This stew tastes better than chicken, it can’t be jackfruit?!
It looks like chicken doesn’t it?! Jackfruit is such a perfect meat replacement, and I think it’s an even better replacement than tofu! Don’t get me wrong. Tofu has its place but I love that jackfruit is shreddable (is that even a word?) which makes it fun to convince my non-vegan friends it is meat! Let’s talk about Jackfruit!
What is Jackfruit?
Jackfruit is a fruit tree grown in Asia and South America. It can weigh upwards of 120lbs! You can find it typically canned in small chunks. When you shred it with a fork, it looks just like chicken or pork! High in carotenoids (which gives it the yellow color), it is very high in vitamin A and antioxidants which help to protect your cells from damage. It is also been known to help with controlling your blood sugars!
How Do I Use It?
Jackfruit is so simple to use! I buy it in a can with the fruit in chunks. You drain it and then use it as you would meat. Sometimes we will use it like shredded pork and marinate it and put it on the grill! Other times like in the case of today’s recipe, I use it like shredded meat in a soup or stew. I do want to thank my friend, Kip for giving me the idea for this recipe! You need to come over and try it, girl!
What Else is in this Stew?
This stew is LOADED with so many high fiber, high antioxidant, good bacteria-feeding vegetables that I nearly ran out of room in my soup pot! (I get that problem a lot. As if my The BEST Pumpkin Butternut Fall Curry recipe didn’t demonstrate that enough haha!) Carrot, zucchini, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, onion, butternut squash, and spinach. Of course, I could not forget my beloved coconut milk! The spices are a delightful mixture of bay leaves, smoked paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper, chili chipotle, garlic powder onion powder, sage, fennel seeds, and salt.
Is This Stew Complicated to Make?
Not complicated at all! I am a busy Mama of 3 littles and I also watch another baby so 4 kids to wrangle means I do not have time to spend hours in the kitchen! Chop up your veggies. Throw them in a pot with water and spices. Cook till soft. Add your coconut milk and spinach and that’s it!
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Better Than Chicken Jackfruit Stew
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
Fruit and Vegetables
- 1 large carrot diced
- 2 cups butternut squash cut into bite sized cubes I had some frozen butternut squash already cubed but using fresh is just fine. You would need only half the squash. Any other squash would work great too or also potatoes!
- 2 cups young green jackfruit drained
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 7 cloves of garlic finely diced or crushed
- 1 large red onion diced
- 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes
- 6 cups water
Seasonings
- 3 bay leaves
- 2.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili chipotle seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1
Add after cooking
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk
- 1.5 tbsp chia and flax seed blend
- 2 cups cooked brown rice I cooked 2 cups of brown rice so it yielded around 4 cups of cooked rice.
Instructions
- Cut up your fruit and veggies. Add these and water to the instant pot.
- Cut open and drain your can of jackfruit. Add to the rest of the pot
- Select the Pressure Cook option on your Instant Pot (In other brands, the Manual option does the same thing) Set the cook time for 4minutes at high pressure. Make sure the pressure valve is set to SEAL. After cooking, manually release the pressure.
- Once the pressure has dropped, take off the lid and shred the jackfruit pieces using two forks. I took them out to demonstrae.
- Add in remaining ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes so the chia and flaxseed blend can allow the stew to thicken.
- Serve on its own or with your favorite whole grain bread! Enjoy!