Cat Cora has made a career merging her Greek and Southern heritage and has become not only an Iron Chef America winner but also a best-selling cookbook author and philanthropist.
Cora is a world-renowned chef, author and television host, among other titles. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, sho trained at the Culinary Institute of America and went on to cook at two 3-star Michelin restaurants in France.
In 2005, Cora made television history after becoming the first-ever female Iron Chef on the Food Network’s hit show: Iron Chef America. She has since featured on various shows, including BRAVO’s “Around the World in 80 Plates” and FOX’s “My Kitchen Rules.”
Cora has opened more than 18 restaurants around the world, where she emphasizes her platform on health, wellness and sustainability. She is also the first female inducted into The American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame.
Cora has published three cookbooks, one children’s book and, in 2015, her candid memoir called “Cooking as Fast as I Can: A Chef’s Story of Food, Family and Forgiveness.”
Outside the kitchen, Cora founded Chefs for Humanity, a non-profit dedicated to reducing hunger worldwide by supporting humanitarian relief and promoting nutrition education.
Her philanthropic efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the Daughters of Penelope Salute to Women Award in 2014.
President Barak Obama awarded her The President’s Volunteer Service Award for community service and The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her volunteerism.
The following recipe is one which Cat Cora specially curated for Weight Watchers. Cinnamon gives this dish a uniquely Greek flavor.
Total time: 55 min | Prep: 20 min | Cook: 30 min | Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups raw medium grain brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups, divided canned chicken broth
- 2 pounds uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large, roughly chopped uncooked onions
- 3 medium cloves, minced garlic cloves
- 2 cups water
- 14 1/2 oz canned dice tomatoes
- 6 oz canned tomato paste
- 2 medium clove(s), left whole garlic cloves
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions, replacing 2 cups cooking water with 2 cups broth.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Turn pressure cooker to sauté function; heat oil. When hot, brown chicken on all sides, about 5 -7 minutes (brown in batches, if necessary). Remove from cooker; set aside.
- Add onions and minced garlic to cooker; sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth; scrape browned bits from bottom to deglaze cooker.
- Stir in water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and whole garlic cloves. Add chicken and its juices to cooker; stir, cover and close pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is finished, let sit for 5 minutes and then release the pressure with the manual valve. Pour into a serving dish; shred chicken with two forks in sauce. Serve over rice.
- Seving size: 1 c chicken mixture and 1/2 c rice
