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Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and Asparagus

Some days I am overcome with the tedium associated with deciding, yet again, what to make for dinner. Last week, I was faced with some uninspiring chicken sitting in the fridge, along with some asparagus (April is prime asparagus season) and, for some unfathomable reason, a surplus of lemons in the fruit drawer. One overriding criteria was minimal effort - associated with prep time, cooking and pots/pans for washing up. So clearly this dish was born out of nothing but sheer laziness!

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and Asparagus

The Instant Pot is great on days like this - sautee for a few minutes (without dirtying another pan!) then just stick the lid on, press a button and walk away. It's full of flavour in a mere 15 minutes and tastes zingy from the lemon and packs a punch with the garlic, oregano and paprika. Throwing the asparagus into the Instant Pot near the end means everything is cooked in one pan. So many bonuses.


Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Nut-free

Serves 2-3



Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped 
400g skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or minced
juice of 1 medium lemon
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
250g asparagus spears, woody ends removed and sliced on the diagonal
1 tbsp arrowroot flour mixed with a splash of water to make a slurry
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Switch Instant Pot to 'Sautee' mode and add coconut oil.
2. Sautee onion for approx 3 minutes until fragrant, softened and starting to brown, stirring continuously.
3. Add all the other ingredients except asparagus and slurry, lock on the lid and press 'Poultry' function (15 minute cook time).
4. Allow steam to vent before removing lid.
5. Select 'Sautee' function again and add asparagus and slurry to thicken sauce. Stir frequently for  5-10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and asaparagus cooked.
6. Serve over a pile of greens, salad or rice as preferred (watercress and rocket with a few sliced radishes in my case because no further cooking required!)

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