Slow-Cooker Asian Chicken and Coconut Rice – Recipe!

This time of the year is all about comfort food, a meal that warms you from the inside out; like Slow Cooker Asian Chicken and Coconut Rice.

Cooking in a slow-cooker on the weekends or weeknights, allows you to still enjoy your day, while creating a meal that your family will love later.

Chicken thighs and drumettes are easy to come by and when cooked low and slow, become fork-tender with melt-in-your-mouth qualities.  The dark meat chicken, when combined with a few pantry ingredients, creates an Asian inspired dish that pairs so nicely with coconut rice.

The smell of chicken slowly braising in a succulent sauce is a nice thing to have at the end of the day and I think you will appreciate it even more because it didn’t take much time to make.  This dinner is easy, delicious and worth duplicating over and over again.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs

6-8 drumettes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

vegetable oil

Asian Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Oelek Sambal or other Asian chile sauce

Coconut Rice

1/3 cup coconut cream or top cream of coconut milk

1 cup water

2/3 cup Basmati rice

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1.  In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, 5-spice powder, salt, thyme and cayenne. Sprinkle mixture over chicken.  In a slow-cooker insert or large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add chicken in batches and brown on all sides.

2.  When chicken is brown, place it back in pot.  In a measuring cup, stir together Sauce ingredients.  Pour sauce over chicken.

3.  With tongs, coat each piece of chicken in sauce and place it, skin-side-up in slow cooker.  Cook chicken on low for 4 hours.

4.  20 minutes before chicken is done, in a small saucepan, add coconut cream and water over high heat.  When liquid is boiling, add rice, sugar and salt.  Stir to combine and turn heat to simmer.  Cook rice for 18 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Spoon rice into bowls and serve with chicken and sauce.  Enjoy!