Pre-COVID, pre-MCAS diagnosis, I worked a job with a 3 hour round trip commute and was a big fan of the crockpot salsa + meat combo. Dump salsa over meat, go to work, come home to food.
Crockpots and slow cooking are a big histamine no-no, as are tomatoes and hot peppers. Even though I now work from home and have a commute of 2 minutes, I still miss the convenience of the commuter meal. I’ve tried a few different things to replicate the same sort of dish in an instant pot, and this is the most successful.
NOTE: There are a bunch of controversial ingredients here depending on which MCAS school of thought you follow. Sugar raises blood sugar and some avoid it altogether. Vinegar and black pepper may not be tolerated in all, especially in early diet stages. It would be possible to omit the vinegar, but the chicken would be less tender. I have not tried this recipe without sugar or vinegar or onions, though I have tried it with just the greens of onions and it turned out well. Mangoes are confusing all to themselves. Some lists call them histamine liberators, while others say that they have strong antihistamine properties. I personally have never had a problem with Mango and lean more towards the antihistamine school of thought. As with any food, you’ll have to test it out yourself in small quantities before deciding if it’s a trigger for you.
You’ll need:
1 large, ripe fresh mango
2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 scallions/green onions, chopped
Cracked black pepper (optional)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup white jasmine rice
- Peel and remove mango flesh from the pit, collecting it and any juice in a small blender.
- Add water, garlic, coconut sugar, vinegar and black pepper to blender. Swirl to combine.
- Blend until all ingredients are a consistent saucy texture.
- In an instant pot, add a small dash of coconut oil, place chicken on top, and sautee to allow the meat to brown. Turn the chicken and brown both sides evenly.
- Turn off sautee setting. Pour mango mixture into pot covering chicken.
- Sprinkle scallions overtop of chicken.
- Seal instant pot and set to pressure cook on high for 17 minutes. While you wait, boil your rice with water on the stovetop.
- Allow the instant pot to naturally pressure release.
- Open pot and shred chicken in the pot. Let it sit for 5 minutes to absorb the juice.
- Serve over rice. Chicken does freeze and thaw nicely if you want to make batches.
Post COVID Kitchen 