Blog - Cooking On The Ranch

Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos

April 5, 2018 By Lea Ann Brown 4 Comments

Give these Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos a try. Looking for an easy chicken taco recipe? One that’s dripping in a luscious tomato based, taco seasoned, chile spiked sauce? This easy recipe for Mexican Chicken Tacos using shredded chicken breasts will shake up your Taco Tuesdays.

Serve this with Gulf Coast Style Baked Rice and a Southwestern Salad for a balanced meal.

Chicken tacos on flour tortillas with radishes and avocado.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever met a taco I didn’t like.

And I really couldn’t estimate how long it’s been since we’ve been “taco people.”

I suppose since I was a teenager, and that’s like a hundred years ago. I’d like to be on record that Taco Bell was not the inspiration, but rather it was a mom and pop restaurant in my home town when I was growing up. It introduced tacos and burritos to me long before that big corporate chain.

Rick Bayless threw me over the edge with the introduction of official Mexican Street Tacos, warm soft corn tortillas filled with fresh ingredients far beyond the fried ground beef and chopped onions.

It opened my eyes that a taco shell is a canvas for about any vegetable and protein combination that one can dream up. Take for instance these Swiss Chard Tacos = delicious.

Chicken Soft tacos in a tomato sauce topped with chopped avocado and sliced radish.

We don’t really need another reason to love chicken tacos, unless it’s this saucy chicken taco version, which is a little different than most main stream Mexican tacos recipes. Rather than using a traditional Red Chile Sauce, this sauce starts with a can of tomato sauce.

This sauce, cooked stovetop is extremely easy and the seasoning for the chicken faster than any quick chicken marinade.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts coated with taco seasoning in a baking dish for Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos.

This recipe starts in the oven, by sprinkling flavorful homemade taco seasoning over boneless skinless chicken breasts and baking for thirty minutes.

While the chicken is baking, the sauce is prepared stovetop and set aside. This easy taco sauce starts with a can of tomato sauce and is seasoned with garlic, onion, cumin and chile powder.

Once the chicken is cooked and cool enough to shred, it’s added to the sauce and simmered for fifteen minutes.

The tacos are built by warming the corn tortillas and filling them with the savory spicy chicken mixture.

I’ve topped them with chopped avocado, sliced radishes, sliced romaine lettuce and grated Monterey Jack Cheese.

We truly loved the crunch of the sliced radishes and creaminess of the avocado with tomato sauced chicken. It all came together for this flavorful and exciting soft taco recipe.

Topping options for chicken soft tacos:

Use Muenster cheese instead of Monterey Jack.
Replace Monterey Jack Cheese with crumbled Queso Fresco
Replace thin sliced Romaine with thin sliced green cabbage.
Top tacos with fine diced fresh jalapeno pepper
Add very thin sliced rings of red onion, or Homemade Pickled Red Onions.
Top with sliced green or ripe olives.
Turn these tacos into tostadas. Fry your own or purchase store bought tostada shells.

Easy Chicken Tacos Recipe, Saucy Soft Chicken Tacos

Warm flour tortillas filled with chicken and topped with romaine lettuce, radishes and avocado for chicken soft tacos.

If you’re looking for an easy chicken tacos recipe, these will be perfect for your next taco night.

I hope you give these saucy chicken tacos a try. They may not be as rich and complex as Pulled Pork Tacos (carnitas) or Chorizo Tacos, they don’t have the sweet-savory balance of Tacos al Pastor, but they’ve got one big advantage, they’re really easy to make. And no matter how hard you try, very difficult to mess up.

Explore More Southwestern Taco Recipes

Love Mexican food as much as we do? Don’t miss my Taco Category. You’ll find lots of inspiration for your next Taco Tuesday. Including one of the most popular Taco recipes on my site for Pork Tenderloin Tacos In Chile Guajillo Sauce.

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5 from 1 vote

Saucy Chicken Tacos

This easy recipe for Mexican Chicken Tacos using shredded chicken breasts will shake up your Taco Tuesdays.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Course: Main Course Chicken

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

3 medium chicken breasts boneless, skinless
1 ½ tablespoon taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup onion diced
15 ounces tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic diced
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon New Mexico Chile Powder
2 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
1 ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
5 radishes sliced
1 Avocado chopped
Soft white or yellow corn tortillas

Instructions

Coat chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and bake at 350 degreed for 30 minutes, or until done.
When chicken is cool enough, shred chicken with fork. In a sauce pan, cook onions in remaining olive oil until tender. Add chicken and tomato sauce and remaining seasonings and simmer on medium low, covered for 15 minutes.
Warm tortillas. To build tacos, scoop a spoonful of chicken into each tortilla. Add lettuce, cheese, radishes and then avocado.

Notes

Topping options for chicken soft tacos:

Use Muenster cheese instead of Monterey Jack.
Replace Monterey Jack Cheese with crumbled Queso Fresco
Replace thin sliced Romaine with thin sliced green cabbage.
Top tacos with fine diced fresh jalapeno pepper
Add very thin sliced rings of red onion, or Homemade Pickled Red Onions.
Top with sliced green or ripe olives.
Turn these tacos into tostadas. Fry your own or purchase store bought tostada shells.

Nutrition

Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos …. They’re What’s for Dinner

Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps with Lime Dressing

March 24, 2018 By Lea Ann Brown 13 Comments

These Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps are refreshing with Lime Dressing are glorious in flavor. A simple dressing splashed over poached shrimp and crunchy vegetables creates a light meal or a shrimp appetizer that’s so healthy and tasty, you’ll want to make it over and over again. You’ll love this make ahead shrimp recipe for entertaining. And it’s versatile as a shrimp taco or shrimp lettuce wraps.

Shrimp taco lettuce wraps with crunchy vegetables and lime dressing.

Nothing says Summer like seafood and fresh, crispy vegetables.

This recipe utilizes fine diced tomato, radishes, red onion and it wouldn’t be a taco without cilantro and jalapeno.

Just toss the cooked and cooled shrimp together in a bowl and stir them together with the chopped vegetables. Arrange the bright green inner leaves of Romaine lettuce and pile the shrimp and vegetable mixture towards the stem end of the leaves.

Right before serving, drizzle the lime dressing over the shrimp mixture.

You can eat them by rolling up the romaine leaves and making shrimp taco lettuce wraps. I trimmed the tough ends of the romaine leaves to make them easier to roll.

Or you can have warmed white corn tortillas and a big spoon nearby to scoop the mixture to make shrimp tacos.

These healthy shrimp taco lettuce wraps are perfect for a casual fun light dinner or as an appetizer. And what makes this recipe even more appealing is that you can make this ahead of time and serve cold or at room temperature.

Tips On Buying Shrimp

High in protein, low in calories, and sweet with flavor, shrimp becomes an irresistible choice for dinner.

Unless you live near the ocean, and can enjoy fresh caught shrimp, as with all of my shrimp recipes, I recommend purchasing it from the freezer section. Labeled “easy peel” means the shell has been split and the shrimp should be deveined.
Most shrimp are flash frozen shortly after being caught and then packaged for transport and sale. I feel more comfortable buying frozen than those at the seafood counter since usually they’re just frozen shrimp that have been thawed, just like you will do.
When poaching shrimp, I like to cook them with the shell on. I learned in Culinary School that it preserves more flavor and they’re easier to peel after cooked.
And as always, look for the label indicating that it’s wild caught American shrimp and not imported farmed. You’ll be amazed that American wild caught shrimp actually tastes like shrimp.

Tips on Cooking Shrimp

Cook the Shrimp with shell on for more flavor and an easier peel.
Season the water with black peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves and one juiced lime to flavor the shrimp.
Don’t throw that juiced lime in the trash, add it to the poaching water for even more flavor.
To know if shrimp are cooked properly: straight shrimp are undercooked, shrimp curled into a “C” are done, shrimp closed in a tight curl are overcooked.
After removing shrimp from the cooking liquid, place them in an ice bath to prevent them from further cooking.

Shrimp tacos with tomatoes, radish, red onion on romaine lettuce with lime dressing

Make Ahead and Versatile

I made this early afternoon last Sunday, refrigerated the shrimp and then brought it to room temperature before serving. I served this as an appetizer for a party of four with warmed tortillas on the side.

Half used the tortillas and half simply rolled them into easy shrimp wraps using the lettuce as the shell.

Shrimp and mixed vegetables served on romaine lettuce leaves.

Recipe for Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps

This recipe was inspired and adapted by Rick Bayless, the king of fresh and authentic Mexican cuisine.

More Light and Healthy Taco Recipes

And if you’re looking for even more taco ideas, don’t miss my category for Taco Recipes. You’ll find lots of fun ideas, including the most popular taco recipe on my site for Easy Dutch Oven Tri-tip Tacos.

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5 from 5 votes

Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps with Lime Dressing and Crunchy Vegetables

These Shrimp Tacos with Lime Dressing are gloriously refreshing. A simple lime dressing splashed over poached shrimp and crunchy vegetables creates a light meal or a shrimp appetizer that's so healthy, you'll want to make it over and over again. You'll love this make ahead shrimp recipe for entertaining.

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Total Time28

Course: Main Course Seafood

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 433kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

SHRIMP
1 lime halved
½ teaspoon black peppercorns very coarsely ground
¼ teaspoon allspice berries very coarsely ground
3 bay leaves
12 ounces medium shrimp in their shells
COMPLETING THE DISH
½ small red onion cut into ¼-inch dice
1 medium-small tomato cut into ¼-inch dice
5 radishes finely diced
1 small jalapeno deveined, seeds removed and fine diced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh cilantro fine chopped
2 ½ tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
5 tablespoons vegetable oil preferably half olive oil and half vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Salt
4 leaves romaine lettuce for garnish
sprigs of cilantro for garnish
12 warm corn tortillas for serving

Instructions

Squeeze the two lime halves into a medium saucepan, then add the two squeezed rinds, the black pepper, allspice, bay leaves and 1 quart water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Raise the heat to high, add the shrimp, and let the liquid return just barely to a simmer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and using a colander, drain the shrimp. Return shrimp to hot pan re-cover tightly, set aside for 5 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through, then rinse the shrimp under cold water, or use an ice bath to stop the cooking.
Peel the shrimp. If the shrimp need deveined then deveined run a knife down the back to expose the dark intestinal track and scrape it out. If the shrimp are medium or larger, cut them into ½ -inch bits; place in a bowl.
Add the red onion, tomato, radish, jalapeno and cilantro to the shrimp.
In a small bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the lime juice, oil and salt.
Shortly before serving, mix the dressing ingredients thoroughly, then pour over the shrimp mixture. Toss to coat everything well, cover and refrigerate or set aside at room temperature.
Line a shallow bowl with the lettuce leaves. Taste the shrimp mixture for salt, scoop it into the prepared bowl and serve, garnished with sprigs of cilantro. Serve with warmed white corn tortillas and a big spoon to make tacos. Guests have a choice of Shrimp Lettuce Wraps or Shrimp Tacos.

Video

Notes

Guests can choose to eat these as lettuce wraps or scooped into warm corn tortillas for a shrimp taco.

Nutrition

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

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Shrimp Taco Lettuce Wraps … They’re what’s for dinner.

One Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce

March 19, 2018 By Lea Ann Brown 13 Comments

This chicken in tomatillo sauce was a big hit in our house. Flavorful fork-tender, juicy chicken thighs resting in a tangy Mexican green sauce. A delicious and easy one-pot chicken dinner. Frying chicken thighs nice and crispy and then braising them in a Mexican style gravy makes these Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce a divine treat. It’s a meal that will remind you of one from your favorite Mexican restaurants.

One pan crispy chicken thighs in tomatillo wine sauce on a white serving platter with an antique silver serving spoon

In my humble opinion, chicken thighs are the best part of the chicken. So much flavor and when cooked correctly a tender and tasty treat. And for our preference, cooking “correctly” simply means a quick fry to brown the skin all over and then braising in a sauce of your choice.

This time the sauce is a green sauce made smoky due to the roasted Hatch Chile and tart and savory with tomatillos, chicken stock and white wine.

Tomatillos are an easy fruit to use in your meal plans. Small, round and green, tomatillos look like unripe tomatoes and are known as tomates verdes in Mexico. Tomatillos have a tart herbal taste and can be used in salsa verde, soups and stews.

To remove the husks, hold the fruit under warm running water, strip off the husks and rinse off the sticky residue from the skins.

Crispy fried chicken thighs on a bed of tomatillo and hatch chile green sauce on a white serving platter.

Mise en Place:

Means, everything in it’s place. This one pan dinner comes together easily if you practice due diligence in chopping and dicing before beginning. The french term Mice en Place was pounded into our heads daily when I attended Culinary School. And it’s a habit that’s well worth the time to master.

This recipe calls for roasted Hatch chile. I have a stash of roasted chiles in my freezer, so this is an easy task for me. Roasting chiles are easy if you have a gas range.

No Hatch available? Just place fresh Anaheim, poblanos or Hatch directly over the flame of your gas stove, resting them on your stovetop grates. Turn them frequently until they’re blackened on all sides. When done, place the chile in a plastic zip lock bag and let them steam for about ten minutes. Then the skins will slide off easily. No need to remove each and every inch of the blackened skin, leaving a trace here and there will increase the smoky flavor. Never run the peppers under water to remove skins. You’re washing away valuable flavor.

Chop the onion and tomatillo and mince that garlic. Chop the cilantro and measure the cumin. Gather your bottle of white wine and your carton of chicken stock. You’re ready to get to work.

Which White Wine Should I Use for Cooking?

And speaking of cooking with wine. Always cook with a wine that you’d drink. I like inexpensive chardonnay or more frequently I buy Catalunya White Wine (Spain). Rene Barbier Mediterranean White. It’s under $10 and is crisp, fresh and floral with a hint of citrus it seems to be perfect for the kitchen. And it’s what we used daily at Cooking School. Please don’t use cooking wine from the grocery store.

Riffs on This Recipe

Don’t want to use white wine? Just omit and increase the chicken stock to two cups.
Not a thigh person? Of course you can use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Boneless skinless will work also, but will be a bit drier. Also, boneless skinless thighs can be substituted in this recipe.
Instead of serving the chicken whole, shred the meat and gently mix into the sauce. Eating a chicken thigh that’s been slathered in sauce can be a bit messy. So if you’d like an easier dining experience. Shred the meat.
Garnish with Sour Cream.
Before serving the sauce, use an immersion blender for a smoother texture and appearance.
Want to go vegetarian? Omit chicken and add some potatoes for a stew-type experience.
Really want to kick up the flavor? Use roasted jalapenos. Your choice to remove seeds and veins. If you leave them you’ll get more heat from the pepper.
Serve this over rice or even mashed potatoes. If you’re shredding the meat you can serve with a warm tortilla.

This recipe was inspired and adapted from the cookbook One Pot Of The Day.

Recipe for One Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce

More Recipes Using Tomatillos

And don’t miss my category for Chicken Recipes. You’ll find lots of options, including the most popular on my site for Chicken Fajita Pasta. A hearty comfort food recipe that the whole family will love.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

One pan crispy chicken thighs with tomatillo wine sauce on a white serving platter with an antique serving spoon

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5 from 5 votes

One Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce

A delicious and easy one-pot chicken dinner. Frying chicken thighs nice and crispy and then braising them in a Mexican style gravy makes these Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce a divine treat. It's a meal that will remind you of one from your favorite Mexican restaurants.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course Chicken

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 479kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds Chicken thighs skin-on and bone-in
1 large sweet onion fine chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup Dry White Wine
3 Hatch Chile Peppers roasted, peeled, and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 ½ pounds tomatillos husked, rinsed, and quartered
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro plus whole leaves for garnish
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on all sides. Working in batches, sear the chicken until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the pan, and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The add the chicken stock. Add the roasted chiles, garlic, tomatillos, chopped cilantro, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken and any juices that've collected on the plate to the pan, cover, and simmer, turning once, until the chicken is opaque throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add the lime juice to the sauce remaining in the pan and simmer over medium-high heat until slightly reduced and thickened, 10 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If a smoother sauce is desired, pulse all or half the sauce in a food processor or blender until the desired consistency is reached.
Pour the sauce onto a serving platter and using tongs place chicken pieces on the sauce. If you’d like spoon a little of the sauce over the chicken. over the chicken Garnish with the whole cilantro leaves. Serve with rice or tortillas on the side.

Notes

If you don’t have a stash of frozen roasted Hatch Chile peppers, you can substitute a small can of chopped Hatch chile. Or roast Anaheims or Poblanos for a substitute.

Nutrition

Chicken in Tomatillo Sauce … It’s What’s For Dinner

Instant Pot Bacon Mushroom Risotto

March 16, 2018 By Lea Ann Brown 7 Comments

Bacon and Mushroom Risotto is a super easy side dish using your Instant Pot. Adding a bit of a Southwestern kick with New Mexico Chile Powder compliments the nutty flavor of the Arborio Rice and the earthy flavor of Mushrooms. A meal in itself, or a side dish for your favorite entree.

We like to serve this with Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin. The rich flavor of the risotto seems a perfect partner for tender pork.

What You Can Expect From This Recipe

Mushrooms are a tailor-made addition to creamy risotto. And adding bacon takes this risotto recipe to the next level. This traditional Italian dish gets a dose of fusion with Southwestern love by adding a bit of New Mexico Chile powder for a little heat.

Why Make Risotto In The Instant Pot?

It’s Fast and Easy: Let your pressure cooker do the heavy lifting for a hands-off risotto experience.
Ready in about 30-minutes. Cooking risotto in the Instant Pot takes the guess work, fear and doubt for this notoriously finicky dish.
Using a pressure cooker eliminates the traditional custom of standing over the pot and stirring, stirring …and stirring.
Risotto’s reputable creamy luxurious texture is not compromised.
It simply makes risotto a more accessible side dish. You’ll simply want to make it more often.
Scientifically there’s something about a pressure cooker and its results on any starchy food that seems to make it softer, stickier and the flavor seems better. The Instant Pot website says that “cooking under pressure or at higher temperature starch in rice gelatinizes to the maximum degree. This is why pressure cooked rice has a softer and stickier grain texture in comparison to boiled and steamed rice at normal pressure”.

Once the ingredients are gathered and the small amount of chopping required, all that’s left is a 6-minute pressure cook and it’s read to eat.

The Flavor Profile: The woodsy flavor of shiitake mushrooms are a great partner for the earthy rich flavor of the chile powder. Smoky bacon adds a layer of unforgettable flavor.

Let’s take a look at how to make Bacon Mushroom Risotto:

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients to make bacon mushroom risotto.

Mushrooms: I like to use shiitake mushrooms for this recipe, but experiment with different varieties or even a mix of mushrooms. Oyster, Trumpet, Chanterelle or easy to find button or baby bella mushrooms.
Arborio Rice: Arborio rice is a short grain rice that is traditionally used to make Italian Risotto. It has a high starch content which gives it it’s creamy texture. No substitutions here please.
Parmesan Cheese: A hard Italian cheese with a nutty fruity flavor. Again traditional for risotto, no substitutions please.
Chile Powder: I prefer and always have a good supply of New Mexico Red Chile Powder. You can substitute Ancho Chile Powder.

Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.

Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy

Cooking mushrooms and onions in Instantpot to make bacon mushroom risotto.

Adding aborio rice to instant pot to make bacon and mushroom risotto.

Step 1: Cook bacon until crispy stovetop. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Set the Instant Pot to Sautee. When hot, add oil and butter. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Warm the chicken stock in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. During the time the stock is heating, add the onions and cook, stirring regularly for 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the rice and chile powder and stir until rice is nicely coated., stirring for 1 minute.

Step three to make Bacon Mushroom Risotto.

Step 3: Add the chicken broth and stir. Press the cancel button. Put the lid on, lock, and set Press ‘pressure cook on high, and set the timer for 6 minutes.
Step 4: Once pressure is released and you can remove the lid, add in the grated Parmesan cheese, cream, cooked bacon pieces and a little more butter if you’d like.

How to make bacon mushroom risotto step 5.

Bacon Mushroom Risotto served in a bowl.

Step 5: Stir all ingredients until well combined.
Step 6: Grab your favorite serving bowls and serve this risotto with bacon and mushrooms immediately.

Tips For Success

The rice itself is important. A high starch content rice is the key to the creamy texture of risotto. Arborio rice is readily available on grocery shelves. You can also Seek out Carnaroli rice, considered to be the king of rices when it comes to making risotto, and will give you that restaurant quality experience. You can find it at your favorite Italian Specialty Market. Avoid long-grain rices like Jasmine or Basmati, which are lower in starch.
No Need To Rinse The Rice: You need that starch residue that lives on the surface of the rice to achieve that creamy texture.
Use a Microplane Zester or a Box Grater to finely grate the Parmesan Cheese. Thicker chunks of cheese will not properly melt.
If the risotto is a bit too wet after the final stir after cooking, turn on the sautee function and drizzle in a little more milk.
Purchase regular thick cut bacon. Some of the fancier flavored smoked additives will over-power the delicate flavor of this risotto recipe. You want a balanced flavor.
Kitchen shears make easy work to cut the bacon into small pieces before frying.

Questions You May Have

Is Bacon Mushroom Risotto Gluten Free?

Yes, rice is a gluten free product and the ingredients are gluten free.

How To Serve It

Bacon Mushroom Risotto can be served as a main course. Or serve it with your favorite main course. May I suggest Italian Beef Tagliata, or these Lamb Skewers with Lemon Vinaigrette.

Leftovers and Storage

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat, take advantage of your microwave’s 50% power function. Reheat individual servings in 15-second increments. Add a little milk before reheating if the left-over risotto seems a little dry

Recipe For Bacon and Mushroom Risotto

More Popular Side Dish Recipes

And check out my category for Side Dish Recipes, you’ll find lots of great recipes including one of the most popular for Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

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5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Bacon Mushroom Risotto

Making Risotto in an Instant Pot is a breeze. The texture and creaminess is not at all sacrificed with the quick cook. Shiitake Bacon and Mushroom Risotto is a very special blend of Southwestern flavors. A beautiful compliment the nutty flavor of the Arborio Rice.

Prep Time15

Cook Time6

Total Time21

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Southwestern Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

6 ounces Bacon chopped and cooked to crispy stage
1 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup sweet onion diced
5 ounce Package Mushrooms sliced. Shiitake, button or baby bella work well here.
¾ cup arborio rice
1 teaspoon pure chile powder such as Chimayó or ancho
1 ½ cups chicken stock placed in a Pyrex measuring cup and heated in microwave
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In a fry pan stovetop, cook the chopped bacon until crispy stage. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Set the Instant Pot to Sautee. When hot, add oil and butter. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Warm the chicken stock in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. During the time the stock is heating, add the onions to the Instant Pot and cook, stirring regularly for 1 to 2 minutes
Add the rice and chile powder and stir until rice is nicely coated, for 1 minute. Add the warmed chicken stock.
Press the cancel button. Put the lid on the Instant Pot making sure it's in the locked position and pressure valve is down. Press 'pressure cook on high, and set the timer for 6 minutes.
When the timer beeps, release the pressure.
Once the pressure is released and you're able to open the lid, stir in the cheese, cream, cooked bacon pieces and a little more butter if you'd like.

Notes

Tips For Success

The rice itself is important. A high starch content rice is the key to the creamy texture of risotto. Arborio rice is readily available on grocery shelves. You can also Seek out Carnaroli rice, considered to be the king of rices when it comes to making risotto, and will give you that restaurant quality experience. You can find it at your favorite Italian Specialty Market. Avoid long-grain rices like Jasmine or Basmati, which are lower in starch.

No Need To Rinse The Rice: You need that starch residue that lives on the surface of the rice to achieve that creamy texture.

Use a Microplane Zester or a Box Grater to finely grate the Parmesan Cheese. Thicker chunks of cheese will not properly melt.

If the risotto is a bit too wet after the final stir after cooking, turn on the sautee function and drizzle in a little more milk.

Purchase regular thick cut bacon. Some of the fancier flavor smoked additives will over-power the delicate flavor of this risotto recipe.

Kitchen shears make easy work to cut the bacon into small pieces before frying.

Nutrition

Bacon Mushroom Risotto … It’s What’s For Dinner

Cheesecake Black Bottom Chocolate Cupcakes

March 6, 2018 By Lea Ann Brown 8 Comments

These Cheesecake Black Bottom Chocolate Cupcakes are about to make you extremely popular. With a cream cheese filling hiding inside a luscious chocolate cake and topped with a swirl of cream cheese butter frosting. What’s not to love?

Chocolate black bottom cupcake with white frosting.

My Inspiration for these black bottom chocolate cupcakes:

It all started when we were invited over for Greg’s birthday party. He requested that I bring my Chili. Thank you Greg, such a compliment. But I felt the need to also contribute something a little more birthday-y. Cupcakes were on my mind, since I couldn’t steer myself towards making a cake.

So, a hunting I went for a cupcake recipe that would be adult appealing and kid friendly. I turned to one of my favorite baking sites, That Skinny Chick Can Bake. Liz is an expert baker with tons of reliable recipes. Of course, she offered many cupcake recipes, but once I laid eyes on this chocolate indulgence, I couldn’t resist. This is her mom’s recipe from the 70’s and I can see why it’s still wildly popular.

What Makes This Chocolate Cupcake Recipe So Good?

Several things caught my eye about this recipe. One was the vinegar in the batter. The first chocolate cake I ever made was in 4-H as a child. A Devil’s Food Cake that called for vinegar. A curious ingredient, don’t you think? Actually the interaction between the vinegar and baking soda makes for a cake that is quite airy and moist. It’s a baking technique that was born from the Great Depression era when ingredients like milk, butter and eggs were scarce and often not affordable.

The combination of ingredients in this batter returns a rich, moist beautiful chocolate cupcake. Tucked inside the cupcake is a cream cheese, egg, sugar and chocolate chip filling. Reminiscent of cheesecake in texture and flavor, it’s a great little surprise when you bite into the cupcake. And topped with cream cheese butter frosting = perfection.

I am not a frosting fan. I’m the one who picks it off a cake. Unless it’s cream cheese frosting. Be still my heart when I’ve got a slice of carrot cake slathered with that stuff. From what I’ve read, these cupcakes are usually not frosted, but Liz used cream cheese frosting…how could I resist?

Cupcake Crazed – What’s Your Favorite Recipe?

I’m somewhat new to the idea of being a good baker, thank you very much Culinary School and all of those days spent in the Pastry Kitchen to help boost my confidence. And, I missed the cupcake craze a few years ago. But I feel my own craze on the way. Not a crazy craze with wild decorations, but one that reminds me of simpler cupcakes from my childhood.

What’s your go-to cupcake recipe?

Again, thanks to Liz for this recipe.

I hope you give this cheesecake chocolate cupcake recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give it a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite cheesecake chocolate cupcake recipe, please let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Chocolate Dessert Recipes

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

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5 from 2 votes

Cheesecake Black Bottom Chocolate Cupcakes

These Cheese Cake Black Bottom Chocolate Cupcakes are about to make you extremely popular. With a cream cheese filling hiding inside a luscious chocolate cake and a swirl of cream cheese butter frosting, what’s not to love?

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

For The Filling
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
⅓ cup sugar
1 egg
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
For The Cupcakes
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
⅔ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
⅔ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar white or cider
2 teaspoons vanilla
For The Frosting
½ cup 1 stick butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 ½-3 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners (you may need a third muffin tin because this batch can make up to 28 cupcakes). Preheat oven to 350º.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, egg and salt until creamy. Mix in chocolate chips by hand. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and beat on medium speed with hand mixer for 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl, until combined.
Fill muffin cups ⅔ full with cake batter. Spoon 1 level tablespoon of cream cheese into the center of each cupcake.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
Make frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese until smooth. add 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar and mix until combined. If your frosting is too thin, add up to another ½ cup powdered sugar.
Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes.

Nutrition

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Cheesecake Black Bottom Chocolate Cupcakes

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