Hola Mi Gente,
A few weeks ago, when I was making Arroz con Gandules, I was trying to think of what I wanted to eat with it. By nature, it’s a pretty tropical food, and so I wanted something that was going to taste like summer. Because I had been cooking all day, I needed something fast and easy. Usually when I think about those two things, it means my Instant Pot is about to be put to good use. In a sort of hurry, I decided to try a variation of a mojo marinade–a Cuban marinade usually made with citrus. That particular week, I happened to have a lot of grapefruit, so I threw that in a blender with a few other ingredients and added the mixture to some chicken in the instant pot. I was mostly hoping for the best, but to my surprise the flavor of the chicken was SO rich, that I decided I HAD to share it with you!
Lately, I’ve been really crushing on citrus. In the middle of our last round of Whole 30, I started craving margaritas REALLY bad (🤣🤣🤣). I started this sort of ritual of eating half a grapefruit in the morning, and eating the other half at night with a little salt on it (there is a really fascinating NPR article on why salt makes grapefruit taste sweeter that you can read here!). Call me crazy, but it did the trick for me with that specific craving. Since then, and thanks to California’s incredible citrus season right now, I’ve kept them in stock pretty much every week at the house.
I feel like generally, grapefruit gets a bad rap. I literally didn’t eat or buy grapefruit for a long time, because I remembered them being really bitter. When I first started eating them again a few months ago, I found that using tiny little dessert spoons to scoop the citrus out, without the pith (that white, fibery outside) interacting with my tastebuds too much. A lot of the bitterness in grapefruit comes form the pith. The other half is due to genetics (your specific tastebuds), and just eating grapefruit that aren’t quite ripe enough or in season. That having been said, the pith is super nutritious so don’t skip it allll the time.
The reason I reached for grapefruit in this recipe, was because I wanted a semi-sweetness to my chicken, without it tasting like candy. I actually wanted a bit of the bitterness grapefruit are known for, to interact with the cilantro for a really fresh taste. The result was a really rich sauce, that under pressure, gets the chicken super shredded, but coated with flavor on every side. As an added bonus, this recipe is Whole 30 compliant, and would be delicious in salads, lettuce wraps, or scooped on top of some tostones.
While not on Whole 30, this chicken is going on top of my arroz con gandules, or as the superstar in some mid-week chicken tacos. While I’ve got your attention on tacos, I really feel the need to chat for a little bit about things you can do to amp up your taco game. Generally there are three rules I live by when it comes to tacos:
- Always use soft, corn tortillas. I repeat, ALWAYS. Put the hard taco shells back on the shelf. Reserve your flour tortillas for burritos. Your tacos deserve the best agent there is to transport the goodies to your mouth, and that will ALWAYS be corn tortillas.
- STEP AWAY FROM THE GROUND BEEF. Listen, I get it. Ground beef is affordable. But Taco Bell has lied to you all these years. Chicken thighs are just as affordable as ground beef, and they will be texturally SO. MUCH. BETTER.
- Put the yellow cheese down. If you’re opting for cheese on your taco, always pick cotija or queso fresco (most grocery stores carry these now!). Yellow cheese is not Mexican cheese. White, crumbly cotija or queso fresco ARE.
And, okay, since I’m feeling all the sass right now about tacos (y’all, I live in a place where they tried to put strawberry salsa on a taco and call it a taco–BLESS 🙅🏽♀️😭), let’s just go ahead and add that your tacos shouldn’t be loaded with 11 toppings. Keep it minimal. The best tacos I’ve found in town (Tierra Del Sol at the Portland Mercado) literally only top their asada tacos with cilantro and onions. Less is always more with tacos, mi gente. Especially when your tacos have a super flavorful meat tucked into them, like this delicious chicken!
Love, love, love,
SHOP THIS POST
Grapefruit-Cilantro Instant Pot Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-6 Chicken Thighs Skin On, Bone Removed
- 3 TBSP Avocado Oil Plus more for Instant Pot
- 1 Large GrapeFruit Peeled
- 2 TSP Cumin Powder
- 1 TSP Lime Juice
- 1.5 TBSP Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Bundle Cilantro
Instructions
- Blend oil, grapefruit, cumin, lime juice, salt, and cilantro together for about 30 seconds.
- Heat Instant Pot over the sear function and add in a little oil to the bottom of the pot. Add in chicken, skin down and sear for a few minutes. Pour in the sauce over the chicken, place lid on, and set Instant Pot to Poultry function for 25 minutes with the vent seat to Seal.
- Once Instant Pot has finished cycle, manually release the steam. Shred the chicken and plate with a generous amount of the sauce. Enjoy in tacos, salads, and more!
Notes
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
