Easy Crockpot Thai Chicken

The other day I was solo parenting and desperately needed to have an ace supper ready by the time I came home so that way I would not be subjected to the horrors instant of macaroni and cheese. As I was packing kid friendly snacks and putting on rain boots a flash of inspiration came to me and the Easy Thai Crockpot / Slow Cooker Chicken was born.

Ingredients:
1 pack Chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
1 handful crumbled sliced dried shitake mushrooms (optional)
1 can cheap beer
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 thumb ginger, chopped
1 fist cilantro stems, really chopped
1 sq inch of tamarind concentrate block
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Tom Yum paste
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Bang everything into your crockpot / slow cooker except for the cornstarch.  Put on low and let cook away all day.  Before serving add cornstarch to thicken liquid.  Serve with steamed rice and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.  My kids loved it and my parenting sanity was saved.  How can you go wrong with that?

It's Your Bithday! Bring on the Kotopita!

Yesterday was Sarah's birthday so we had her and Ang and Leigh over for a big yummy birthday bash. We started with big glasses of Sezzie's Lemonade, (see next post for recipe) and then moved directly to the main course of Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie) served with Lemon Garlic Potatoes and Greek Salad. I found the Kotopita recipe online at this great site, but I tweaked it a bit to make it more interesting.

Kotopita (Greek Filo Chicken Pie)

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Water		3 cups
Chicken thighs	boneless,	2 lbs
Butter		1/3 cup
Flour		1/3 cup
Onions	sliced	3
Garlic cloves	chopped	5
Spinach	chopped	1 bunch
Feta cheese	crumbled	1 1/2 cups
Dill, fresh	chopped	1 cup
Parsley	chopped	1 cup
Mint	chopped	2 Tbsp
Nutmeg		1 tsp
Salt & pepper		to taste
Oregano		2 tablespoons
Lemon juice and zest		1
Filo dough		12-14 sheets
Butter or olive oil		1/2 cup

METHOD

Basic Steps: Poach → Sauté → Thicken → Mix → Form bottom → Fill → Form top → Bake

1. Put the water and the chicken in a large saucepan. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer on med heat for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set the chicken and the broth aside to cool. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred.
2. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and stir in well. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and stir another 5 minutes until the mixture is golden brown.
   
3. Pour the poaching broth all at once into the skillet and whisk together well to avoid lumps. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time.
   
4. In another pan add some oil and the onions and garlic and sauté quickly, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute until wilted.
   
5. Remove from heat and cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the feta, dill, mint, parsley, nutmeg, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and the thickened broth and the onion spinach mixture. Stir together well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the eggs.
7. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9"x9" baking dish or a deep-dish pie tin. Lay a layer of filo over the dish and brush with oil or butter. Add 5 or six more sheets of filo, each at a different angle to cover the dish well. Brush each with oil before adding the next. Press the filo well into all corners of the dish.
8. Add the chicken-cheese filling to the dish and spread out evenly.
9. Repeat process with the remaining filo to form a top to the dish. Trim the edges of filo that are hanging over the edge to about 1 1/2". Roll them together toward the center to form an edge.
10. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake anywhere from 45-60 minutes, or until center is bubbly and crust is nicely browned.
11. Remove from the oven, let cool about 15 minutes and serve with a salad.