Pressure Cooker: Whole Chicken With Vegetables, and Pasta

This is a delicious meal-in-a-pot that's ready in less than an hour. The cooker does all the work except for prep, so don't be concerned about the time. This hearty stew tastes and looks long-cooked, a real husband-pleaser :-). Note: I developed this recipe for the Wolfgang Puck 6-quart electronic pressure cooker that used to be sold on HSN (Home Shopping Network on TV). I'm sure it would be quite easy to adapt for stove-top pressure cookers or other brands of electronic ones. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 10 cups - approximate

Ingredients

• 1  whole chicken, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3  cups onions, diced
• 3  cups carrots, diced
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes with juice, whole
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 cup wine, sherry, white, blush
• 6  ounces pasta, uncooked
• 2  tablespoons  oil, vegetable, olive
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried herbs, rosemary, thyme
• 1  loaf  bread, French, Italian

Directions

1. Truss chicken and brown on all sides in oil in separate pan on top of stove.
2. Put chicken in cooker, breast side down.
3. Saute carrots and onions in pan on top of stove.
4. Deglaze pan with 1 can chicken broth and add entire contents of saute pan to the cooker.
5. Cut tomatoes into smaller pieces if desired.
6. Add tomatoes with juice to cooker.
7. Add worcestershire and season with salt, pepper and rosemary or thyme to taste.
8. Top up with water.
9. Do not exceed the "max PC" line when filling cooker.
10. Put cover on cooker and set to "seal."
11. Select meat function and set timer on cooker to 25 minutes.
12. After 25 minutes, unplug cooker and let the pressure drop.
13. Open cooker when pressure has dropped.
14. Remove chicken from cooker and remove all meat and skin from the bones.
15. Discard bones and skin.
16. Shred the meat.
17. Put glass cover on cooker and plug inches It should go into the "heat" mode.
18. Select "meat" mode and set timer on cooker to 20 minutes.
19. Bring broth and vegetables to a boil. Add pasta and 1 can chicken broth. Cook uncovered until pasta is tender.
20. Turn off heat and let cooker cool for 5 minutes.
21. Add chicken.
22. Stir and serve with crusty bread.
23. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with parmesan or romano cheese, if desired.