I tossed this together based on our pantry: first, place two large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2.5 lb) in a large (8 qt) pressure cooker. For aromatics, add 1 large onion (peeled and quartered), 7-8 garlic cloves (peeled and slightly crushed), 3 stalks celery (mainly the leafy tops, cut into 3-inch lengths), 2 carrots (peeled, trimmed, and cut into 3-inch lengths), and 2 large bay leaves. Pour in enough water to be just below the “max fill” line. Cover and lock the lid, heat until the pressure cooker reaches high (3 rings on our cooker), then lower heat to maintain at high pressure for 15 mins (our chicken was slightly frozen this time, so we increased to 18 mins). At the end of cooking time, turn off heat and move the pressure cooker to a cool burner. Let the pressure cooker naturally release (10 mins). Open pot, remove chicken and discard the vegetables and bay leaves. With the chicken, shred into bite-sized pieces; set aside the meat and discard skin and bones. For the soup, because the pressure cooker is limited, the yield is smaller (about 6-8 cups). Supplement with 1 quart chicken broth (we use Better Than Bouillon), bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add 3 fresh stalks celery (diced), 2 fresh carrots (peeled, trimmed, and diced), and ¼ cup minced dill (for this recipe, you will need a total of ½ cup minced dill, divided into ¼ cup, 2 Tbsp, and 2 Tbsp) and let simmer until carrot and celery are tender (about 10 mins). Towards the end of cooking, add the shredded chicken and an additional 2 Tbsp dill. Turn off heat, then add the juice of 1 lemon for brightness (thanks to Eleni for this tip). Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with cooked orzo if desired (see Note below). Reserve an additional 2 Tbsp fresh dill for garnish. (July 2019)
Note: In a separate pot, we cooked 8 oz orzo until al dente (about 9 mins), drained, cooled, and set aside. For serving, we added about 2-3 Tbsp cooked orzo to each bowl and then poured soup over top. We cook the orzo separately from the soup to prevent leftovers from becoming too mushy and water-logged.
Cooking Adventures 