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[David Schronce]

This isn't a genuine Thai recipe, but it sure tastes like one.

Easy Thai Chicken Thighs

Nutritional Values per serving:
399 Cal, 19g Fat, 6.2g Carbs, 1.8g Fiber, 2.4g Sugars, 48.9g Protein

2 lbs skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup prepared hot salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs  soy sauce
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup chopped peanuts for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker.
Mix the remaining ingredients except the peanuts and cilantro and pour over the chicken.
Cook covered on low until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 9 hours.
Serve garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6

Cook's Note:  If you REALLY want the heat, you can drop in a few Thai birdeye chillies, but beware...

[T2Nashville]

David, can I ask a question? I've tried several chicken recipes in my crockpot, and I'm never satisfied with the moistness of the chicken. It just comes out too dry for me, even when I've adjusted cooking times and liquids.

If I baked these in the oven, could you give me an idea of time and temp? That's always helpful to me with crockpot recipes.

Thanks so much!

[David Schronce]

There are several reasons for dry chicken - and most of them have nothing to do with crock pots.  Boneless meat is almost always a problem.  It just loses it's moisture faster.  If I want to serve boneless meat, I usually cook it bone-in and remove the bones before serving.  It's generally cheaper too!

White meat chicken cooks faster and is done at a lower temp than dark meat, therefore breasts are typically overcooked and - you guessed it - dry.  If working with breasts I typically cook them to 155F internal and let them carryover to about 161F - same when I cook a whole or partial turkey.  I roast breasts in my oven or grill at 350F for only 30 to 35 minutes - any more and they are too dry. For braising or slow cooking, dark meat is the better choice

Brining ALWAYS makes a difference.  I do it whenever  I can.

You can replicate slow cooking in your oven.  Place your food in a reactionless (meaning non-aluminum) vessel with a tight fitting lid (like a cast iron dutch oven) and cook on 200F for LOW or 300F for HIGH for the same amount of time specified in the recipe.

You can do these thighs on HIGH in about 3-4 hours

[T2Nashville]

Thanks, David! Those instructions will help me tremendously with my chicken recipes!

[David Schronce]

Great!  Glad to help.  A couple more tips.  When roasting/grilling meat - any meat - be sure to let it rest, covered,  for several minutes after taking it off the heat.  This allows the internal juices to redistribute through the meat.  If you cut it too soon, those juices run out into your plate/cutting board and the meat is too dry.  Also, always use tongs to handle your meat.  Never stab it with a fork until you're ready to put it in your mouth.  :-)

[auntb]

Tammie if you don't have one a cast iron dutch oven is worth the money. With it you can Braise  ( brown and then cook low and slow)any kind of Meat and make stews  fry fish and chicken and what not . On Saturday or Sunday I fire up the oven and cook something in my Dutch oven and roast a chicken or 2 and some veg and have food for a good part of the week. Oh and I make stock from the bones and veg pareings from the week for soup.