The ACV-braised chicken dish you can make in 30 minutes with your Instant Pot

If you don’t already have an Instant Pot, the electric pressure cooker the Internet has gone wild over, chances are it’s on your holiday wish list. From multitasking parents to die-hard Paleo devotees, the appliance seems to be converting new fans every day.

Cookbook author Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri is the proud owner of not one but two Instant Pots, and they both got a workout while she was developing recipes for her latest cookbook, The Art of Great Cooking With Your Instant Pot, which contains 80 healthy, gluten-free recipes.

“ACV adds a nice tang to savory foods, so I tend to use it in a lot of meals.”

One standout: This apple cider vinegar braised chicken, which strikes the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and tangy and is served alongside caramelized leeks and apples. Sunwell-Vidaurri was inspired to come up with the delish dish as a way to use more of her fave pantry staple. “My family always has apple cider vinegar on hand because of the health benefits—my youngest even loves to drink it [diluted] in water,” she says. “But ACV also adds a nice tang to savory foods, so I tend to use it in a lot of meals.”

The recipe also makes use of Sunwell-Vidaurri’s favorite Instant Pot pro tip: Don’t forget about the sauté button. “It helps add extra layers of flavor and increases the temperature of the food before cooking which, in turn, decreases the amount of time that it takes for the Instant Pot to build pressure,” she says. Quick, easy, and healthy? Sounds like a weeknight win.

Is your mouth watering yet? Keep reading to get the 30-minute recipe.

ACV-braised chicken

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
3 Tbsp grass-fed butter, ghee, or avocado oil, divided6 chicken legs1 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided1 leek, sliced, white and light green parts only4 fresh garlic cloves, minced5 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and stems discarded3 apples, cored and quartered3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar3/4 cup fresh apple cider1 Tbsp Dijon or stone-ground mustard

1. Add two tablespoons of your favorite healthy fat to the Instant Pot and press “sauté.” Once the fat has melted, add the chicken legs, sprinkle with a half teaspoon of the sea salt and brown for about two-and-a-half minutes per side.

2. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining one tablespoon of healthy fat of choice, leeks, garlic, thyme, and the remaining one teaspoon of sea salt, sautéing for seven minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the “keep warm/cancel” button.

3. Add the apples, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, and mustard. Give it a good stir. Add the browned chicken legs, making sure they’re submerged and some of the liquid is ladled over them. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the steam release valve is sealed. Press the “poultry” setting for 15 minutes.

2. When the Instant Pot is done and beeps, press “keep warm/cancel.” Using an oven mitt, “quick release” the steam release valve. When the steam venting stops and the silver dial drops, carefully open the lid.

3. Serve immediately with plenty of leeks and apples.

Recipe from The Art of Great Cooking With Your Instant Pot by Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

Here are three more ways to use your Instant Pot. Plus, what happens when you take a shot of ACV every single day.