Instant Pot – Lowest Histamine EVER Chicken/Pork Roast Recipe (Also Low Lectin, Low Oxalate, Low FODMAP, and Low Salicylate)
What’s the most challenging thing for you with MCAS and/or Histamine Intolerance? Is it your symptoms? Figuring out your triggers? Navigating supplements?
Figuring out what to eat when you need to be low histamine? I’d love to hear from you! Just post in the comments below…
On of my most challenging things is meal prep. Since I have both MCAS and Histamine Intolerance, I have to be very careful with foods.
There aren’t many carry out or quick grab options for busy nights. And eating out takes a bit of planning for me.
I have to check menus ahead of time. And I have to take extra histamine degrading enzymes. Which means I do a lot of my own cooking.
I’m always on the lookout for faster cooking methods. And I want to keep foods as low histamine as possible. I covered some tips on handling meat to keep it low histamine in this blog post: Are you Raising your Histamine Levels with these Meat Handling Mistakes?
But I just found something that blows all the defrosting and cooking tips out of the water! I’m pretty excited about it and have made this recipe 4 times already. Do you have an Instant Pot yet?
I know I’m a little late to the Instant Pot Party here…I initially thought the inside of the pot was Teflon. But I was wrong – it is stainless steel!
Even if you already have an Instant Pot – did you know you can cook a whole chicken from frozen solid to done? You can make a whole chicken or pork roast from frozen solid to completely done in 55-90 minutes. (Depends on the size of the chicken or roast). The same with a pork roast.
When I saw a reference to making a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, I wasn’t sure it would really work. Wouldn’t the center still be frozen? Would it be flavorful? Or would it just taste like boiled meat? Yuck!
I decided I had to try it.Thawing meat before cooking raises histamine levels. So, if I didn’t have to thaw it first, histamine levels would be lower!
One of the challenges of preparing meat is that it has to stay frozen until you are ready to cook it. Then you’d normally have to thaw it until it is still a little frosty.
This takes some juggling to time right. Being able to cook meat from frozen solid to done solves this issue!
I started with a frozen pork roast and then tried it with whole, frozen chickens. You can also use chicken parts. Anything that does well with slow cooking will do well in the Instant Pot.
Slow cooking raises histamine levels considerably though. The great thing about the Instant Pot is that it is a pressure cooker. So it cooks fairly quickly.
The Instant Pot also keeps the meat very moist. As long as you don’t overcook it, everything will be tender. You can season the meat just like any other cooking method. The pressure cooking seems to drive some of the seasoning into the meat. You don’t get the roasted crunchy finish some people like with roasting. This is more like falling off the bone, rotisserie chicken. But you can always pop the meat under the broiler for 5-10 minutes if browning or crispy skin is important to you. I avoid browning as much as possible because this is actually what causes the carcinogens in meats.
My first attempt with pork roast was delicious. And I’ve cooked whole chickens 4 times now. Easy Peasy – and the meat is perfect for wraps, salads, soups – all kinds of quick meals.
One last note – the Instant Pot does leave great chicken broth in the bottom of the pot. It is definitely lower histamine than stove top or slow cooker broths. I was hoping since it was pressure cooked that the broth would work for me. I still reacted, sadly. I’m not sure if I reacted to histamine levels or glutamine in the broth. So if you use the broth, use with caution!
If you don’t already have an Instant Pot, here are a few purchasing tips:
- Definitely get the 8-quart size if you want to cook whole roasts or chickens.
- The Lux or Duo will work just fine for most people’s needs if you have a full kitchen. The other versions, like Duo Plus and Viva, allow you to do different types of low-pressure cooking. This might be important to you if you don’t have a full kitchen.
- The Duo has a lid holder feature. You can rest the lid on the side of the pot instead of on the counter. This is why I got the 8-quart Duo version.
So how do you cook a frozen chicken or roast in the Instant Pot?
Instant Pot – Lowest Histamine EVER Chicken/Pork Roast Recipe
First, make sure you are starting with pasture-raised meat frozen right after slaughter. Check out this post for more details: Are you Raising your Histamine Levels with these Meat Handling Mistakes?
Tools:
- 8 Qt Instant Pot
Ingredients:
- 1 Frozen Whole Pastured Chicken (3-5 lbs)
OR
- 1 Frozen Pasture Pork Roast (3-5 lbs)
Seasoning Options:
Herbed Option:
- Herbamare Organic Herbed Sea Salt
- Fresh Rosemary (optional)
- Fresh Parsley (optional)
Asian Option:
- 2 organic green apples
- 1 bunch organic green onions
- 1 inch of fresh organic ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large handful organic cilantro (optional)
- 2 tsp Redmond Real Salt – get 15% off with this link
- 1 cup water
- 10 drops Better Organic Stevia
Directions:
- Remove frozen chicken or pork roast from freezer and unwrap from packaging. Do not thaw!
- For Herbed Option:
Season well with Herbamare or any other seasoning blend. Place meat on trivet in the Instant Pot and add 1 ½ cups of water to the bottom.
OR
For Asian Option:
Add all ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender like a Blendtec Blender, Ninja Professional, or Vitamix blender and blend on high until everything is pureed. Add meat to the Instant Pot and pour sauce over the meat. - Program Instant Pot to High Pressure for 35-55 minutes and set float valve to sealing. Make sure it doesn’t hiss as it is heating up.
3 lbs: 35 minutes
4 lbs: 45 minutes
5 lbs: 55 minutes(Please note that these times are based on the 8 quart Instant Pot I used. Cook times may differ for different brands and models.)
- Allow pressure to release naturally. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Remove meat from bone. Freeze any leftovers immediately and enjoy your low histamine, super easy meal!
Low Histamine Meat Recipes
- Warming Chicken Ginger Soup – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, Low FODMAP
- Sesame Chicken Salad – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, Low FODMAP
- Roast Chicken Salad with Rosemary Dressing – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
- Easy Chicken Tacos – Low FODMAP, Low Lectin, Low Oxalate, Low Salicylate
- Spring Roll Stir Fry – Low Salicylate, Low FODMAP, Low Lectin, Low Oxalate
- Rosemary Roasted Garlic Pork Chops – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
- Low Histamine Bacon with Southern Greens –Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
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I LOVE my instant pot! 🙂 Would love to have more low-histamine recipes for it!
We hear you and will be adding more healing recipes soon Amy. Thank you for your feedback. ~Deanna MC Team
I am debating buying an air fryer or an instant pot for this reason and was leaning towards an air fryer. Have you tried an air fryer fo meat and fish? I am out on disability from work so money is tight so I don’t want to spend the money on the combo.
I haven’t tried an air fryer. What I like about the instant pot is being able to cook from frozen solid, so you skip the thawing time that raises Histamine levels.
We have a 6.3oz Instant Pot. Do you think a whole chicken would work in this? Can’t afford to buy a new one but am really struggling with access to protein.
Possibly a small chicken would fit.
Curious as to the bones. Bone broth created during the cooking process, that is. Isn’t bone broth high histamine? Thank you!
Yes Ana, You are correct about bone broth. Eating the meat is ok 🙂 ~Deanna MC Team
I’m sorry. Never mind, I just saw your clarification. So, eating the meat is ok as long as I don’t eat the broth I think is what you are sayin. Thank you!
Correct Ana, Will you be making this soon? ~Deanna MC Team
Is L Glutamine safe for histamine intolerance and/or cell activation issues? I have been taking it in powder form and now I’m wondering if that is bad for me :/
Kayla, It’s fine for some people. I’m careful with it in those with symptoms associated with excess glutamate: anxiety, insomnia, light and sound sensitivity, sensitivity to tags in clothes. If you aren’t sure, though, here is something I often use for gut lining support:
https://www.glycolife.net/ultrasbi
You can get 10% off with coupon code mastcell360 if you want to try it.
I made this using 2 Cornish Game Hens for friends at dinner. My first cooking low histamine for others since I started on this journey. Served it with quinoa and a salad. It went over big time! I used a strainer to scoop out the pulp and added a little juice which was great over the quinoa. The hens came out perfectly in the Insta Pot at 32 minutes and then sit for 10 minutes before releasing steam.
Lori,
Great news! Thank you for sharing your success with us!
If your pork belly is already thawed, what are the length of cooking times? Thank you for these great recipes!
For the Asian option, do you leave out the water and set the roast directly on the floor of the insta pot, not up on a trivet? Thanks
Hi Kim,
So glad you like the recipes! I always flash thaw it to keep histamine low, and then cook for about 20-30 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. Some people like it more crispy, some people like it less crispy.
I always use the trivet for meat in the Instant Pot.
Beth
This is didn’t work with my frozen pork shoulder. The time was way off. I followed the instructions exactly and it was still raw. I had to put it back in and start the process all over for another 20 mins.
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out and letting us know your experience. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out as expected.
Let’s see if we can help you. What model of instant pot are you using?
What size was your roast?
Just to double check, what settings did you use and how long did you cook it for?
I’ve made this recipe numerous times with no problem, but would like to know more about your experience to see if there may be any way we can clarify.
How do the cooking times change for a fresh chicken rather than frozen?
Hi Angie,
This recipe was tested and developed for frozen, so I’m not sure about the times for fresh chicken. There is usually a manual included with the instant pots which gives general cooking times or you might be able to find something on the website for the particular brand you have.
Can I do this in a crock pot? Thanks
Hi Jennifer,
The main thing with cooking methods is that the longer something cooks, the higher the histamine level will be. In my experience, crock pots are slow cookers so we don’t tend to recommend that method. Beth is big fan of the instant pot for cooking meats.
Suz, MC360
so I followed the recipe exactly – waited the extra 15 min – and my chicken is still pink and frozen looking in the middle 🙁 !! running red/ juices – it was 4 lbs so I did 45 mins – I just wasted a $15.00 chicken so sad
Hi Corrie,
Which model of Instant Pot are you using and what settings? We tested this with the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1, 8-quart model. Beth has made this many times and not had any issues. We suspect this might be a matter of different models of instant pots requiring different settings, but we are very sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. If you have a different model, you might check your manual for cooking times and adjust accordingly. We would like to hear from you if you have a moment. We’d like the recipe to be as accommodating as possible.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
Corrie, we have attempted this recipe about 3-4X now and it always comes out pink so it’s not just you. It’s let to some very frustrating nights. 4lb frozen chicken at 45 mins on high pressure in 8 qt duo plus. We even tried 55 mis and still not done. I can cook just about anything and I’ve yet to get this one done. The ONLY time I’ve been able to get it done, it thawing in cold water or even in fridge but that raises histamine.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Due to the concern expressed with this recipe, we are going to take another look at it to be sure our instructions are as clear as they can be and that we haven’t missed sharing any crucial steps. We appreciate your feedback! We want all of our recipes to be successful, and we test each one. Sometimes, it’s important for us to go back when it becomes clear that our community isn’t having the success we want them to have. Thank you all, again, for taking the time to let us know!
Hello,
I am a cooking instructor. I have a client who has a 4 year old son that is now being put on a low histamine diet. I am new to cooking for low histamine and find your recipes interesting. I am looking for quick to prepare recipes (as mother has limited time to cook) as well as kid friendly meals. I was wondering if you have ever done meals with a sous vide immersion circulator and if so, how it affected their histamine levels. I have a hard time finding information online. You website is very informative.
HI Deb,
Thanks for reaching out. Beth said it’s not something she’s used, but she is concerned about plastics leeching into the food with these methods. She said she understands the need to do quick preparations and shared that when she was at her most ill and couldn’t do a lot of cooking day to day, she used an instant pot and batch cooked a lot of vegetables. She then froze them into individual serving containers to heat up quickly later in the week. This might be one way you can cut down prep time while keeping histamine levels low. I hope this helps!
I’m about to try this. I love the idea of being able to cook the chicken from frozen for both convenience and for lower histamine. But what about the packet of frozen giblets?! Just let it cook inside? It seems to be wrapped in a plastic bag, so then there is going to be some plastic leaching inside. Maybe your chickens aren’t coming with this?
Hi Elizabeth. Yes, you definitely would not want to cook your chicken with the giblets inside if they are wrapped in plastic. Depending on your sensitivity level you might try to pull the chicken out a day before to let it defrost enough to pull the bag out. Alternatively, you could run it under cool water enough to get the bag out before cooking.
Hi Beth!
I’m really interested in hearing more about how you cook meats for a low histamine diet. I went from being vegan to eating meat and so far this is all I know how to do is use the instant pot, which works so thank you, but what about cooking elk, turkey, rabbit, bison?? I have no idea where to start and how to effectively cook these items so they are not undercooked/overcooked and also low histamine. Would appreciate an entire article on how to cook various meats in general that will yield these outcomes. No fancy recipes- just cooking meats. I’m sure there are others in my same position where it’s less about taste and more about survival and getting rough nutrition. Thank you in advance.
Hi Andrea, thank you for the suggestion for future content. In the meantime you may find some answers to your questions in this article: https://mastcell360.com/meat-handling-tips-preparation-cooking-and-storage-what-to-know-for-those-with-mast-cell-activation-syndrome-or-histamine-intolerance/