then pour out the water. Also be sure your food is hot before you put it in your thermos. This is all to say, a thermos will keep food warm, but it won’t warm up your food, which is an important distinction!

The full recipe is below for paid subscribers, plus notes on how to make it:

• vegetarian

• vegan

• dairy-free

• gluten-free

Plus notes for what to do:

• if you’re not into white meat

• if you’re not into kale

• if you’re not a pecorino person

• if you can’t find crème fraîche

• if you’d like to add more vegetables

• if you thought this was a soup recipe and are sad it’s not (a.k.a. how to turn it into soup)

• if you don’t have an Instant Pot!

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Instant Pot Chicken, Kale + Orzo with Crème Fraîche + Pecorino

Makes about 3 hearty servings

• 3/4 pound (12 oz) chopped fresh or frozen kale (no need to defrost if frozen)