Here’s a new one.
I recently purchased two movie tickets online (so far, so normal).
My husband and I make our way to the theater and are unable to print our tickets from the dispensing machine (so far, so normal).
We walk over to the live body behind the ticket booth, explain the situation and show proof of purchase on our phone. The clerk is also unable to print the tickets but assures us that our confirmation is valid and to simply make our way into the theater and enjoy the movie. Will do.
We head into the theater and shuffle over to our seats (now a bit behind with the trailers starting – my favorite part) only to discover another couple comfortably installed in our seats. No problem. We politely explain that these are our seats and quietly but confidently pull out our phone to show proof of purchase. The couple then quietly and more confidently produce the actual tickets. Checkmate.
But how did they get our tickets?
45 minutes later, the manager struggles to explain that unbeknownst to us and without any action on our part, our tickets were auto-refunded and put back into the pool of availability for someone else to scoop up. We’ve paid for the tickets, someone else got them, the theater is now full and we are, to paraphrase my Dad’s best Irish, SOL on seeing the movie.
Of course in the big picture of things, it wasn’t much of a hardship – the financial stuff got sorted out and my husband and I went on to enjoy an evening of craft beer and sweet potato fries at one of our favorite pubs. It does make you think about technology though and all the more important things that can go wrong. [We also cooked up some spicy conspiracy theories – we live in Silicon Valley after all – maybe someone really wanted those tickets and found a way to get them – almost certainly not the case but we still managed to have some great fun speculating about it].
For today’s post it was between this creamy slow cooker peanut chicken and salmon. Did I choose right for January? I thought so (but I will get that salmon up soon because it’s also delicious and has mood boosting benefits of its own).
For today’s recipe, the slow cooker does most of the work. Easily prepared and oh-so-satisfying, it is one of the most requested meals in our home right now. The recipe usually feeds up to six (especially when served accompanied by sides) so you can enjoy any leftovers you have for lunch (love that). And if you like sauce, this one delivers in abundance and the chicken (be sure to use thighs) is supremely tender and well infused with flavor from the low and slow cooking process. A beaut of a dish.
Vegetarians/vegans you can absolutely use this delicious Thai-inspired sauce with a plant protein of choice. Here is another warming recipe you might also enjoy that was featured last winter.
As always, be sure to read the Notes in the recipe card below for best results and options. Enjoy and stay warm.
- The Chicken:
- 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds/900 grams), cut into bite-sized pieces
For the Peanut Curry Sauce:- 1 can full fat coconut milk (13.5 fl oz/400 mL)
- 1 heaping Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (or to taste)
- 4 tsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp tangy tamarind sauce
- 2 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 heaping Tbsp all natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
- 1 heaping Tbsp grated fresh ginger root (or more to taste)
- 1 Tbsp coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 flat Tbsp tapioca starch
Topping Ideas:- squeeze of fresh lime juice
- chopped green onion
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, place: coconut milk, chili garlic sauce, red curry paste, soy or tamari sauce, tamarind sauce, tomato paste, peanut butter, ginger and sugar - whisking well to combine.
- Taste the sauce and make any flavor adjustments.
- Add tapioca starch to the sauce and whisk again to combine, making sure it is fully broken down and integrated.
- Place sauce in a slow cooker set to low heat.
- Add chicken pieces to the sauce and stir to combine such that the chicken pieces end up being fully submerged in the sauce.
- Cover the slow cooker and allow the chicken to cook for 4-6 hours on low heat the whole time.
- Carefully remove lid and stir the chicken in the sauce (breaking up any pieces that have buddied up).
- Serve peanut chicken with as much or as little sauce as desired and top with your choice of nuts, cilantro, onion, etc. and season with salt & pepper as you wish.
- I accompanied the chicken with some steamed veggies and a side of grains (a mixture of white/red quinoa, millet and buckwheat sold together under the label "super grains" at Whole Foods).
Tapioca Starch - tapioca starch (also sometimes called tapioca flour) is a gluten-free plant based starch that is used as a thickening agent in this recipe. You can find tapioca starch in the baking section of any grocery store. If you omit it, you will end up with a soupy consistency rather than a sauce (still delicious just runny).
Spicy Factor - while this peanut sauce has plenty of flavor it is not, to my taste anyway, particularly spicy. Be sure to taste the sauce before transferring it into the slow cooker to make any seasoning adjustments desired.
Sides - you can serve this peanut chicken with any side/s desired - grains absorb the sauce nicely and are nourishing on a cold winter's day but I personally enjoy this meal on a bed of crunchy cabbage too. As you wish.
Peanut Substitutions - while it's difficult to replicate the precise taste of peanut, if there are allergies present, some alternate suggestions would be: sunflower seed butter, cashew butter and tahini (sesame seed paste). If you make this recipe using one of these alternates, I would love to hear from you in the comment section.
I found your site via foodiecrush and I’m definitely crushin’ on it. Love your take on food and will be a regular visitor. Thanks!
thank you so much for stopping by Heather ~ I appreciate your support and kind words. Welcome to Inspired Edibles.
What a bummer to get into the movie theater and have to give it up. Bobby and I usually go to the early afternoon matinee in middle of the week, so we don’t have to worry about a sell out. :) What movie were you going to see?
I can see why this is a favorite! What great flavors! I made a peanut stew once and it was way too peanuty, but then it called for a cup of peanut butter. I think would enjoy you version better with only 2 Tbsp. Your pictures really show how DElicious this stew is!
an afternoon matinee sounds so civilized – we could aim for it on the weekend but we never seem quite settled enough during the day to pull it off – we tend to run around quite a bit. I hope you enjoy this peanut version if you have a chance to give it a try. Cheers MJ.
Ha – I find going to the movies a real trial now – too much talking/whispering, checking cellphone and people getting up – so I would have been extremely disappointed if my tickets weren’t valid. I do think some movies are definitely a better experience in the theater (hello Star Wars) but mostly I avoid the movie theater. So glad you were able to turn your night around and have a great time with your husband. As for this recipe, I’ve been looking for a good peanut sauce so am excited to try it – will be mixing it up for some tofu! Pretty shot – love the ying/yang-ism of the bowls – both in the image and the flavors.
ying-yang-ism – love it! thank you Geraldine. I haven’t encountered that problem at theaters (the chatty/disruptive stuff) but agreed, it would definitely spoil the mood. I hope you love this peanut sauce – lots of flavor and easy to adapt to your spicing preference.
Oh my gosh! This reminds me of one of our favorite slow cooker recipes and now I’m totally craving it. So spicy, so flavorful, so peanuty! Yum! Yum! Yum! Maybe our place in Poland will have a slow cooker? What a bummer about your movie. Sounds like you guys recovered the evening and ended up having a great time despite the mix up. Technology – a blessing and a curse. Love your conspiracy theories though – Mr. N would too. He’s all about the conspiracy theories these days. ;)
did Mr N ever watch the X-Files? Lots of very excited responses in this house over the series reopening :))
He never has – but he would LOVE it! I’m sure of that!
Ahh, how frustrating! Although, sweet potato fries and craft beer and conspiracy theories sound like an excellent consolation! ;)
I cannot wait to make this – I know my husband will love it too. Warm and comforting and enough to take for lunch the next day is a super bonus in my book! Lovely, Kelly!
agreed on the craft beer, sweet potato fry, conspiracy theory trifecta – it doesn’t get better than that :D. Tasty leftovers have got to be one of life’s greatest pleasures! I’m excited for you to try this recipe – I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
This dish is perfect for January right now, as we are sitting in the middle of a blizzard. When there’s almost two feet of snow out your door, something simmering away in a crock pot sounds like heaven. Everything about this dish sounds delicious!!! Another beaut for sure xxx
I am loving your blizzard photos – including your two adorable boys in their snow fort. Talk about *heaven* – two feet? wow, incredible! I hope you are enjoying it too (kind of cozy – it must make for a fun change of pace) thanks so much for dropping in to say hello – We miss you in the blogging world, x.
I have also had similar accidents alas (though not in the cinema ; I stopped going… too many people talking during the film, especially old ladies : the speciality of my city (!)).Luckily it didn’t spoil your mood too much and you went to have a drink instead (maybe it was even a better option, finally ;-) ).
The sauce looks irresistibly good and reminds me of Penang Curry, which is also made with peanuts (love it! especially since I make my own paste). You should try making Penang paste one day from the scratch. I’m sure you would love it! It’s funny because I often eat buckwheat (roasted version) instead of rice with many Asian dishes and your quinoa and your dish has instantly reminded me of it! In short, I have fallen in love with your dish!
PS May I also suggest boiled eggs with leftovers as an alternative? This is what I do when I have leftover curry paste. (Now I am really getting hungry!).
haha, that’s quite the specialty! ;o) too bad about the noise… I have to say, our theater is very quiet and if it wasn’t I don’t think I would be all that interested either – kind of ruins it. Hard to beat homemade curry paste but alas, only so many hours in the day – I inevitably end up making choices about what to make from scratch and what I can live with on any given day (you’d be quite proud of my recent homemade pickled onions Sissi – my husband is over the moon with them in his sandwiches and on his coleslaw … they are so addictive – salt + vinegar – I’m making them in batches!) Boiled egg with the leftovers? yes! (boiled eggs are one of my most frequent lunches so that works out rather beautifully).
Wow! Your pickled onions sound fantastic! By the way, after your kind comment about the magical carrot I pickled a sliced carrot yesterday. I will check tomorrow the results. I’m very impatient!
PS As long as you have all the ingredients (if you have a Thai shop somewhere in your city they should have everything), making your own curry paste is just a question of minutes. You just mix everything in a food processor and then have at least two dishes out of it! (Unless you are one of those who have the courage to use a mortar… I obviously don’t!).
PS2 Now that I think of it…. I’m sure you can grow most of the Thai ingredients in your magical garden! Even the Thai kaffir lime!
Oh what a bummer.. all set to settle in to see a movie and dang it! Thwarted! And so it goes… those times when you just want it to work, the universe has other plans… beer and fries. I love how the story ended. After-all face time is a good thing! Now this curry… Kelly, it is so close to what I make! I’ve never made it in the slow cooker but can just imagine with that kind of cook time how the flavors would deepen. I’d take my spicy over the top… mouth water, nose running! Love that option here. Delicious my dear! Wishing you a cozy weekend! xo
it was a surprise but we ended up being kind of amused by it – my husband earns his living in the tech world; you just gotta love the irony :)
glad we got a chance to connect on this recipe over IG – it is very adaptive to plant proteins (and I’m overdue to get matar paneer on the blog!).
Recently we bought movie tickets online too but without the headache you experienced! I was surprised to see that the seats were assigned, back in the day it was fcfs! The manager should have given you free popcorn for your next movie as a goodwill gesture.
I have always been a little apprehensive about cooking chicken in a slow cooker, not cure why but perhaps this is the recipe I give it a go with! And I vote for the peanut chicken as the perfect recipe for this time of year, you did good. Now if I’m trying to cut fat, would you recommend lite coconut milk or just use less of the full fat?
thanks Eva, we were offered free movie passes beyond the reimbursement and since we ended up enjoying a fun night of big screen hockey, IPAs and our favorite sweet potato fries (w/ chunky garlic, fresh parsley and spicy chili dipping sauce) I think we did rather well ;-) I find it mostly interesting to speculate about how these things happen and what it means.
I have not made this recipe with anything other than full fat coconut which I believe contributes to both the flavor and the gorgeous creamy texture so I am not at all certain you would get the same result. You could certainly experiment with it – maybe try half full and half light if you wish or simply enjoy the peanut chicken as is and save elsewhere.
Technology… sigh. Mercury is retrograde right now, so that could be it! In our house, anything related to communication (human or otherwise) is just completely malfunctioning. I’ll spare you the dramatic details, but it involves stalling computers, unreliable phone service, and a broken dishwasher (that magically came back to life after the 3rd day…) I did have a laugh at your story Silicon Valley statement, though. ;)
I was delighted to see this recipe on IG- it *is* perfect for snowmageddon. And what’s even more perfect, is that I have all the ingredients! xo
oh goodness, that line: “in our house anything related to communication (human or otherwise) is just completely malfunctioning” just about had me in spasms. YES! just yes :))
*nut
Any suggestions on replacing the peanut butter with a different but or seed butter?
Hi Heather! My top choices would be sunflower seed butter, cashew butter and tahini. Hope that helps. Let me know how it works out if you give it a try – I’m sure others will benefit from your experience. Are you expecting the snow too?
Great story… well, great to tell, I am sure it was annoying to go through it…
Now, the most important question: how did you read my mind and learned about me getting a slow cooker, when I never blogged about it? Or wrote you in full excitement mode to break the news?
I am puzzled and shocked, but happy – I got a very nice cookbook America’s Test Chicken devoted exclusively to crock pot cooking and I’m having fun, although let’s just say last night’s dinner is not going to be on the blog. I am not proud. enough said. A learning curve? yeap.
your recipe goes to my files… come to think of it I STILL haven’t blogged on that pork tenderloin with a caramel type sauce you posted more than a year ago. Shame.
congrats on the latest addition to the family – wishing you many happy years together :) if you enjoy thai style peanut curries this one has been specifically developed for the slow cooker so it may well be worth a shot. I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes Sally – thank you for trying them; I always love getting reader feedback on my posts but no need to blog about them; just enjoy.
Your Dad’s best Irish… hilarious! You always spin the greatest tales Kelly though I don’t think I would have handled the situation nearly as calmly as you. Auto-refund? How bizarre and unfortunate. I’m glad you went on to have a fun night. This chicken is calling my name. I love the flavors (and I think I can get most of the ingredients). We are expecting a huge snow storm and I was just saying to my daughter that it would be great to make a large batch of stew or something like that – the crockpot is perfect! Thank you for this.
at this stage in my life, I try to reserve my anger and/or frustration for the big ticket items (like when my pen runs out of ink ;o)
I hope you were able to gather these ingredients before the storm… stay safe Elizabeth.