It’s soup season. Or at least it would normally be soup season, if it weren’t for the fact that we haven’t gone below 80 degrees in weeks. Yesterday it hit 87. It’s almost October and the lowest daytime high in the 10-day forecast is 79. It’s supposed to be in the high 80s again by this weekend. But it’s like a timer goes off in my body every late September. I want soup for lunch and none of y’all can stop me. Plus, everyone I know is getting a head cold right now, and I figure this can either fry the germs out of my sinuses or help clear them out if I catch one.
Every summer we have a garden, and every summer the only thing we end up with a ton of is jalapeños. My husband is the jalapeño whisperer. We’ve probably gotten at least 40 so far, and more are still growing out there. I can’t let them go bad, so I’m making a lot of jalapeño-based recipes. This one only uses two fresh jalapeños for garnish, but that’s two less in my fridge now. I used canned jalapeños for the contents of the soup, because it saves time and doesn’t really compromise on flavor. Plus, I have extra cans from when I sent my husband to the store for canned green chiles and he came back with jalapeños. Oops.
The base of this soup is a pound of chicken breasts and four cups of chicken broth. Those 32-ounce cartons of broth are perfect for this, because you can just dump one into your Instant Pot without having to measure anything. Toss in your chicken breasts along with it. You can do it directly from frozen if you want, just add five minutes to the cook time. I did it this way and it worked fine. To that, add your drained 4-ounce can of diced jalapeños, and a teaspoon each of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Then put the lid on your Instant Pot, and set for pressure cook on high for 15 minutes if using fresh chicken, and 20 minutes if using frozen. After the cook time is complete, let it release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the way. During that ten minutes, fry up three slices of bacon and mince two fresh jalapeños. Make sure to wear food-safe gloves!
Open the lid again and remove the chicken, letting it cool on a plate. Set the pot to saute and whisk in an entire 8-ounce brick of cream cheese that’s been cut or torn into chunks. When the cream cheese has mostly broken down, pour in a half cup of heavy cream and whisk some more, then add a cup of shredded pepper jack and a cup of shredded sharp cheddar, working in 1/4 cup increments. Make sure each handful of cheese has fully melted into the soup before you add more, otherwise you might get clumps. Once you’ve added all the cheese, turn off the Instant Pot. Shred the chicken with forks and stir it into the pot. Pour the soup into bowls or meal prep containers, and garnish each one with crumbled bacon and minced jalapeños.
Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Chicken Soup
A creamy, cheesy, spicy keto soup made in the Instant Pot, perfect for a fall afternoon.
Add the chicken, broth, drained jalapeños, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin to the Instant Pot. If using fresh chicken, set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. If using frozen, set it for 20 minutes. Once the cook time has completed, allow it to naturally release for 10 minutes, then use the quick release method to finish venting.
Open the Instant Pot, remove the chicken, then set it to saute. Whisk in the cream cheese cubes and continue whisking constantly until it's mostly broken up. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking, then add the pepper jack and cheddar in 1/4 cup increments, making sure that each handful is fully melted before adding more. Once the cheese is melted, turn off the Instant Pot. Shred the chicken with forks and stir it into the pot.
Pour the soup into six bowls or meal prep containers, and garnish with the minced jalapeños and crumbled bacon.
Macros per serving: 450 calories, 5 grams net carbs, 30 grams protein, 34 grams fat.
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My husband and I got married in Jamaica, and even before that, I had a soft spot for Jamaican food. I love the blend of spices, and the heat doesn’t drown out the flavor, it enhances it. When we were down there, I ate jerk chicken or pork almost every day, and eventually when I feel like making it again, I’ll also post my jerk pork recipe. But today is something different.
This recipe is inspired by one I found on a sadly now-defunct recipe website called Jamaican It Paleo several years ago. It was a delightfully spicy chicken curry stew with greens and sweet potatoes, and while it took forever to make, I ate it frequently. Obviously, once I switched over to keto, that stew became off-limits because of the sweet potato. I always meant to try to recreate it without the sweet potato, but I haven’t gotten around to it until now.
There are several keys to this recipe that I’ll mention in here. The first is the Jamaican curry spice. This is not the same as regular curry powder, so don’t substitute that. I am lucky to have a local spice market that carries it, so I just use that. If you buy yours, just make sure the mix doesn’t contain added sugar! If you can’t find it, there are multiple recipes online. This one seems to be pretty standard. All of the ingredients except for the fenugreek can usually be found in your local grocery store. The fenugreek can easily be found in an Indian grocery, as it’s frequently used in Indian food as well. You’ll need 1/4 cup of the spice blend for this recipe. The other key is what you do with it. Most recipes just call for adding the spices in after the meat cooks. You’ll want to coat the meat with it and let it sit and marinate for at least a couple of hours. The longer you let it sit, the more flavorful your end product will be.
So now that you know the crucial deets, let’s get started on the actual recipe. Cube 3 pounds of chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks, then put it in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and toss in 1/4 cup of Jamaican curry powder. Make sure all the pieces are coated, and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. When you’re ready to cook it, set your Instant Pot to saute and add 2 tablespoons of avocado or coconut oil. You’ll want to cook the chicken in two or three batches. They don’t need to get brown and crusty, they just need to cook part-way and toast the spices. Stir them frequently, as the batches might be large enough that not every piece touches the bottom of the Instant Pot very well. Each batch should take about 6-7 minutes max.
The first batch of spiced chicken cooking in the Instant Pot.
While the first batch is cooking, chop half a medium onion, and, using gloves, remove the stem and seeds of one Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper and mince it finely. If you have ventilation in your kitchen, turn it on, and if not, open a window. Remove the first batch of chicken, add two more tablespoons of oil, and put in the second batch of chicken along with the onion and pepper. When it’s close to done, add a tablespoon of garlic and saute for another minute, then stir in a cup of chicken broth and scrape up all the lovely brown spices from the bottom of the pot. Add a can of coconut milk and set the pot for the Soup setting, or for about 30 minutes if your pressure cooker doesn’t have that particular setting. Allow for ten minutes of natural release, then use the quick release after that.
During the ten minutes of natural release, tear a bunch of collard greens into bite size pieces, making sure to remove the thick stems, then wash them in a salad spinner. If you can find callaloo, use it instead of the collard greens, as it’s much more authentic. I didn’t feel like hunting it down, so collard greens it was. Once the Instant Pot is able to be opened, add the collard greens to the chicken, stir them to wilt, then put the lid back on and pressure cook for another 5 minutes. Use the quick release, add up to two teaspoons of salt, and you have your stew. Serve it on its own or over cauliflower rice. Be careful dishing it up, especially if you have white countertops like I do, because the turmeric in the curry powder can stain. For the non-keto folks in your life, this would be great over mashed sweet potatoes or with some fried ripe plantains. This is one of those meals that ends up better after it sits overnight, so it’s perfect for meal-prep.
Instant Pot Jamaican Chicken Curry
A keto Jamaican stew made in the Instant Pot, with healthy leafy greens.
3poundsboneless, skinless chicken thighscut into bite-sized pieces
1/4cupJamaican curry powdersee notes above
1/2mediumonionchopped
1Scotch bonnet or habanero pepperstemmed, seeded, and minced
1tbspminced garlic
1cupchicken broth
1canfull-fat coconut milk
1bunchcollard greens or callaloo
2tspsalt
Instructions
Cut up the chicken thighs and put the pieces in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Add the curry powder and toss the chicken to make sure all the pieces are coated. Put the chicken in the fridge for at least two hours to marinate.
Set your Instant Pot to saute and add two tablespoons of avocado or coconut oil. Put 1/3 to 1/2 of the chicken in the pot and saute, turning frequently, for about 6-7 minutes. Remove from pot and add two more tablespoons of oil, then add the remaining chicken along with the chopped onion and pepper. Repeat, then add the garlic and saute for about a minute.
When the final batch of chicken is done, return the first batch to the pot, then add the chicken broth. Stir to scrape up the toasted spices from the bottom of the pot. When that's complete, stir in a can of coconut milk. Set the Instant Pot on the Soup setting, or for 30 minutes on high pressure. When the timer is finished, wait ten minutes, then use the quick release method.
During the ten minutes of natural release, remove the collard green leaves from the thick center stem and tear them into tiny pieces. Rinse them in a salad spinner. Once you've opened the Instant Pot, put in the collard greens, stir them a bit so they begin to wilt, and then put the lid back on and pressure cook for another five minutes. Use quick release to open the cooker again and add the salt, being careful to taste after the first teaspoon to see if you need more. Serve by itself or over cauliflower rice.
Macros per serving: 463 calories, 7 grams net carbs, 33 grams protein, 33 grams fat.
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Back in the pre-keto days, I used to make a wonderful Texas chili recipe. No tomatoes, no beans, no onions, no nothing other than spices, meat, and beef broth. It won my ex-husband’s workplace chili cookoff, although people said that I cheated by using tenderloin, as if tenderloin would be anything but a dry mess when used in any sort of stew-type preparation. You need the fat from chuck in here. The version I have pictured, we accidentally got “lean” stew meat, and it wasn’t anywhere near as good.
The problem is that my old recipe’s thickener was flour. You’d toss the meat cubes with a few tablespoons of flour before browning it, and that was just enough of a thickener to not make it a soupy broth. For the keto version, I skip the flour and use a bit of xanthan gum at the end. I always tell people to use xanthan gum sparingly and in batches, because if you go too far with it, you end up with slime. Not tasty noms by any stretch. But a little bit gives the chili the slightly thicker mouthfeel that the flour used to, without the added carbs. Plus, if you do gluten-free keto, as I do, you’re getting rid of the gluten too.
I’ve made this recipe in a Dutch Oven several times, but that all changed when I got my Instant Pot. This is a life-altering piece of kitchen equipment. Beef stews that used to take 3-4 hours of stovetop cooking now take 1/3 of the time, and end up tasting just as good. I have had 3 different electric pressure cookers in my lifetime. One was a Cuisinart that I got from Costco, one was a cheap knock-off of the Instant Pot, and then I got a deal on an 8-quart name-brand Instant Pot on Amazon. My old knock-off would always get the valve knocked out of place or the seal loosened, and it would result in the pot not coming up to pressure. The manufacturing alone on the Instant Pot is a good reason to splurge for the real thing. The lid is solid, the valve stays where you want it to, almost every part is dishwasher safe, and it’s foolproof to use. This is not your grandma’s pressure cooker. You’re not going to blow up your kitchen with this, trust me. So if you’re afraid, don’t worry. The instructions are crystal-clear and it’s almost impossible to screw up.
Start off with 3 pounds of chuck stew beef. If you want, get a chuck roast and cut it yourself, but I personally would rather spend the extra dollar or so to not have to do that. Heat your Instant Pot to saute, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, and brown the stew beef in batches, sprinkling each with salt and pepper to taste as soon as it gets in the pot. Be careful to not overload the pan. Overloading the pan leads to no good browning, and no good browning leads to no good flavor. Nobody wants that.
Remove each batch of beef to a medium bowl when it’s finished browning. While you’re waiting for the beef to finish, mix together 3 tablespoons of chili powder with 2 teaspoons of cumin, a tablespoon of dried Mexican oregano, a half teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste. For the chili powder, I prefer to use a mixture of different types of chiles instead of the standard “chili powder” you find in the grocery store. I like ancho with a bit of chipotle. Don’t use more than 1 tablespoon of chipotle in the mix unless you REALLY like heat. If you prefer mild, use the regular chili powder. It tastes fine no matter what you do.
Once the beef is browned, add a rounded tablespoon of minced garlic to the Instant Pot and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot, and toss in the spice mixture.
Turn the beef to coat it and let the spices toast for a minute or two, then add 4 cups of beef broth. Stir to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then seal the lid and use the Meat/Stew setting to pressure cook. Use the natural release when it’s finished. That should make your meat almost fall-apart tender.
When the pot can be opened, remove the lid and hit the Saute setting again. Bring the chili to a simmer and sprinkle over xanthan gum, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired thickness. This isn’t meant to be TOO thick, so around 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon should do it. Taste for seasoning one more time and adjust as needed. Serve with cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, minced onion, or any other topping you think would be delicious.
Turn your Instant Pot to saute and add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Put the beef in the pot in batches, being careful not to crowd it too much, and sprinkle each batch with a total of 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. As each batch finishes browning, remove it from the pot and place into a medium bowl.
While the meat browns, mix together the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, and pepper in a small bowl or ramekin. Set aside.
When all the meat is finished browning, add the garlic to the pot and saute for about a minute. Toss in the meat, any accumulated juices from the bowl, and coat with the spices. Toast the beef in the spices for about two minutes, then add the beef broth, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Seal the Instant Pot and set for the Meat/Stew setting, allowing for natural release.
When the pot can be safely opened, remove the lid and set for Saute again. Once the chili begins to simmer, whisk in the xanthan gum, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until it's as thick as you want it.
Macros per serving: 429 calories, 2 grams net carbs, 33 grams protein, 31 grams fat.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
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