4 Instant Pot Party Recipes & their Perfect Wine Pairing

Featuring Merritt Estate Winery 

This new year, we suggest you make a resolution that’s easy to keep - sipping lots of good wine! Another resolution that we recommend you keep is a visit to Lake Erie Wine Country. Lake Erie Grape Belt is made up of 30,000 acres of vineyards to explore, along a 50-mile trail and includes 23 wineries collectively known as Lake Erie Wine Country.  

Wine and food are like yin and yang. When you pair a delicious dish with an apt wine, the experience is instantly elevated. Pairings can complement each other, with similar flavors tying the wine and dish together or can contrast each other to make each element stand out and be bold. Use the recipes below to pair perfectly with wines from the Lake Erie Grape Belt.

Instant Pot Chicken Leg Quarters

The exotic Chautauqua White is a light, white wine. It’s a blend of Chablis grapes with a semi-dry finish. Made at the Merritt Estate Winery, a family-run estate with a history dating back to the 1800s, the wine is exceptionally balanced and flavorful. Being located on the banks of Lake Erie in beautiful Chautauqua County, the wine has high acidity, and, you guessed it - goes just great with chicken. What’s more, we’re not suggesting just any chicken. You may have had chicken quarters before, but there isn’t quite anything like chicken quarters in the Instant Pot. It’s moist, and juicy, with the perfect amount of crunch. Check out this recipe from Corrie Cooks.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken leg quarters, skinless 
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Pepper and salt according to taste

Instructions

1. Place a steamer trivet in the bottom of Instant Pot and pour the broth.
2. Season the chicken leg quarters with the garlic powder, salt and black pepper evenly.
3. Place the chicken leg quarters on top of the trivet in a single layer.
4. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
5. When cooking time ends, do a quick pressure release.
6. Remove the lid and with tongs and transfer the chicken leg quarters in a single layer to a baking sheet (or to the Air fryer lid).
7. Coat the chicken leg quarters with oil evenly and broil in the oven (or in the air fryer lid) for 5 minutes on each side.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Instant Pot Cornish Hen

This Cornish Hen recipe will have your guests thinking you've been in the kitchen all day! This dish pairs well with a wine that can cut through the richness without overpowering the more delicate flavors. For example, the Pinot Grigio from Merritt Estate Winery. It’s made from 100% Pinot Gris, resulting in a medium to high acidity, with a bouquet of zesty citrus flavors in the mouth. This gorgeous wine will certainly elevate the dish to scrumptious new levels. 

Ingredients

• 1 Cornish hen
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 bunches thyme, fresh
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 garlic, cut in half
• 2 slices lemon
• 6 potatoes, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Coat chicken with butter. Then season with lemon zest, minced garlic, salt, and fresh thyme.
2. Put the Instant Pot into sauté mode, and pour in the olive oil.
3. Brown the Cornish hen evenly on all sides, around 3 minutes each.
4. Throw in the chicken broth, potatoes, garlic, and fresh thyme. 
5. Cook for 25 minutes under high pressure.
6. Allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes. Once done, perform a quick pressure release by setting the valve to “venting”.
7. Serve with lemon slices.
8. For crispy skin, broil for 10 minutes. 

Instant Pot Steak

Beef can easily overpower most wines. When enjoying a steak with a glass of wine, it is important to pair it with a dry, full-bodied wine. The dryness will help cleanse the palate while the fullness of the wine will ensure that it does not taste bland in comparison. As they say, a special dish calls for a special wine. And that can only mean a bottle of Meritt Estate Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s dry, full-bodied, and full of silky smooth tannins. Perfect for this flavorful Instapot Steak Recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 pound beef steak
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Season steak with spices.
2. Press "saute" and add the butter. When it melts, add steak and sear on all sides.
3. Remove the steak from the Instant pot.
4. Add beef stock and stir a bit to clean the bottom.
5. Insert the trivet into the Instant pot or place aluminum foil balls. Place the steak on top of the trivet.
6. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 15-20 minutes (depending on it's size).
7. Once the cooking time ends, do a quick pressure release.
8. Open the lid and remove the steak from the Instant pot. Add the starch to the Instant
9. Pot and whisk with the beef stock. Cook until thickened. This is your tasty gravy.
10. Combine remaining butter with garlic in a small bowl.
11. Serve steak topped with garlic butter and the gravy.

Instant Pot Peach Cobbler