Clay pot cooking is just one of the many stovetop methods used by Thai cooks. Our Western version of clay pot is the slow cooker, and I find the results very similar: tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken that's full of flavor. The other great advantage of a slow cooker is the ease of preparation - it's truly simple to make. Ginger chicken is a dish that was brought to Thailand by the Chinese, and it definitely has that soothing Chinese-food flavor and texture about it. Just serve with rice for an easy, comfort-food meal any night of the week. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 12 minutes
Yield: SERVES 3-4
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 lbs. (.8 kg) chicken drumsticks, thigh, or breast pieces (fat can be removed for a lower fat dish)
- 3-4 cups sliced shiitake or portabello mushrooms
- 2+1/2 cups good-tasting chicken stock
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup ginger, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp. dark soy sauce (available in Asian food stores)
- 1 Tbsp. regular soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1/3 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar in Asian food stores)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. dried crushed chili, to taste
- 1 tsp. palm sugar OR brown sugar
- 2-3 spring (green) onions, sliced
Preparation:
- Place the chicken stock, ginger, garlic, both soy sauces, fish sauce, shrimp paste, bay leaf, chili and sugar in your slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
- Add the chicken pieces, then top with the mushrooms. Note that the mushrooms may seem to be left 'high and dry' over the other ingredients - this is fine, as they will gradually cook down into the dish, reducing to a portion of their size.
- Turn your slow cooker on high and cook for 3-4 hours, or until chicken and mushrooms are very tender. OR set it on low for a longer period. Slow cookers vary in their cooking times, so be sure to allow enough time for the best results.
- Taste-test the sauce before serving. If not salty or flavorful enough, add up to 1 more Tbsp. fish sauce. If too salty for your taste (this will depend on the saltiness of your stock), add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. More chili can be added for more heat.
- Serve with rice, spooning plenty of the flavorful sauce over both. Be sure to include both mushrooms and ginger with each portion, and add a final topping of spring onion. (For the photo, I also added some slices of star fruit, which went very well with this dish.) ENJOY!
Tip:If a thicker sauce is desired for serving, simply ladle out 1/4 cup or more of the sauce into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add a cornstarch-water mixture of 1-2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. cold water. Stir until thickened.
