Thai Braised Chicken

I found this FABULOUS recipe in the Cooking Light cookbook – but of course I’ve altered the ingredients and directions a little bit. (This was originally a Crockpot recipe. And it called for cooking the carrots along with the broth. I choose not to do that, because I find it makes the broth too sweet.) When I made it the second time I cooked it as a soup, as opposed to a full meal. I really love this easy recipe that is so incredibly fragrant and FULL of amazing flavor. Give this one a try. I don’t think you’ll be sorry!

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Thai curry paste (I used red curry paste)

1 white onion, cut vertically (like you would see in stir-fry)

1/3 cup julienne-cut peeled fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, halved

3 (4-inch) stalk fresh lemongrass, cut in half lengthwise

8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), skinned

1 (1-pound) bag baby carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

1/2 cup sliced green onions

4 lime wedges

Directions:

Place the first 11 ingredients into a soup pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and place a lid on the pot – but don’t cover completely. Simmer for about 2 – 2 ½ hours.

Place the carrots with approximately 1 cup of water in a separate pot. Cover; bring to a soft boil and cook until tender – about 45 minutes. (I find that by cooking the carrots in the soup itself – they tend to leave a sweet taste in the broth, which I don’t really like. So, I prefer to cook them separate.) Drain the carrots and set aside.

After the soup has been cooking for about 2 hours, add the carrots and cook until they are heated through. This takes just a few minutes. Remove the lemon grass stalks and add the cilantro.

Place a half-cup of rice in a bowl; serve with two chicken thighs and the broth and vegetables. Garnish with green onions and a squeeze of fresh lime. Delicious!

Note: The second time I made this, I chose to make it more of a soup – as opposed to a meal. I used only four chicken thighs, and removed them from the soup after 2 hours. I removed the chicken from the bone and added it back into the broth. I followed all of the other directions with the exception of not using any rice, and I added some celery to the soup when I started cooking it. This made a deliciously fragrant chicken soup that we enjoyed for lunch.

Click here for printable recipe.