Picture by Flickr user wintersoul1.

3 large bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup blackberry jam
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that they are not overlapping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes, and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 to 5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the slow cooker (reserving the liquids) and place it on a cutting board. Remove the bones then use two forks to shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.

Transfer the liquids from the slow cooker into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and whisk in the slurry. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook it until it reduces and has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour enough sauce over the chicken to cover (you won’t use all of it), tossing to combine. Serve the chicken topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

NOTES:
Depending on the kind of chicken you get, you’ll end up with a LOT of sauce. You only need to use a little to cover the chicken as much as you want. You can use the remaining sauce later to marinade shrimp or salmon OR as dipping sauce for any other dish.

The post Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

A squeeze of lime just before eating tastes amazing.

Pho is a classic Vietnamese street food, much the same way Pad Thai is to Thai cuisine or fried rice is to Chinese cuisine. This dish calls for some ingredients that you may not use for any other recipe, so we’ve included some substitutions. Also – the recipe instructs you to add a lot of whole spices to simmer for hours, then remove at the end. Using a slotted spoon works best. The following recipe does make a lot of pho – which can be frozen and reheated wonderfully on cold winter days. This is almost like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup, but the fresh herbs and squeeze of lime just before serving takes it to a new level.

Pho is naturally gluten-free if you use rice noodles (be sure to check the box). You can make this vegetarian/vegan by removing the chicken, using vegetable broth, and replacing the fish sauce with soy sauce. Adapted from Slow-Cooker Chicken Pho recipe on EatingWell.com.

8 cups low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth (two 32-ounce boxes)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce    << Um, fish sauce?
5 whole star anise (or 2 1/2 tsp of regular anise seed)
6 whole cloves
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total), halved
6 ounces wide rice noodles (like pad thai noodles)
6 cups chopped bok choy (or leeks or cabbage)
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 fresh Thai chile or serrano, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible.

1. Combine broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, star anise, cloves, ginger and cinnamon stick in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken breasts, meat-side down. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours (or on Low for 6 hours).
2. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Remove spices and discard. Add noodles and bok choy to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
3. Shred with two forks. When the noodles are tender, stir in the shredded chicken. Serve bowls of soup with bean sprouts, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced chile and lime wedges on the side so everyone can add their own toppings.

The post Vietnamese Noodle Stew (Pho) – Slow Cooker appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.

½ cup mango chutney
¼ cup bottled sweet chili sauce (or chili dipping sauce)
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 ½ tsp grated fresh ginger or ½ tsp ground ginger
1 packet chicken breasts (or 12 chicken thighs)
1 bunch asparagus or broccoli (trimmed) or ¾ lb green beans (trimmed)

Slow Cooker

1. Cut up any large pieces of fruit in the chutney. In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine chutney, chili sauce, tapioca, and ginger. Add chicken, turning to coat.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high setting for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Before Serving

1. Shred cooked chicken with forks and stir to combine with ginger chutney and chili sauce in the slow cooker.
2. Sautee asparagus or green beans in olive oil with garlic salt or steam broccoli.
3. Serve shredded chicken mixture over rice, couscous, quinoa and top with freshly cooked veggies.

The post Gingered Mango Chutney Chicken appeared first on Healthy Home Restaurant.