Braised Chicken in Marinara Sauce
SERVES: 4
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: QUICK
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 40 MINUTES
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 15 MINUTES
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For our pressure-cooker take on the Italian-American classic chicken and marinara, we started with bone-in chicken breasts since they would stay more moist than boneless breasts during their cooking time. Even though we knew the skin wouldn’t brown in the steamy pressure-cooker environment, we left it in place since it would guard the meat from drying out. Cooking the chicken in the sauce infused the meat with the sauce’s flavor, and the meat’s juices also gave the marinara a boost. Since we wanted to develop a recipe that would require minimal prep, we took store-bought pasta sauce and bolstered it with fresh garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes prior to cooking, and just before serving we stirred in some Parmesan and fresh basil. Serve over pasta (or rice) or with a fresh loaf of Italian or French bread. Our favorite brand of jarred marinara is Victoria Marinara Sauce. See the Test Kitchen Tip and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
|
1 |
tablespoon olive oil |
|
5 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
2 |
tablespoons tomato paste |
|
¼ |
teaspoon red pepper flakes |
|
1 |
cup jarred marinara sauce |
|
4 |
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed |
|
Salt and pepper |
|
|
1 |
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup) |
|
2 |
tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Cook oil, garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into pot.
2. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 15 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
3. QUICK RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat. Quick release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
4. BEFORE SERVING: Transfer chicken to serving dish and remove skin. Tent chicken loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Stir in Parmesan and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.