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Batch Up Meals Dinner Ideas Healthy Kids and Teens Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

August 22, 2023

Sweet, savory, and sticky, all in one bowl! Use a sheet pan to get this honey garlic chicken & veg in the oven for any busy weeknight!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Summer memories & a new school year staple!

I’m putting this *gorg* photo of Lake Michigan here, so that when I pull this post up week after week in the fall and winter to make this recipe I can remember all the sunshine and sand we really do get living here! Ha! And I truly mean both points – this recipe will be on repeat often here!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

Stir fry turned sheet pan!

I started making this sheet pan dinner last month when I took a typical stir fry sauce that I like to make and decided I needed a less hands on dinner during a busy few weeks that we were having this summer. Instead of stir frying, I popped everything on a sheet pan, and the result is a super fast weekday dinner that I’m pretty sure I’ll be using all year long because everyone devours it!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

What does it taste like? (IE – will my kids like it?!)

I get this question privately often when I post recipes that are not “typical kid food.” I appreciate the transparency, and truly I always want this space to feel like somewhere that ANYONE in their real food journey can come and get inspiration. Because honestly? I was there too – I didn’t learn how to cook actual real food until I was in my 20’s. And I had to start somewhere – I didn’t love most veggies because I didn’t grow up eating many. But what I DID love was flavor, and food that reminded me of stuff I did grow up on. I didn’t necessarily grow up on Asian take-out food (in fact I’m pretty sure I never had it as a kid), but it is almost as if it is a college kid food group! I lived on it in my college years. The flavor of this honey garlic sauce is sweet and savory and slightly garlicky – so good. If you have little ones in the house around 9 months to 2 or 3 years old, I implore you – try all the flavors of your house with your little one. You’ll be so glad you developed their taste palate for the tastes of your home, and it really does help with less picky eating. If you have older kids, I encourage you to try! Let them dip or drizzle – put them in the driver’s seat. Let them pick the veggie you’ll be serving with it, and let them decide how much sauce to use. Part of the reason for I tend to serve the sauce on the side is because even my kids like to eat it differently (I have 1 kid that separates the meat, veg, and rice and then dips, I have one kid that mixes it all together, and I have one kid that mixes the veggies and meat and eats the rice plain).

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

The Method :: The Veggies

Swap and switch the veggies according to what you have on hand. Broccoli and peppers are favs here, and onions and carrots are staples. Cabbage is another staple here in our house, and asparagus, green beans, or cauliflower work too. Simply cut the veggies into manageable pieces (not too small or they will cook too fast with the chicken), and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan. Scoot the veggies to the sides so you can get the chicken on there in the next step. Alternatively, you could use 2 sheet trays – 1 for veggies and 1 for chicken – if you plan to double up for meal prepping purposes (which is something I do often for sure!)

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

The Method :: The Chicken

Chicken breasts or thighs will work just fine here – use what you have! Simply whisk the seasonings in a small dish, coat the chicken with a little olive oil, and season. The seasoned chicken can go on the same sheet pan as the veggies, or you could use a separate sheet pan if you are cooking more.

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

The Method :: Roasting the sheet pan dinner

Once the veg and chicken are snuggled up on the sheet pan, they just need 20-25 minutes in the oven. During this time you can whisk up the 5 minute honey garlic sauce, and then either tend to the kids, help with homework, clean up, or maybe even sit down for a minute with a book!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

The Method :: The Honey Garlic Sauce

I’m not a fan of fussy sauces. Especially if I’m in a sheet pan dinner mode (ie – I’m wanting fast and not fussy!). All you need to do is whisk the honey garlic sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan, then put the pan over some heat to bring to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. Literally drown your chicken and veg bowls with this sauce – the kids are going to love the sweet and sticky vibe!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

Let’s talk leftovers!

This meal feeds my family for 1 dinner. I’ve been doubling onto 2 sheet pans if I want some leftover for another meal or lunch packing. My high schooler has asked multiple times for this to be something she can have ready on a Sunday to have for lunch all week. I think those older kids get more adult-like, and don’t mind having the same thing everyday as long as it means an easy packing! She’s been packing her own lunch since 6th grade, and I think she sees the value in meal prepping to make the weekday easier – what a cool life lesson for a Freshman! So double up for your work lunch, or your kids’ lunchboxes! You can pack it all in a thermos for the kids, or, if you are bringing it to work, we like these small, portable Crockpot warmers that my husband used to use all the time when he commuted!

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

Ingredients

For the Roasted Veggies:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil to cook in
  • 1 head of broccoli florets I like to keep the stems long
  • 2 carrots peeled and cut into ¼ in thick strips
  • 1 sweet bell pepper sliced into strips
  • 1 onion sliced into strips
  • Sea salt & pepper to taste

For the Chicken:

For the Honey Garlic Sauce:

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. You’ll need just one sheet pan, but if you are doubling to have more leftovers, grab 2 sheet pans. Do not line the sheet pans with anything.
  • Toss the veggies on the sheet pan with the olive oil, sea salt, & pepper. Scoot the veggies to the sides to make room for the chicken.
  • Whisk the seasonings for the chicken in a small dish and set aside. Rub the olive oil on the chicken, and then sprinkle the whisked seasonings onto the chicken, coating the chicken on all sides. Place the chicken on the sheet tray with the veggies.
  • Bake the chicken and veggie sheet pan for 20-25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165-167 degrees.
  • While the sheet pan chicken is baking, you can make the Honey Garlic Sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk all of the Honey Garlic Sauce ingredients together while still cold until the tapioca starch disappears. Put the sauce pan over medium heat and bring the sauce to a simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.
  • I like to serve the chicken and veggies on a bed of bone broth cooked rice with the sauce on the side so everyone can add as much or as little as they like!
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls

More real food SHEET PAN RECIPES you might like!

Batch Up Meals Dinner Ideas Healthy Kids and Teens Lunch Ideas Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips RGN Meal Plans school lunches

Nourishing 2 Week Meal Plan {Fall Inspired Part 1}

September 7, 2021

A cozy, fall inspired menu plan with busy families, school schedules, and nourishing goals in mind!

Nourishing 2 Week Meal Plan {Fall Inspired Part 1}

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Getting back into the groove…

We are a couple weeks into school, and I feel like most of my readers are flowing back into fall school routines, so I’d say it’s safe to start talking about fall menus! Fall certainly has a different feel than going from spring to summer menu plans – does it feel like that to you? For the most part it felt like late spring and into summer, the meal planning goes a little more “fly by the seat of your pants” style, and then once September hits, everyone has no choice but to plan a little bit more, or dinner will never hit the table!

Before we get started!

If you have never seen one of my meal plans, I would invite you to start with the Winter Meal Plan Part 1 and the Winter Meal Plan Part 2. Even though we are not full swing into cold weather, the information at the beginning of each of those posts will help you understand my meal plan approach, how I like to handle macronutrients to balance meals, questions you might have about portions and family sizes, and even more. Make a pit stop there first, and then come back to get some fall inspired meals!

Nourishing 2 Week Meal Plan {Fall Inspired Part 1}

School staples, and some lunchbox shortcut favorites

With school starting back up, and the long, daunting thought of the lunchbox packing task that awaits us for the whole year, I thought I would put some lunchbox staple favorites all in one place. Some because I didn’t have a ton of room to always label and link veggie/cracker dips and dressings for salads. And also so that you can see some examples of some store bought snacks and favs that I keep in my pantry. I’ll break these up so that you can find them easily!

Nourishing 2 Week Meal Plan {Fall Inspired Part 1}
Build your own nachos lunchbox with store bought olives and chips (see below for links!)

Staple store bought lunchbox sides

For the most part, these are used sparingly and minimally – a hand full here, and a few there. But they are great to have on hand in the pantry, and especially help kids that are newer to “real food” make the transition to healthier lunchboxes without giving up some comfortable favorites. I also have a post with 11 Healthy Packaged School Snacks for Kids that I use for morning snacks at school here and there, but they also work well in lunchboxes.

Charcuterie Board style lunchbox using the Simple Mills crackers & a Bear Nibbles Yo-Yo Fruit/Veg Strip!

Staple dressings and dips

I’m going to go ahead and list all of our favorite dressings below, and you can put your kids’ favs into your meal plan as you go. I also wanted to mention that we get guacamole cups and hummus cups at Costco. If you don’t have access to Costco, you can find them at most grocery stores these days. You can also find Wholly Guacamole cups and Go Go Dippers Hummus cups online. There are also fantastic, simple recipes for guacamole and super simple hummus in the Lunchbox Staple Chapter of my cookbook, The Little Lunchbox Cookbook!

Fruity Poppy Seed Dressing in the Rainbow Chicken Salad from The Little Lunchbox Cookbook!

Veggie Soup Swaps

One of my goals each week in the cooler months of the year, is to get 1-2 bone broth based soups into the family by week’s end. Usually it is a veggie based soup, which the girls have devoured since infancy, and sometimes it is a heartier dinner soup with more protein and bulk. You’ll notice in the meal plan that usually my rhythm is to make the soup for the week on the weekend and that way it is easy to add to a thermos for school lunch later in the week. I know that not every kid will love every soup, and luckily for you, there are a myriad of soups to pick from both on the blog and in my cookbooks. If you have little guys at home, I would encourage you to start these young so that they develop a palate for these tasty soups that are such a great way to get nourishing bone broth and mineral rich veggies in! (Heartier, dinner type soups are linked in the dinner section below)

Copycat Alphabet Soup recipe from The Little Lunchbox Cookbook!

So let’s kick off this Fall Menu Plan!

Here is a PDF for you to download for the full 2 week fall meal plan with links to recipes included. {See below this section for a blank version if you want to fill in your own!}

Want to build your own meal plan?

Go for it! My way of doing meals is definitely not the only way! And my recipes are not the only recipes around! Here is a blank PDF for you to print and fill out your own.

Dinner swaps!

I know that not every dinner chosen on the meal plan below will fit with every family’s tastes. There are so many choices for how to fill this in, which is why I never posted meal plans before. I really want you to fill the meal plan in to your family preferences. The plan below is simply inspiration and a guide to show you how I flow certain meals into others, how I double up meals, and how I balance a day’s macronutrient needs for my family. Here are some fall inspired dinner swaps for anything on the menu that you might want to change. Most of this list is from right here on the blog. Any recipe links that have a page number are from my cookbooks. Those with page numbers in green are from The Little Lunchbox Cookbook, and those with page numbers in pink are from Nourished Beginnings.

Pot Pie Soup dinner!
Occasional Treats Real Food 101 Real Food Tips

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

June 16, 2020

Strawberry season just got a bit sweeter to enjoy with this easy prep, show stopping gluten free strawberry pie!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

It’s strawberry picking season!

Strawberry season always makes its debut here in Michigan right around the Summer Solstice, so it always feels like the official start to summer to me! That first week or so of real warm summer temperatures in the beginning of June ripens those beautiful berries making them absolutely burst with sweet strawberry juice!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

My strawberry picking crew, and a new fun treat!

We met up with friends on the first day of picking this year, and berries were so plentiful, making for very easy picking. The kids had a ball, the littles had strawberry juice all over their faces, and my older kids were asking for a strawberry treat when we got home! It’s been a while since I’ve made strawberry pie, so I decided that was definitely something we deserved to have on our menu this week! The girl were more than happy to help at the thought of strawberry pie for dessert!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie
Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Busy mommas…hear me out!

Dear momma, I know the last thing we have time for right now is a fancy pie crust! So I decided to show you how to make this special, simple little pie with a rustic galette style crust. If you have a favorite pie crust, you can use that, and if you don’t, you can use the one in the recipe card below. Instead of a fussy, fancy edge, you’ll simply be folding the crust edges right over the top of the pie filling – it is so easy!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Notes on the strawberry filling

This strawberry filling is about as simple as it gets. A little starch to soak up and thicken the strawberry juices, and a bit of sugar. I used 1/2 cup of sugar, but truly these strawberries were already like candy, so I think I could have even gotten away with just 1/4 cup. If you are using store bought berries, or your berries are out of season, you may want to stick with the 1/2 cup and even bump it up a little if needed. It is, after all, a pie! Such a special treat!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

What if I don’t have the cast iron skillet?

I absolutely adore using my cast iron for pies, but if you don’t have one, you can use a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. I used a 10-inch cast iron for this pie for reference. You may want to watch the baking time a bit using a pie plate as different materials (cast iron versus a glass or metal pie plate) conduct heat differently.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Can I use other summer berries?

Absolutely! Use what is in season. My girls are already dreaming of blueberry season in July and raspberries for August. I think blackberries would be amazing as well. My oldest even made the connection, thinking out loud as we were making this pie, that we could definitely make this pie again with the rest of our summer berry picking! Smart kid 😉

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

FOR THE PIE CRUST ::

FOR THE STRAWBERRY PIE FILLING ::

  • 3 pints of strawberries about 7-8 cups after cutting (hulled and cut into halves if small berries, or quartered if larger)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca starch
  • ½ – ¾ cup organic cane sugar
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Make the crust ::

  • Put the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor and pulse 5 times to mix. Add the butter, and blend until the butter is incorporated making little bits in the flour. Add the water to the drip cup on the lid of the food processor, and press blend until the dough comes together. This takes about a minute.
  • Wrap the pie crust dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
  • Get the crust into the skillet ::
  • Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Flour a counter surface with the Namaste flour or rice flour and roll out your dough. You’ll want to leave it wider than your 10-inch skillet so you have enough to fold over the top. Gently set the crust into your 10-inch skillet, and softly press it down the sides. Brush the bottom and sides of the crust with the beaten egg. This keeps the crust from getting soggy.

Make the filling and assemble the pie ::

  • Put the filling ingredients into a medium mixing bowl, gently mix, and pour the prepared strawberry filling into the crust.
  • Fold the edges of the pie over the filling, brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar.
  • Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before cutting.
Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

More real food strawberry recipes you might like ::

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie
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Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

March 9, 2020

Keep the pantry stocked with these easy 10 minute prep, nut free school zone safe, crunchy buckwheat and apricot granola bars!

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Early spring?! We’ll take it!

It sure feels like spring has sprung rather early in these parts, and while I know there is a very good chance we will still see a March snow storm where I live, we’re soaking in every ounce of any sunshine and 40 degrees that is thrown our way with complete and utter delight!

Busy kids and healthier on the go snacks

Spring is a very *busy* time of year for my crew, and having grab-and-go snacks on hand that won’t sugar crash my growing kids is truly the name of the game. Real food fats, proteins, and healthy carbohydrates to sustain and satiate active kids, while still tasting good isn’t as hard as it sounds. Keeping fast and easy hard boiled eggs, fresh veggies with fatty dips, and even some healthier choice packaged store-bought snacks on hand keeps us from blowing our budget on empty calorie snacks and kids that are hungry every hour of the day. When we “make every bite count,” filling our kids up on food that satiates, they won’t be asking for snack after snack.

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Homemade, made easy

It’s no secret, I’m passionate about seeing kids filled up on nourishing, real fats, sustainable protein building blocks, and energy fueling real food carbohydrates. But I am also a real mom, with 3 very real kids, and this truly is a very real family behind this computer or phone screen that you are reading. There needs to be a balance between store bought everything and homemade all the things if it is going to be sustainable. This quick, 10-minute prep granola bar is made for busy families! The granola bars also store in the pantry, just like regular granola bars, so they will be just as convenient for the kids to grab for lunchbox packing or snack time.

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Star players

So let’s talk about this fun granola bar change up, and why it is a great idea to keep ingredient variety in our diets. Instead of an all oat based granola bar, I’m focusing on mineral rich seeds for this crunchy, satisfying version. One of my girls has a nut free snack time at school this year, and while nut free is easier than you think, I have also challenged myself to create some seed only snacks (like these copycat coconut clusters) for her this year to change things up. Buckwheat is a seed packed with minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. I feel like it is a really overlooked, mineral rich ingredient, and it has a nutty, toasted taste when baked into a crunchy granola bar. I’ve also added mineral rich pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to add to the nutrient variety and flavors, and of course some traditional oats make these pretty granola bars picture perfect. The kids will love these honey toasted seeds in a convenient little bar, and the dried apricots are a fun little surprise sprinkled throughout!

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

The Method

You’ll start by pouring all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. I use my food processor to buzz up the pumpkin and sunflower seeds, so this part goes fast. After you melt the coconut oil and honey over the stove, you’ll pour that over the dry ingredients and stir them to coat everything evenly. The granola mixture gets pressed into the pan and you can tend to other kitchen tasks or the kids while it bakes! After the granola bars cool completely, you can cut the bars in the sizes you like. The beauty of making your own granola bars is being able to control the size of the bars you like. I tend to make squares so that they can be a small snack or a small addition to lunchbox since my kids are still young. This works well for toddlers too since a large granola bar can be a lot to finish. If you have older kids, you can make regular sized bars.

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free
Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free
Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Swap thoughts

Even if you aren’t in a nut free school or have kids at home with nut allergies, I would love to see you try these seed based bars! The nutrient diversity is good for your gut and growing bodies. That said, if the you have nuts on hand to use up, I do think that they will swap in this recipe for the seeds. If they are bigger nuts like almonds or walnuts, you might want to use a heaping ¼ cup of nuts to make up for the small seeds that fill up the quarter cup. If you don’t have dried apricots just yet, raisins should work just fine, though if you get a chance the apricots are so fun and pretty too!

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and line an 8×8 baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.
  • Put the oats, buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat flour, and apricots in a medium mixing bowl, and set aside.
  • Melt the coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan and then pour over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir the granola bar ingredients thoroughly so that everything is coated with the coconut oil mixture.
  • Pour the granola bar mixture into the lined pan and press the mixture down using the bottom of your half cup measuring cup so that everything is pressed into the pan evenly. Pay attention to the sides and corners so that everything is straight and even.
  • Bake the granola bars at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Do NOT cut the bars until they have cooled completely. The will harden as they cool and be easier to cut. Once the bars have cooled completely to room temp, pull the sides of the parchment paper so the granola bars come out in one square. Use a long sharp knife to cut the granola bars into the sizes you want.
Nut Free Crunchy Buckwheat and Apricot Granola Bars :: Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free

More real food LUNCHBOX recipes you might like:

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Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

February 11, 2020

Fast and easy prep white chicken chili with a smooth, creamy texture, and out of this world flavor!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Winter hikes & (kid friendly!) warm chili

I’ve learned that if I just don’t get out in it, I become a big grump by February my friends. So we pull on the winter gear and trudge through the snow, no matter how deep it is. Every weekend. Some winters we can barely tolerate 20 minutes the cold is so bitter and the snow is so deep. Other winters, like this year, we are left wondering if this really is still Michigan or not with the mild(er) temps and small dusting of snow! No matter the winter, a warm bowl of chili is always a good idea during the darkest months of the year!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

An old recipe made (so!) much easier!

White chicken chili has been one of my favorite slow cooker recipes for years. The creamy broth base is super kid friendly, and my version is not only packed with chicken, but boasts a load of veggie variety that contributes to it’s amazing flavor. With busy schedules that come with the territory of having older kids and not as much time at home, I was finding that I wasn’t making my favorite white chicken chili as much because it did feel a bit time consuming!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Enter the Instant Pot, and an easy peasy secret to the creamy broth!

When I wrote that recipe, oh so many years ago, the Instant Pot was not even a thought! Since my trusty IP has become my go-to for our favorite regular chili, I decided it was time to give my favorite white chicken chili a face lift – Instant Pot style! And since I don’t always have time to make the cream of chicken soup for the creamy base, a little coconut milk and potato starch did the trick so well!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Dump it all in!

Other than a quick little saute to pull some flavor and sweetness out of the veggies in the beginning, this recipe is a dump and go! *Cue the busy mom applause!* The beauty of the Instant Pot is quick cook times and flavorful, juicy meat outcomes, and this recipe does not disappoint. Simply put all of the ingredients into the IP after sauting the veggies, place the raw chicken breasts on top, and when the Instant Pot is done pressure cooking, you’ll have easy to shred chicken to stir into your chili!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

A note on the heat (and to bean or not to bean!)

This recipe is mild in heat and very kid friendly. I left the jalapeno as optional in case your kids are sensitive to heat. I use just one jalapeno in mine, and while I’d love a bit more heat to my bowl, I want my kids to inhale the chili too! I tend to add a hit of cayenne or chili flakes to my bowl to heat it up. One of my tricks to “cooling down” a bowl of chili for little ones is to be sure you top the chili with sour cream. The cool, fatty dairy cuts the heat well. You can use coconut yogurt or coconut milk if you are dairy free. This recipe as written does not contain beans, but if you want to add some white beans, you may!

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Storage and school thermoses!

This white chicken chili freezes really well! I love that this hearty chili can be packed in school thermoses on a cold winter day! They play so hard outside at recess! You can pack a side of cheese or sour cream to add on top in the thermos too. To freeze the chili, cool the chili to room temperature, and store in freezer safe containers.

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp ghee to cook in butter, coconut oil, olive oil, or tallow/lard work too
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper diced
  • 1-2 small jalapenos optional if you like the heat
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp potato starch Not potato flour. Tapioca or arrowroot would work here too
  • 2 tsp taco season I use my own DIY blend
  • 2 to matillos diced
  • 2 small zucchinis large dice
  • 1 – 4oz can green chilis
  • 1 cup bone broth
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 3 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 lb
  • Sea salt/pepper to taste
  • Cilantro, lime wedges, and avocado slices per preference to garnish (optional shredded raw cheese or sour cream if you tolerate that)

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot on to “saute” and melt the ghee. Saute the onion and bell peppers with a pinch of sea salt for about 5-7 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Turn the Instant Pot “off,” and stir in the taco season and potato starch until the veggies are coated. Stir in the tomatillos, zucchini, broth, and coconut milk, and then set the chicken breasts in the liquid.
  • Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and close the valve. Turn the IP on to “Soup,” and bring the time down to 20 minutes. The IP will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 15 minutes. When the 15 minute timer is up, turn the IP off and let it naturally release for 5-10 minutes before releasing the rest of the valve pressure.
  • Take the chicken breasts out of the IP, shred them with a fork, and then return the shredded chicken to the IP, stirring the chicken into the chili. Season the chili to your taste and garnish each bowl with cilantro, lime, and avocado slices per your preference.
Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

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