The Accidental Locavore picked this recipe up from the Perfect Pantry, a blog I follow. Since it had chicken thighs, hoisin and bok choy it was already a no-brainer and the fact that all you do is dump the chicken in a slow cooker made it a must-try. Having bok choy as one of our last CSA picks made it happen. This is super easy — just takes a few hours in the slow cooker. For 2-3.
- 1 1/2 pounds (about 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in ¾” wide strips
- Vegetable oil or spray
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 bunch bok choy, cut into 1″ pieces
- Steamed rice for serving
- Chopped scallions for garnish (optional)
Lightly oil or spray the inside of the slow cooker. Put the chicken and the hoisin sauce in the slow cooker and toss until the chicken is well coated with sauce. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
Depending on the type of rice you’re using, start it so it will finish at the same time as the chicken.
In a microwave-safe dish, steam the bok choy, covered, in the microwave for 90 seconds.
To assemble, put the rice into individual serving bowls. Top with the bok choy and chicken. Sprinkle cut scallions on top for garnish. Serve and enjoy!
My verdict: So easy and tasty! Somehow, we ran out of hoisin sauce, so I used what we had (about ¼ cup) and then added 3 tablespoons of black bean/garlic sauce. If I’d had it, a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger would have been a great addition. The original recipe calls for a tablespoon of rice vinegar, which somehow I overlooked, probably a mistake. Also, the next time (because there will definitely be a next time) I might substitute pork shoulder, cut in chunks, for the chicken. I made jasmine rice, which was great with it, but I’m sure any kind of rice, or even rice noodles would be a good base. And don’t worry, there’s now a new very large bottle of hoisin in my cupboard (not the fridge, never)!
