Slow Cooker Thai Chicken

January: National Slow Cooker Month/National Meat Month

Our Thai friends, Nat and Jib W., were married exactly a week before us in their country. We met them through Islander’s brother, Kahuna; Jib was his college classmate at a university in the Pacific Northwest. Nat and Jib enjoy visiting Oahu whenever they can for vacation and decided to spend their 10th wedding anniversary there, too. Coincidentally, we returned to Hawaii to renew our vows on our own anniversary and were able to celebrate our special milestones with them! It was doubly fun!

We got to visit Nat and Jib in California when Islander had a conference there. They were wonderful hosts, showing us the San Francisco sites and treating us to Thai restaurants around town. Since then, they have opened a couple of successful Thai cafés of their own.

Although this Thai chicken recipe may not be as authentic as the ones Nat and Jib serve at their own home and restaurants, we are inspired by our Thai friends to make this meat dish in a crockpot for an easy, ethnic meal. Try this tender and tasty Slow Cooker Thai Chicken recipe during National Slow Cooker Month and National Meat Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from Woman’s Day Specials SlowCooking Magazine – 2005)

Ingredients

• 2½ pounds of favorite chicken pieces (we used drumsticks)
• 1 cup salsa (medium or hot)
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• juice of one small lime
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• ½ cup peanuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker pot. In a bowl, mix the salsa, peanut butter, lime juice and soy sauce.

Grate the ginger and mix into the sauce. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is tender. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Notes

• Thanks to the G4 Family for the slow cooker. It has come in handy for many of our crockpot blog post recipes.
• Thanks to Lisa L. for the Thai silk background used in the final food photo above. She had served in Thailand as a U.S. naval reservist.
• Try using chunky/crunchy peanut butter for added texture in this recipe. Also, garnish with green onions for a zestier flavor.
• We used Reynold’s brand slow cooker liners on the bottom of our crockpot for easy cleanup.