6 minute fajitas with the Instant Pot

I really love oven fajitas except that they take 40 minutes in the oven. That means I normally only make them on the weekends when I am home to start them. Otherwise we'd be eating dinner at 7pm and I'd be all hangry.

This recipe actually came about because I came home from work one day, had everything I needed to make fajitas except time and they sounded so good. I was a hungry woman, so this recipe is as easy as possible.

I'm also doing weight watchers and I wasn't in a great point situation....cake happens. Sometimes, the same week that baklava happened.

This led me to think....why can't I make fajitas in my Instant Pot???? Well, turns out, I can.

Making fajitas in the instant pot is quicker than making them in the oven and also healthier because you don't need to use any oil.

Now, I will say that I slightly prefer the taste of my oven fajitas and I expect I will continue to make them. However, on work nights, I will definitely look to my Instant Pot for my fajita needs, as I do for so many other things.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2lbs chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips (you can also use thighs or tenderloins)
• 3 bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1 onion sliced (I don't like onions, so I skip this but I listed it as I realize most people do :))
• 1 package of taco season (I use reduced sodium)
• 1 cup water

You'll also want shells, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream and anything else you like on your fajitas!

Directions:

Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Place your sliced vegetables in the pot and sprinkle with half of the taco seasoning.

Place your sliced chicken on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with remaining taco seasoning. Place your lid on your Instant Pot and set to sealing. Cook on manual, high pressure for 6 minutes.

When the cooking cycle has ended quick release the pressure.

There is a fair amount of cooking liquid remaining in the pot at the end (water, juices from the chicken) so I recommend using either tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables make your fajitas.

I made these in my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo. You could easily make a larger batch in the 8 quart and this might be small enough to make in a mini - if you try it let me know!

This recipe is zero points on Weight Watchers! The only points are from the shells, cheese and other accompaniments. I had mine with La Bandarita low carb shells (1pt each), reduced fat cheese (3pts for 1/4 cup) and light sour cream (2pts) for a total of 7 points for 2 very filling and large fajitas.

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Instant Pot lemon garlic chicken & rice - 4 WW freestyle points

This satisfying chicken and rice dish is a great weeknight meal and quickly cooks up in the 6 quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker.

When made with chicken breasts, it's also only 4 points on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program! The recipe makes 6 servings.

You can also substitute chicken thighs, if you don't care about the points or prefer the taste of thighs. You do not need to adjust the cooking time if you use thighs.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups water
2 tsp of better than bouillon garlic base
1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup jasmine rice
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 lemon, juiced
salt to taste

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Turn Instant Pot on saute, high and add olive oil. After the pot has heated up, saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes until it's slightly brown.

Pour in the water and add the garlic base. Stir the base in until it's well combined. Add the chicken, rice, basil and the juice of one lemon to the pot. Press cancel to turn off the saute function on the pot.

All the basil was at the top!

Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the vent to "sealing." Set the Instant Pot to manual, high pressure for 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking cycle, quick release the pressure.

If there is any residual water in the pot at the end of the cooking cycle, turn the saute function back on and allow the water to cook off before serving. I suggest tasting it and then adding a little salt if needed.

I served it with some bell pepper strips, I was planning to make edamame as a side but I wasn't in the kitchen since my IP was doing all the work and time got away from me!

We had plenty for dinner (I had two servings...) for the two of us and also for good sized lunch portions the next day.

This blog is not affiliated with Weight Watchers in any way. Points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers recipe builder in March 2017. This post contains some affiliate links, if you make a purchase via one of these links this blog will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.