Vargr
Vargr
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“Red-cooked†Chicken with Stir Fry Veggies - Slow Cooker Style
This very simple recipe, adapted from a Good Housekeeping source, is practically “dump style†cooking if you're in a rush (see Option at the end). Just “dump" the components into a (crock) pot and let it simmer. It will still create a rich depth of sweet Asian spiced flavor, very tender chicken and a lovely plating. But the recipe as given provides a few more steps to separate ingredients during the final prep for even better results with very little extra work.
Also, because this uses chicken thighs or leg quarters (the least expensive cuts of chicken), this is a very economical dish! Good food and cheap - a winning combination!
The “red-cooked†title comes from the intention to have the Sherry-glazed chicken appear in rosy red hues. Unfortunately, the original author appears to have forgotten that Sherry isn’t a red wine; it’s amber. So the chicken never achieves the desired red colors. However, that doesn’t affect the flavors, which are outstanding!
Vargr is experimenting with other wine combinations to get the red hues. A combination of Port (a deep red, sweet wine) and Sherry are VERY tasty, but still dark tan in result.
The 5-spice powder is the predominant flavor element, so choose your spice carefully. Each brand has different percentages of the spice combination. One of wuffy’s fav’s is “Dynasty†Chinese Five Spice blend. You can also make your own 5-spice (a recipe will eventually follow) if you want to adjust the results to your individual preferences, but most of the store brands are rather good.
Also, a GOOD Soy Sauce will significantly affect the flavors. Look at the ingredients! “Real" soy sauce is fermented from soybeans. The first two ingredients should be Water and Soybeans. You should also see a sweetener (sugar, cane syrup, etc), and perhaps wheat. These ingredients form the 'mash' from which the sauce is fermented.
Imitation Soy sauce uses Hydrolyzed soy proteins, caramel coloring, salt and “flavoring agentsâ€. Like the food processors in Hitchhikes Guide to the Galaxy, trying to synthesize Tea, this results in a product that is “..a liquid that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike †soy sauce. Vargr STRONGLY suggests avoiding those!
Tamari sauce, especially organic gluten-free Tamari, is just about as close to the ancient origins of Soy Sauce as you can get today: Exclusively made using fermented beans, no wheat, and a long, natural fermentation process. If you’re never tried it, this wuff heartily recommends grabbing a bottle and checking it out! The flavors and aromas are rich, complex, and full bodied. And noticeably different from the mass-market grocery store types. It might change the way you think about using soy sauce for flavoring and cooking! It is available a all Asian markets, and more and more available at the larger chain stores in the "Asian" sections.
Use a good Soy in this dish, and you’ll elevate the results measurably!
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“Red-Cooked†Chicken w/Stir Fry Veggies - Slow Cooker style
Ingredients:
1/2 C Dry Sherry (or med-dry) (Option - add additional 1/3 C Port wine)
1/3 C Soy Sauce
1/4 C Packed Brown Sugar
2-3 T Grated or minced (peeled) Fresh Ginger (about 1 inch)
1 1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice Powder
3 Cloves Garlic (crushed or minced) (or 1 1/2 T prepared minced garlic)
1 Bunch Green onions (white parts and lightest green parts, chopped)
(Save the rest of the greens, chopped, as garnish)
3 lbs Bone-in Chicken Thighs, skins removed (Vargr used 8 skinned thighs)
(Can also use boneless-skinless thighs (4 lbs), or chicken leg quarters, separated at thigh & drumstick, and skinned)
1 Bag (16 oz) Frozen mixed stir-fry veggies
Directions:
In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, combine wine(s), soy sauce, sugar, ginger, five-spice powder, garlic, and onions. Turn on heat (low or high). Stir together until sugar dissolves. Add chicken and stir to coat.
Cover, and slow cook (approx 4 hours on high, 6 hours on low).
(Note - see rush option below for "hurried" version) Just before plating, thaw out frozen stir-fry veggies by emptying bag into a microwave-safe bowl and warming in microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring twice.
Using tongs or slotted spoon, remove chicken from cooker to oven-proof platter and cover with foil. Place in pre-heated oven on lowest setting (warm) or in warming drawer to keep warm.
Pour most of remaining liquid from slow cooker into 2-3 quart sauce pan, reserving about 1 1/2 Cups in cooker. Boil liquid in pan until reduced by about 1/2 volume. If necessary, add approximately 1 Tb spoon of Arrow root in 2 Tb spoons cold water, or 2 Tb spoons corn starch in 4 Tb spoons cold water (mixed into slurry) into boiling liquid. Stir, and allow to come back to boil, stirring occasionally, to thicken.
While sauce is reducing, add stir-fry veggies to remaining liquid in slow cooker. Stir and set to High. Cover, and allow to warm while sauce is reducing and thickening, stirring once or twice. (Reducing and thickening sauce will take approx 15 minutes or more, depending on stove and pan.)
Plate chicken, surround with veggies, and drizzle thickened sauce over chicken and veggies. Garnish with remaining chopped green onions.
Option:
Note - if in a rush, the frozen veggies can be added directly to the slow cooker about 1/2 hour before plating, and the whole lot just spooned onto the plates. But separating them out provides better presentation, and retains more individual flavors.
Serving Suggestion:
This is Very Good served with steamed white rice!Last edited on Sun Nov 18th, 2012 03:13 pm by Vargr
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We grow not old, so long as we continue to chase our dreams.
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