Did you notice that this week’s recipe plan only included six diners? I knew that I would need a little flexibility to throw in something simple, and last night was that night. I decided to make my first ever whole chicken in the InstantPot! And… I overcooked it. (Insert hand on head emoji hear.) The odds for success may have been have been stacked against me, I couldn’t locate the little wire rack trivet you are supposed to use when you cook a whole chicken, and after a very busy day working I didn’t have a ton of energy for making dinner. But this is a live and learn thing, and we did get to eat dinner!
Part of the motivation for making the chicken was to break up the prep for our next “fancy” meal by making a simple main dish and the Tahini Ranch Dressing we will be serving with halibut later this week. And I was very glad that I got a jump on that dressing at lunch time today when I had the rest of last night’s salad topped with leftover chicken and that creamy ranch. It completely saved the chicken, which as you know can be a little dry when it’s overcooked.
You’ll need smooth liquid tahini for the dressing 
I did not have quite a full cup of herbs, but it was plenty 
As the recipe warns, it starts off grainy 
but smooths out beautifully when you add the water 
The finished product
The recipe says it can be eaten immediately but will taste better the next day. I not only echo that after having it for lunch but would say it is necessary to let the flavors meld overnight. The tahini overpowered the herbs when I first made it, but today it was a perfectly balanced and deliciously creamy dressing.
As far as making chicken in the InstantPot goes, I am not giving up on that by a long shot. It was so easy, and the saute setting worked really well for browning the chicken. I cooked it for 7 minutes per pound on the high pressure setting, which I think was fine, but next time I will release the steam a lot sooner. When I get it right I’ll let you all know so you can try it yourselves.