One of my dear friends in Washington state makes a fantastic Chicken Adobo and Chicken Long Rice which she has so graciously shared with me several times. So heavenly, I keep begging her for the recipes. Of Filipino decent, my friend used to watch her Grandfather prepare these traditional dishes when she was little. She now prepares them for her family, and her extremely grateful friends. Since then, I’ve come to know another friend and colleague of Filipino decent (Danny, you know who you are!) and I continuously drool over his very delicious looking Instagram feed.
Because I’m of the curious sort and I’m inspired by my friends ancestral cuisine, several years ago I decided to explore the flavors of the Philippines. Many recipes and full tummies later, this fragrant and enticing slow cooked red ginger chicken was created. This recipe is simple and brimming with the flavors I was craving.
As well, at that time I had a full private chef client list and I was on a mission to create more slow cooker meals for our very busy family schedule.
When I originally posted this slow cooked red ginger chicken recipe I was raising backyard chickens (laying hens only, they were not raised for consumption) and posted the photos below. I adored my chicken gals, and you know, I think they adored me too. When we left Washington state, my girls landed a cushy gig at a local farm where they would live out their sweet chicken lives in chicken luxury. Since that time I haven’t had the opportunity to build another chicken coop and raise backyard chickens, but I’m sure that time will come again.
I still dabble with this recipe at times, adding a little heavy cream to the sauce when the mood strikes. On occasion I’ve prepared the sauce stove top, added a little heavy cream and then ladled the sauce over grilled chicken breasts. I like chicken breasts either grilled or pan seared and then finished in the oven. Slow cooked chicken breasts can have a strange chewy texture and for some reason I just don’t find that palatable. Surprisingly I do have a bit of a fussy palate. 😉
If you make this recipe let me know how it turns out for you and how you like it. I’d love your thoughts. This is one of those recipes that keeps evolving and one day it just might be perfected.
Delicious Wishes and Loads of Love to you!
Karista
Slow Cooked Red Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
- 8-10 chicken thighs, no skin but you can use bone in or boneless
- 1- 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 cup tomato sauce (a great way to use your canned tomatoes!)
- ½ cup Tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- Fresh ground pepper
- Chopped fresh cilantro or green onions for garnish
- White Rice
Instructions
- Pre-heat the slow cooker on low.
- Thick slice the ginger into 5-6 pieces. Whisk together the tomato sauce, tamari, garlic and ginger and reserve.
- Season the chicken pieces with pepper and brown in a skillet on both sides. You’ll want to achieve a nice deep brown color on the chicken as this will give the chicken a lot of flavor. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to the slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and slow cook on low for about 5-6 hours or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F. Chicken thighs and legs cook up better in the slow cooker, rather than chicken breasts.
- When the chicken is done, transfer the chicken to a platter. Strain the *sauce through a mesh colander and ladle over the chicken. Serve over white rice and garnish with chopped fresh green onion or cilantro.
- To make a thicker sauce, heat the strained sauce in a small sauce pan. In a small bowl, mix together a spoonful or two of the heated sauce with about 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch. Then whisk that mixture back into the sauce pan and let it come to a boil for only a few seconds or until you've reached desired consistency.
Mmmmm, this sounds lovely. I am huge fan of anything in the slow cooker and chicken thighs are one of the very best. I shall be making this one for sure!
Thank you Anne! Is it Anne? I want to make sure I type your name correctly. LOL! I’m also a huge fan of the slow cooker, especially during those busy weeks. Enjoy!
It’s Anneli – tricky I know 🙂 Just wanted to let you know that I cooked this last night and it was sooooo good. My husband ate 4 chicken thighs with the delicious sauce that we just couldn’t get enough of! Top recipe and one that I will make again for sure x
Wonderful!! I’m so glad your family loved the chicken. It’s one of our faves to.
Your chickens are so cool – they look awesome. As, so it happens, does your chicken – so flavourful… clearly. Yum, Karista!
LOL! Thanks Frugal! It is a lovely slow cooker dish but can be prepared in the handy Dutch oven as well. 🙂
Yes, I’m afraid I have something of an aversion to slow cookers…
It took me a long time to bring one back into my kitchen. LOL! My Mother used to cook the heck out of everything in her slow cooker. The thought of using one used to make my stomach turn. LOL! But alas, it does come in handy when I have a long day with clients or students. There are just a few things I’ll prepare in a slow cooker, chicken thighs are one of them. But the Dutch oven works well as you know. 🙂
Oh and also, just found the mention… cheers 😀
Your welcome 🙂
Such pretty girls and such a beautiful recipe! Now I know what to do with that chicken I bought yesterday. And a slow cook recipe too!
Thank you Maria! I do love these combinations of flavors. This chicken dish is great in the Dutch oven or a slow cooker. I love versatile. 🙂
Oh would you look how your girls have grown! Gorgeous, every one of them!
Your chicken dinner sounds fantastic – I love the combination of tomato sauce and soy sauce.
🙂 Mandy xo
Can you see me smiling? 🙂 I do love my feathered girls. They are so much fun! I think my family believes me just a little crazy. LOL! Yes, the combination of tomato sauce and soy sauce is divine. Add garlic and ginger and I’m licking the plate!
I had to laugh: we culinary types name our chickens accordingly;))). We have a Pepper too! And ‘megs’ for nutmeg, poppy, ginger, maple, brandy, ‘ollie’ for olive and our latest: ‘cinny’ for cinnamon—she looks the color of cinnamon bark!
Hahaha! Love your chicken girls names Janelle! I recently read about Cinny. if i were an egg laying hen I’d want to live at your house to. 🙂
Great looking chicken.
Thanks you Rosemary! Have a lovely week 🙂
Oh I love the ginger in this and you know that I am big on dark poultry meat rather than white meat – so much more flavor. What a delicious dinner!
Thanks Ksenia! I do love a good chicken thigh. And of course ginger seems to be showing up in all sorts of things these days. I think its my current obsession. 🙂
Wouldn’t you know it, I have some fresh tomato sauce to use this week and local chicken. I love the spice of ginger. Sometimes I wish we were set up for raising chickens but fortunately a good friend of mine provides weekly fresh eggs.
I love it when I have all the ingredients on hand and I don’t have to make a special trip to the market. 🙂 I feel so lucky we are in a city location that allows chickens. I’d have a mini farm if I could. LOL!
We love to travel so it wouldn’t be fair on the birds but maybe someday. Chickens are allowed in our town as well.
Gosh your chickens have grown so! Very fine looking girls they are. 🙂 I like that this dish uses tamari. It’s a flavor I really enjoy and don’t see it used so much…this dish looks great.
Awww… thanks Betsy! They are getting so pretty and eating like big girls. I too love the flavor tamari adds to dishes. I love an excuse to use it. LOL!
Karista I love this recipe! You should submit to Kalyn’s site – http://www.slowcookerfromscratch.com
The chicks are getting so big!
Thanks Alyssa! I knew Kalyn had a new site but haven’t checked it out yet. I always feel two steps behind somehow. LOL! Hmmm… maybe it’s the busy work schedule and family? 🙂
Me too Karista – it’s hard not too but I try to stay focused on what I want to do and keep that in line with what I CAN do.
Karista, I love that your chickens are your other “girls”. Even though I’m so close, I know very little about the cuisine of the Philippines – what a lovely recipe to start with!
Thanks Jess. I have recently become enthused about Filipino cuisine and hopefully I’ll master a few traditional favorites to share. Lovely blend of flavors and fresh ingredients. Have a great week!
Now that we’re into ski season, my slow cooker is my new best friend . . . as the last thing I feel like doing is cooking dinner after a day of skiing. I’m on the hunt for some new slow cooker recipes and this definitely fits the bill. Thanks Karista!
You are so welcome Barb! I was reminded of a fellow food bloggers new slow cooker site… http://www.kalynskitchen.com I met her over the summer at a conference and she is just the sweetest. Happy Skiing!
They are so sweet. The birds and the thighs. Great time to pull out the crock pot. I’m thinking about doing some broilers this year and have been searching “processing” chickens. We’ll see how that goes. x wt
Oh Wendy you are brave. A friend of mine here in Seattle, http://www.talkoftomatoes.com, also exploring this option. In fact I think she’s attending farm school this year. Someday I want to attend. Hugs to ya!
Oh hell yes! This sounds spectacular! Perhaps paired with your famous coconut rice?? If you’re liking your chickens now, just think about how much you’ll like them once they start giving you the best eggs you’ve ever had.
Hahaha! Thanks Erina. I know, can’t wait for the eggs to start rollin’ in. 🙂
That sounds like a winner! It took me years to convince Hubby that we needed a slow-cooker (I think the Former Missus made gawd-awful stuff in one), and now that we have one, HE uses it as much as I do!
Love the portraits of your Feathered Girls!
Hahaha! Well I was just about the same. After culinary school I thought hell would freeze over before I’d own a slow cooker. My Mother used to cook the heck out of everything in her slow cooker. But I learned browning was the key and watching to be sure nothing over cooked. It’s now a dinner saver some weeks. 🙂
A great warming dish with the natural spice of ginger this time of year. We eat so much chicken at our home so I am always looking for some new ideas. Thanks for the inspiration. Take Care, BAM
You’re so welcome Bam! We too seem to consume major amounts of chicken these days. My two gals love chicken, Ranger Craig not so much, but he liked this chicken. 🙂 Thankfully!
I’ve been waiting to read your ginger chicken posting and it was definitely worth the wait. It looks absolutely flavorful!!!! BTW, lucky chickens 🙂
Thanks Danny! I’m now under the weather so I’m making your chicken ginger soup. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear that my friend — get better soon!
That is one drool-worthy chicken!
Hahaha! Thank you. 🙂
Ah you have chickens too! We adopted our 3 girls which had been abandoned and with them came a baby chick which was cool,until it started to grow up and is resembling a peacock not a chicken!
Oh no! Hahahaha! I’m not sure how big the baby chick is, but I read somewhere there is a version of the Rhode Island Red that is a Peacock Rhode Island Red, very much resembling the peacock. I can’t imagine who would abandon their chickens. What lucky chickens to have been rescued. (and one peacock!) 🙂
I never would have thought tomatoes and soy sauce, but you have me curious!
Amanda, it is truly a lovely combination and used often in Filipino cuisine. A nice change from the usual. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
That chicken looks delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Thanks Lollie! My family’s new fave slow cooked meal. 🙂 Have a delicious week!