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Thai Chicken & Potato Stew (slow cooked)
This is loosely based on a Thai chicken and potato stew from Lonny—a Dutch Indonesian chef.
I had no idea just how Thai this recipe he named Alu Che really was (never heard of it) but loved the sound of it and figured it would make a perfect crock pot recipe. Which it did.
I made a few changes: instead of a cut-up fryer I used chicken legs. I also didn’t use 19 small Thai chillies (why not 20, I wonder?) and replaced them with 4 Anaheim chillies. Still spicy, but in a warming kind of way. Mainly I left the original recipe intact, which was ‘throw everything in a big pot and simmer it’.
In hindsight I would have sautéed the onions first and I would have removed the chicken skin, but that’s about all the changes I’ll make next time. It’s spicy, it’s fragrant and it lifts your spirit in a way only Thai, Chinese and Indonesian food can.
Ingredients:
4 chicken legs (& thighs)
1 pound potatoes
2 onions
3 stalks lemon grass
3 spring onions
2 two medium-sized tomatoes
4 chili peppers
thumb-size piece fresh ginger
1 bulb garlic (mine was fresh garlic)
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp oil
4 tbsp water (or chicken broth)
Directions:
Chop the onions.
Remove the tip, the end, and the outer layer and now smash it on the kitchen counter to bruise it. Just release all your built up tension, stress and anger!
Feels good, doesn’t it? Cooking is therapeutic. You get to slap things around, that always helps.
Remove the seeds from the peppers and finely mince them.
Finely mince the garlic as well.
Normally I grate my ginger. But not this time….
I peeled the ginger and turned it into match sticks.
Chop the spring onions and tomato as well while you’re at it.
Peel and cube the potatoes. Not too small or they’ll turn everything into soup.
I think replacing half the potatoes with sweet potatoes might be really tasty as well.
The chicken legs. Lonny used a cut-up fryer, I used just legs and thighs.
Lonny didn’t remove the skin… I sure as heck will next time. You see, Lonny and I are very different. I’m a 5′ 8″ girl with copper blonde hair and green eyes and Lonny, well, he’s not.
Now comes the easy part: place the chicken in your slow cooker and top it with the onions and chilli pepper.
Another thing I disagree on with Lonny: I’m going to sauté the onion next time. Quite honestly, my recipe doesn’t look a whole lot like his anymore.
Add the remaining ingredients. It sure looks cheerful, doesn’t it?
Add your potatoes. Push some underneath the chicken as well.
Mix everything up, pour in the peanut oil and sprinkle in the salt and pepper.
Add 4 tbsp water or chicken broth.
Push the lemongrass stalks in there. We only need the flavour, so we’ll remove them before eating the dish.
Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours, until the chicken almost falls off the bone, the potatoes are tender and there’s lots of yummy liquid.
After 3 hours I took a peek and stirred a little. There was a quite some flavoured broth that smelled out-of-this-world good.
After 8 hours it was done. I removed the lemongrass.
This is so really tasty.
You can serve the chicken thighs whole, but I preferred to pick the chicken meat from the bones and put it back into the slow cooker after I skimmed the fat from the surface. Check the seasoning and adjust when needed.
Serve with steamed rice and lime wedges and (optionally) finely minced cilantro.
| Thai Chicken & Potato Stew (slow cooked) | |||||||||
| Ingredients |
1 pound potatoes 2 onions 3 stalks lemon grass 3 spring onions 2 two medium-sized tomatoes 4 chili peppers thumb-size piece fresh ginger 1 bulb garlic (mine was fresh garlic) 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp oil 4 tbsp water (or chicken broth) Directions |
|
Feel free to remove the chicken skin, I will next time and I will sauté the onions first, though technically it’s not necessary. Place the chicken in your slow cooker and add all your chopped ingredients to it. Push some of the potatoes cubes underneath the chicken as well. Pour in the oil and sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Add 4 tbsp water or chicken broth and push the lemongrass stalks in there. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours, until the chicken almost falls off the bone and the potatoes are tender. Remove the lemongrass. Pick the chicken meat from the bone and put it back into the pot. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust when needed. Serve the chicken stew over steamed rice and with lime wedges and, optionally, finely minced cilantro. Meal type: |
Main Course, Thai, Slow Cooker, Poultry
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Servings: |
4 to 6 |
Copyright: |
© kayotickitchen.com |
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23 Comments »
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This looks incredible! Would you believe I’ve never tried Thai food at all? Mostly because it has a reputation for being incredibly hot. But this, with one or two fewer chilies, I could surely enjoy!
It really surprised me that it wasn’t nearly as hot as I expected it to be!
Nice recipe! Although i wonder if 4 tablespoons of liquid is enough for a stew.
I agree about removing the chickenskin. The skin does add flavour but that isn’t really necessary here, especially if you use broth as liquid.
I wouldn’t sautee the onions, but use only spring onions for a smoother taste.
Definately going to give it a try!
The best part about step-by-step photography is that you can actually see what happens in the photos. This is what the recipe looked like with 4 tbsp water. It’s a slow cooker.
I think the flavor might get really boring with only spring onions.
Dat ziet er verdomd lekker uit.
So easy and yet interesting flavor combo too. Thanks for sharing!
Oh that looks lovely! I don’t have access to lemongrass though. Any idea for substitutions?
I don’t always have access to it either, but I do always have powdered lemongrass. Maybe you can replace it with a bit of lemon zest. Just use a vegetable peeler to shave some of the zest.
I’m a Thai and quite sure this is not Thai recipe. It’s not either Tom Kha Kai (chicken coconut soup) or Keang Kai (chiken curry). As far as I know, Indonesian and Malaysian call potatoes ‘Alu’.
No, the Indonesian word for potatoes is kentang.
Oh my gosh! I love the Thai flavors here :)
Lijkt me lekker met wat witte rijst!
Vergeet ook de limoen niet! Dat maakte het écht af.
Acuatlly Alu or Aloo is the Indian name for patatoes. This looks great Kay. I am going to make this soon
I knew it wasn’t Indonesian, but had no idea it was Indian. Makes me wonder why he claims to make a Thai stew and then give it an Indian name :)
Yep makes me wonder too Kay. That man gets me puzzeled sometimes ;)
Kay, I love how clean you are and how you explain through detailed pictures! keep doing it!
Why Kosher salt?
Why not?
Hi Kay,
Any advice on how to do this on the stove top instead of a slow cooker ?
Great recipes and photos…….many thanks
Cheers,
Rob
The original recipe stated you had put everything into a pan, bring it to a boil and simmer it for 25 minutes.
Hi Kay
This looks great. Can I use table salt or sea salt flakes instead of kosher salt . I couldn’t find kosher salt in the shops. Also can you advise how much garlic is used…..is it the entire bulb or only a single clove? many thanks Hazel
Sure! Tablesalt is generally 1/2 the volume of kosher salt.