Inflation and Trump’s tariffs got you down? Cooking at home can save you money, but many have lost this skill and now consider home cooking to be microwaving a frozen dinner. If that is your home cooking life, you may think that the only way you can get a decent meal is by going out to a restaurant. However, many restaurant foods are the same pre-made, generic-tasting dishes from companies like Sysco (my personal opinion). They are no different from the food that you buy from the grocery store freezer cabinet.

Now, you may think that I’m some domestic wonder, part physician, part house husband. That would be inaccurate. I have always believed that both men and women should be capable of the routine tasks necessary for living.

I could always cook, and I am rarely intimidated by any challenge (OK, I am terrified of heights, so I’ll give you that). Julie is still working, and I’m retired, so it makes sense that I utilize some of my free time in this way. This also let me teach my kids how to cook. Skills they are now putting to good use as they live independently. Lastly, I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. Some people find misery in everything. I do the opposite. Why not turn cooking into something fun? Play around with a gadget. Learn something new. Share the knowledge. Now, the “drudgery of cooking” is transformed into something completely different.

You don’t have to be a hobby cook to make dishes from scratch. The more you do it, the simpler it is to do. What may seem overwhelming at first becomes second nature over time. Everyone has to eat, and if you make your meals from scratch, you will have delicious food that is significantly less expensive than restaurant, frozen, or (now) even fast food. The recipes I post are effortless yet delicious.

This recipe for lemon garlic chicken (from Cooking with Coit) is straightforward to make and tastes like it was prepared at a nice restaurant. It uses a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Should you run out and buy an electric pressure cooker? Well, you should, but you don’t have to. You can modify this recipe and make it on a burner, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. You need to increase the cooking times and such, but it is possible.

Here is the recipe!

Oh, by the way, you can make less if you wish. If you are only cooking for two, use four chicken thighs. If you are cooking for one, do the same and reheat the leftovers for easy follow-up meals.

Start by mixing the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and sprinkle your spice blend on them.

Heat the Instant Pot using the saute mode and add some oil. Brown the chicken in batches, starting with the skin side down. It should only take a couple of minutes per side. When browned, remove the chicken to a plate.

Now, add the butter to the pan. Those crusty bits on the bottom of the pan are pure flavor gold. We will liberate them later in the recipe.

Add the onion and garlic and soften them. This will take a few minutes. The onions will get slightly translucent.

Add the Italian Seasoning and briefly cook the spice to release its flavor. This takes less than a minute. Make sure to stir, and don’t let the spice burn. I didn’t have enough Italian Seasoning, so I did one tablespoon of that and one tablespoon of oregano. You could try other spices like rosemary to change things up.

Deglaze the pot with the juice of one lemon (about 2 ounces). The acid in the juice will remove the very flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon or other non-damaging implement to scrape. Then add the 1/3rd cup of water.

Return the chicken to the pot. I was making eight thighs, so some of them were above the liquid. I spooned the “sauce” over the top pieces before pressure cooking.

Pressure-cook on high for 8 minutes, then perform a natural release. This means you allow the pot to drop pressure on its own. That will take around 10 minutes after the cooking time. If the pressure isn’t down after 10 minutes, it’s OK to release the pressure at that point. If you release the pressure too soon, the juices in the chicken will be forced out, making the meat a bit tougher. However, if you are in a hurry, you can do a quick release. You may have noticed that I’m not using an Instant Pot. All electric pressure cookers are similar enough. Buy the one that you like or use the one that you have. This recipe could also be made in a stove-top pressure cooker. If cooked on the stove, I would reduce the cooking time by approximately 1 minute, as they cook at a slightly higher pressure.

After cooking, remove the chicken to a serving plate. I like thicker sauces, so I mixed around one tablespoon of cornstarch in a little cold water. I turned the pot back on, sauté until the sauce bubbled, and mixed in the cornstarch. This made a nice, thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.

Ready to serve and extremely simple to make. I added a little chopped parsley, but that is just for show.

Served with a simple rice pilaf and some broccoli. As good as (honestly better than) restaurant food.

Making food from scratch can be very easy. You know the quality, the ingredients, and it is less expensive. What else do you need?

Peace

Mike