Crockpot Thai Chicken

I love Thai, especially if it's medium hot.  My husband and last son left at home are not fans of spice. SIGH! So I am always looking for a recipe that offers flavour, but not too much heat.

I saw the basics for this recipe in a cookbook I've owned for a long time called Crockery Cooker by Mable Hoffman.  It was the winner of the R.T. French Tastemaker Award. The one I have has been revised and updated from the original which sold over 5 million copies.  So I figured the recipe would be a reasonable starting point.

One of the first things I noticed was the reference to 8 servings and only 4 chicken breasts. I had to dig deep on this one and finally remembered that originally when recipes referred to chicken breasts, they meant both the right and left - not just one side. So I changed the recipe to read 8. By this I mean the serving size they have in a grocery store package - what used to be called a half breast.

Next, instead of just 3 green onions, I decided to use the whole bunch. And I added a yellow bell pepper as I like to tuck in as many vegetables as I can.  If you want a pop of colour I'd suggest using a red or orange pepper, but the yellow was what I had in my refrigerator.

As much as possible I use FULL FAT Coconut Milk. It's a big part of the flavour in this type of cuisine.  If you're trying to cut fat from your diet and want to use skim or non-fat, by all means do it. That said, I found the end dish needed a little extra flavour boost so added a small amount of dry chicken bouillon. I am sure there are also tons of other options you can explore.

If you want more spice - increase the crushed red pepper flakes. You could also dice up a few jalapenos or other hot peppers and add at the beginning.

Last but not least, USE FRESH GINGER ROOT!  The powdered just doesn't offer the same taste. You will need a larger piece when grating, so don't buy too small. And remember when the recipe says 8 servings, that really is the most you'll get if no one serving is very large.

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Crockpot Thai Chicken
8 Servings

Ingredients - 

8                             Chicken breast cut into strips
1 T                          Grated FRESH Ginger Root
1                              Bunch Green Onions including some of the green tops, sliced
1                              Bell Pepper (Red, Orange or Yellow) Remove stem and seeds,
                                 cut in half crosswise, then slice lengthwise into narrow strips
14 oz                       Can Full Fat Coconut Milk (for best flavour)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp            Turmeric
1/4 - 1/2 tsp            Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Dry Chicken Bouillon  (I added a double cube designed for 2 cups. Another option would be
                               2 smaller cubes or 2 T dry mix. Adjust to your taste.)
8 oz                         Can Pineapple Tidbits Drained (smaller than chunks, but not crushed)
2 T                          Cornstarch
2 T                          Water
Enough Hot Cooked Rice (Jasmine, Basmati or your personal favourite) for 8 servings.
1/2 C                       Chopped Peanuts (or more) to sprinkle on top

Directions - 

Place chicken, ginger root, green onions, bell pepper, coconut milk, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes in crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.

Turn crockpot on high and stir in drained pineapple tidbits. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into crockpot.  cover and cook on high about 15 minutes.  Serve over rice and sprinkle each with peanuts before serving.