Sunday, December 07, 2014

Cooking with Blobby

I needed something new for dinner. And I wasn't looking to stand over the stove.

Ruckiry (not Jon's boss), I saw a slow cooker recipe that I thought I'd try.

I admittedly only use my slow cooker maybe twice a year, but I just need some decent stuff to utilize it more often. So far the things I have made have been iffy at best........and rancid at worst.

But the words "garlic chicken" made me feel all Ina Garten-ish with "how bad can that be?".

...and it wasn't. lt ended up missing a certain something, but there was nothing bad about it.

2-3 skinless bone-in chicken breasts (I couldn't find, I had to take the skin off)
1/2 cup - chopped onion
3 cloves - minced garlic
1/4 t - red pepper flakes
2 T - olive oil
1/2 cup - honey
1/2 cup - low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup - hoisin sauce
1/4 cup - blackberry jam
1T - corn starch
scallions & sesame seeds (garnish)

If feeding more than two folks, you need at least a third chicken breast placed in the bottom of the slow cooker. 

In a bowl mix the oil, soy sauce, honey, hoisin, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic and blackberry jam. 

Pour marinade over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. 

Remove chicken, take off the bone (easy!) and shred. 

Dump liquid from crock pot into sauce pan. In separate cup mix corn starch with 3 T of cold water. Add to sauce over medium heat until it thickens. 

Pour (some sauce - not all) over chicken. 

Garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.  Serve. Eat. 


It was all fine. Even good. But I wanted more. 

I should have doubled up on the garlic - at least doubled it.  The recipe said if young kids were eating this, to take out the red pepper flakes, but if they added any heat, neither 710 nor myself felt or tasted it. 

I'm not sure that was the certain thing the dish was missing. But it seemed a good place to start. 

For leftovers, I added additional red pepper flakes to the sauce, but to little avail. It was a bit better, but it's still not whatever the missing ingredient may be. 

I don't know I'd make it again, unless I knew what was actually missing. I'm not big on trial and error that way. I just want it to work. 

Onward and upward. 

5 comments:

Biki Honko said...

No matter what recipe I try, no matter how I try to pump the flavors up, I always end up with the same exact result. Something is missing, the flavor is a bit flat. The only thing I can make in it and have it come out half way edible is chili. And I brown the meat and the onions.

Why dont you try the same recipe but in the oven and see if that changes the flavor for the better?

anne marie in philly said...

are you kidding me? I use my slow cooker once or twice a WEEK! I've even made lasagna in mine!

now off you go to find more recipes online!

Anonymous said...

Maybe some sourness would round it out - a little vinegar or lime juice? I would probably add a little toasted sesame oil.

BB

Bob said...

I'm always up for more red pepper flakes and more garlic.

Will J said...

BB may be on the right track. It may be the acidity.

Seems high on the sugars and it is not exactly clear where the acid is for the "marinade" to work on the proteins (the hoisin?).