Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cookbooks are a home cook's best ally.  And when you're thinking about dishes that will (ahem) indulge your giddiness to break in your recently gifted Slow Cooker, it doesn't get much better than a cookbook that mixes yummy, slow-cooked recipes into its bounty.

I knew Valerie Bertinelli's new cookbook, Valerie's Home Cooking, was a keeper the moment I got my hands on it.  Filled with beautiful, scrumptious food and drinks that usher you into her kitchen, I am excited to taste my way through its pages.  And where to start?  With an effortless home spin on classic Chinese Takeout: Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken.

I love that my slow-cooker does virtually all of the work, and I can still enjoy a delicious home cooked meal.  I think know you'll enjoy it, too.

Happy Eating!

Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
Serves 4 Hands-on 30 minutes Total 4 hours

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

8 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 white onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

1⁄3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3 cups hot cooked white rice

¼ cup sliced scallions

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

 

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken to the skillet, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place the chicken in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet. Add the bell peppers and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the vegetables to the slow cooker.

3. Whisk together the vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar. Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 3 hours and 30 minutes to 4 hours. Serve the chicken mixture over the hot cooked rice topped with the scallions and sesame seeds.

Ingredient Note:

Chicken thighs have more flavor and  are more forgiving during cooking, staying juicy.

Recipe and photos excerpted from Valerie’s Home Cooking by Valerie Bertinelli. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.