About the Recipe
This recipe is a great low fat, high protein and high fibre winner, even more filling and higher in fibre if you wish to add a cup of cooked brown basmati rice per person. If you find you need to add a little more salt to the dish (because I did cut it back) then you can always add a dash before digging in..Better to add a splash then individually then at the beginning when it's too late to take it out!
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (or turkey)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (I like the thai chili sauce)
1/4 tsp cracked pepper (Szechuan peppercorns if you have them)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup low salt chicken broth
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese rice wine (or equal apple juice as substitute)
1 EACH medium red & orange bell peppers, sliced thick
3 cups broccoli florets
3 spring onions, diced
fresh basil chopped (optional)
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Preparation
In a large skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle cracked pepper over the chicken pieces.
Dust the chicken with cornstarch
Place the chicken in the skillet.
Cook the chicken until it's golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Move the cooked chicken to a slow cooker.
In the same skillet, heat another teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat.
Add onion, garlic, and ginger.
Stir and cook until the onion is lightly browned, which should take about 5 minutes.
Add broth to the skillet.
Bring the broth to a boil while scraping the browned bits from the bottom.
Move this broth mixture into the slow cooker with the chicken.
Add soy sauce, rice wine, and chili sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to mix.
Cover the slow cooker. Cook on the Low setting for 2 hours
Add bell peppers to the cooker. Cover it again. Cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender. This takes 1-2 hours on the High setting or 2-4 hours on Low.
Place broccoli in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water in a medium saucepan.
Cover the saucepan. Cook the broccoli until it's crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
Add the steamed broccoli to the chicken mixture in the slow cooker. Stir it all together.
Divide the chicken-vegetable mixture into 4 large shallow bowls. Sprinkle with spring onions and fresh basil leaves and sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds.