SLOW COOKER SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Serve these Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs over rice for a super family-friendly dinner choice or straight out of the slow cooker for a fun party snack at your next gathering.

I’ve been on a meatball kick lately. It started with recipe development for my cookbook (coming to bookstores near you later this year!). I’m so in love with a slow cooker meatball recipe that will be in the book that I’ve been stuck in meatball land ever since.

Meatball land is a great place to be.

Lean ground chicken meatballs, vibrant bell peppers, and pineapple chunks cook together in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce in your slow cooker to create this meatball version of the classic takeout dish.

I’ve loved sweet and sour sauce since I was an itty-bitty little one and I think these meatballs will appeal to young and old alike.

They are also versatile. I can’t decide if I love them more when served over rice for a no-sweat dinner or with toothpicks as a fun party appetizer.

HOW TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN MEATBALLS

When working with ground chicken to make meatballs, you’ll discover that the mixture is very sticky. If you have trouble rolling smooth meatballs, wet your hands and try again. Works every time.

Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with it non-stick cooking spray. As you form the meatballs, place them on the prepared baking sheet. I like to spray the tops lightly with additional non-stick cooking spray because it helps them brown nicely. They bake briefly in a 450 degree F oven and then are transferred to the slow cooker.

This recipe calls for canned pineapple and you want to be sure you pick up the variety of pineapple chunks that are packed in pineapple juice and not syrup. You’ll drain off and reserve the juice from the can for use in the sauce.

Once the easy Sweet and Sour Sauce is combined, pour it over the meatballs in the slow cooker. Scatter the bell peppers and pineapple chunks over the top – without stirring. They should rest on top of the meatballs and sauce for the first part of the cooking time so they don’t get too soft.

After cooking on LOW for 2 hours, remove the cover and stir in a slurry made with cornstarch and some of the pineapple juice. This will help to thicken the sauce. Replace the cover and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or just until the peppers are fork tender and the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened.

Garnish before serving with a good amount of thinly sliced green onions for color and even more flavor.

These tasty meatballs are a wonderful meal and a standout party snack.

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN MEATBALLS

• 2 large eggs
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

• 8 ounce can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (not syrup)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

FOR THE REST:

• 2 to 3 bell peppers assorted colors, seeded and chopped into 1" pieces
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• sesame seeds for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add remaining meatball ingredients and stir well to combine then use your hands to work the mixture until everything is well incorporated. Shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2" in diameter and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Wet your hands, if needed, to make it easier to roll the sticky mixture. You should end up with 26 to 28 meatballs. Spray the tops of the meatballs lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Bake the meatballs for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned. They don’t need to be completely cooked through at this point.
4. Meanwhile, drain and reserve the juice from the can of pineapple chunks and set both the pineapple and the reserved juice aside.
5. In a medium mixing bowl combine the ketchup, all but 2 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice (reserve 2 tablespoons for later), soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, rice vinegar, ginger root, and garlic. Whisk to combine well.
6. Spray the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the browned meatballs and the Sweet and Sour Sauce to the prepared slow cooker, stirring to coat the meatballs with sauce. Scatter the bell peppers and pineapple chunks over the top without stirring. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Remove the cover and stir to combine well, mixing the peppers and pineapple into the sauce. Combine the 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice with cornstarch in a small bowl and pour the slurry into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until peppers are fork tender and the sauce is thickened.
7. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds and serve over rice for dinner or transfer to a bowl and serve with toothpicks as a party appetizer. 

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PREP TIME : 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME : 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME : 2 HOURS 45 MINUTES

SERVINGS  : 6

Sticky Chicken Drumsticks in Chinese Plum Sauce

Slathered in the most incredible Chinese Plum Sauce, these Sticky Chicken Drumsticks are absolutely and utterly irresistible. Whether you’re 7 or 70 – and everyone in between! Super simple to make with just a handful of ingredients, plus it doesn’t even need marinating time!

Today’s recipe is brought into this world with many thanks to Fountain Sauces, without whom these gloriously sticky chicken drumsticks with the most incredible Chinese Plum Sauce glaze might not have been discovered and we may have forever been deprived.

Some days, nothing goes right.

I’ll have 3 recipe fails, I’ll be unhappy with all the photos, and a certain giant furry dog will bump the tripod while filming a video, resulting in 5 minutes footage of an empty (dirty) kitchen counter. I’ll stamp my foot (yes I do – go ahead and judge me), flop on the couch, huff and puff with annoyance. Most especially because I know dinner that night will not be enjoyable (because a recipe fail has to be seriously inedible to throw it out or donate it to said giant furry dog).

And other days, everything just works. Such was the day when I went to create a recipe using Fountain Plum Sauce. Usually when I create a recipe from scratch for the first time, I won’t plan to photograph it because I assume the recipe will need tweaking. But the moment I took these sticky, sticky drumsticks out of the oven, they were everything I envisioned them to be. 

The fragrant smell of plums. Sweet with a touch of tartness. Golden brown and oh-so-sticky. And that moment when you grab one of those sticky chicken drumsticks (knife and fork?? What’s that?) and you bite into the tender juicy chicken flesh and get that glaze all over your mouth face…

Now THAT is the kind of food I’m all about!!!

So what did I do? Well, this will come as no surprise to regular readers and my friends who know me so well…. in my excitement (and not wanting to lose my mojo), I dashed out to the store, purchased more drumsticks and made it again. Just to make sure – and to take photos.

Yup, just as good as Batch #1.

Any guesses what I did next? Yup, another mad store dash. Batch #3, coming right up. Triple testing and for the recipe video.

Oh boy. The homeless guy at the dog park had this 3 days in a row. As did I. No complaints from either party. Or Dozer. – Nagi xx

Ingredients

• 1.2kg / 2.4lb large chicken drumsticks (8 drumsticks)

PLUM MARINADE / GLAZE

• 3/4 cup / 185ml Fountain Plum Sauce (Note 1)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (can reduce to 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (all purpose or light, not dark soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder (Note 2)

GARNISH (OPTIONAL)

• Sesame seeds
• Finely chopped scallions

Instructions

1. Place Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag (or bowl) and mix. Add chicken and massage to coat in the Marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour (see Note 3 for skipping this).
2. Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all types).
3. Line a tray with baking paper / parchment paper (or foil then spray with oil).
4. Transfer chicken to tray, shaking off excess marinade. RESERVE Marinade.

BAKING & BASTING (TOTAL BAKE TIME: 50 MIN)

1. Bake chicken for 20 minutes.
2. Remove from oven. Spoon / slather / brush with reserve marinade (generously!) (Note 4). Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and TURN chicken. Baste again using tray juices and reserved marinade. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and baste again (very generously!) using tray juices and reserved marinade. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from oven and scrape/brush tray juices onto chicken (don't waste free flavour!).
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and shallots/scallions if using. I served it with rice and steamed broccolini.

Recipe Notes:

1. I created this recipe especially for Fountain Plum Sauce which is sold at all major supermarkets in Australia (Woolies, Coles) for the bargain price of around $2.50. If you are in Australia, I urge you to use Fountain Plum Sauce because I can confidently guarantee that you will be in sticky Plum Sauce heaven and what you taste is how it is supposed to be. However, if you are unable to find it, then it can be substituted with other Plum Sauces.
2. Chinese Five Spice Powder is a mix of (5!) spices that can be found at supermarkets in the spice section. It costs the same as other standard spices. It's fabulous!
3. In all honesty, the glaze is so tasty that if you slather it on generously at the end when it has finished cooking using the tray juices, you can skip the marinating.
The alternative to infuse flavour into the flesh is to cut 2 shallow gashes on each side of each drumstick (i.e. 4 in total) then add to the marinade. Then proceed with the recipe. Make sure you baste well!
4. If using a brush, kind of DAB the marinade on, not brush it, that way you get more on the chicken. If using a spoon, spoon it down the centre of the drumstick then use the back of the spoon to spread it on the sides. Don't forget to use all those tray juices around and under the chicken - they are the BEST!
 
5. Make ahead /freezing: To prepare ahead, pop the marinade + chicken in a ziplock bag and freeze straightaway. Then as it thaws in the fridge, the chicken will marinate. The marinade will be more watery (from ice + salt extracting liquid from chicken due to longer time in marinade) so just be very generous with the basting so you end up with that nice sticky finish. 
Though I haven't tried it, I am sure the cooked drumsticks will be great for freezing and reheating because drumsticks are a juicy cut. Scrape any remaining juices on the tray into the container/bag with the chicken then freeze. To reheat, thaw then microwave. 

Easy Chicken, Kale & Goat Cheese Enchiladas

Enchiladas were in my dinner blind spot until a year or so ago when I randomly decided that they would be the perfect way to use up some leftover roast chicken. And in my typical go big or go home style, we have probably eaten them just about once a week since then. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Warm, cheesy, comforting, and easy to prepare with basic pantry staples, these Easy Chicken, Kale & Goat Cheese Enchiladas are sure to become a weekly fixture on your menu too.

I can’t take credit for this brilliant and wholesome combination of ingredients. It’s the brainchild of a woman named Dina, whom I met on Facebook. Yes, yes, I totally met her on Facebook, and as I’ve said before there is no shame in making friends on the Internet, people! Who has the time to make friends the old fashioned way? Right?

Dina started a parent recipe exchange group on Facebook, of which I am an enthusiastic (perhaps overly so) member. Parents (moms, if we are being totally honest) post questions like “What can I make with a pound of ground chicken? Other than chili and spaghetti sauce?” And then others chime in with “Stuffed peppers!!” and “Tacos?“, along with links to epicurious.com and the like. It’s what passes for entertainment and adult interaction these days, and as a bonus I get lots of new dinner ideas and fodder for this blog.

Like these enchiladas. About a year ago I turned to the Parent Recipe Exchange moms for a “good chicken enchilada recipe” to use up some leftover chicken. Which is a bit weird, frankly, because I don’t think I’d ever eaten an enchilada in my life let alone cooked a batch myself. I’m not sure from what random place this request came  (though I was very pregnant, and that might have had something to do with it). I digress. Dina responded with her favourite spinach-goat cheese-chicken combo, and I have since made it about 467 times, refining the recipe in the process.

What I love about this recipe (aside from EVERYTHING) is that you can make it in the morning (or before you go to bed even), pop it into the fridge and then bake it for 20 or 30 minutes when you get home in the evening.

The recipe is pretty forgiving and flexible, too. If you don’t have kale, a box of baby spinach makes a worthy substitute. Goat cheese can be swapped for something else creamy (I’ve made it with black pepper Boursin), and black beans could probably stand in for chicken. I like the tang of a tomatillo salsa, but a red salsa would do the trick, I’m sure. Finally, someone will definitely ask if flour tortillas can be used in place of corn ones, and I expect they could, although I find the corn versions are generally quite a bit cleaner than the flour ones (read the loooong list of ingredients on the back of a bag of garden-variety flour tortillas and you will see what I mean!).

Finally, my usual plea: if you try this recipe, please report back in the comments below telling me what worked, didn’t worked, tasted great, tasted gross, etc. I will love ya for it.

Ingredients

• 1 142 gram / 5 ounce box baby kale (or 1 small bunch lacinato kale, finely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 10 small corn tortillas
• 1 approx 450 ml (16 ounce) jar tomatillo salsa
• 1 small (approx 113 grams / 4 ounces) package plain goat cheese
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
• Small handful finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream, sliced avocado and diced tomatoes to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 and grease a large baking dish (about 9 x 13 inches).
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the kale until it is just wilted. Set aside.
3. Dump about ⅔ of the salsa onto a large plate or very shallow bowl.
4. Dip each tortilla into the salsa, coating it well on both sides (the idea is to soften the tortilla so it doesn't break easily when you roll it up). Spoon in some chicken and cooked kale, and then crumble over some goat cheese. Roll it up and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all of the other tortillas. Dump the remaining salsa (as well as any leftover salsa from the shallow bowl) on top of the rolled enchiladas and sprinkle the cheese overtop. Bake at 375 for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
5. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream, sliced avocado and diced tomatoes.

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Prep time : 15 mins     Cook time : 25 mins      Total time : 40 mins

Quick Moroccan Chicken Thighs Over Couscous

kiwiandbean.com

There has not been a lot of cooking in my kitchen these past two weeks. We were in house “staging” mode for one week, and then house-selling mode for the second week, and by decree of my real estate agent (bless him), there was to be nothing smelly, nothing backsplash-staining, nothing fridge-grossening until the house was sold. And so we subsisted on a combination of restaurant meals, take-out pizza, sandwiches and ravioli. And vacuumed, bought flowers, dusted and made our beds–a lot.

Lucky for us, we signed a deal on Monday, five days after the house went onto the market. Hooray! What a relief to be back in the kitchen. Just in time for spring barbecue season! Uh, or not so much. At least not in my part of the world. My dad once famously declared “summer never comes when summer comes” to describe the rainy Vancouver summers that I grew up with. And this has certainly been a spring that never came when spring came. If you know what I mean.

With the weather feeling more like November than April, I’ve officially extended the braising, stewing, roasting season for at least a couple more weeks. But spiced things up for “spring” with this quick and easy Moroccan-inspired chicken dish. The recipe uses chicken thighs, which are infinitely tastier than chicken breasts (though I am still working on ways to make chicken breasts taste good, like these ones). And more forgiving too: you can cook the heck out of thighs without turning them into rubber. The thighs are seared to lock in their juices and enhance their flavour, then bathed in a spice-flecked tomatoey sauce. I like to serve them with couscous, partly for the Moroccan-ness of it all, but mostly because couscous goes from dry to dinner-table-ready in minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight. Add a little steamed broc or a tossed salad and you’ve got a colourful, healthful still-waiting-for-spring supper.

Ingredients

• For chicken:
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil (I use sunflower, but any vegetable oil will work)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Chopped cilantro (optional)
• For couscous:
• 1 cup whole wheat couscous
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Instructions

1. Cut chicken thighs in half, pat them dry with a paper towel and sprinkle them generously with salt and ground pepper.
2. Heat the cooking oil in the bottom of a heavy bottom pot (I used my Le Creuset dutch oven) set over medium-high heat.
3. When oil is shimmering, add chicken thighs. Cook until they start to get brown and crispy, then flip them and do the same to the other side.
4. Lower the heat to medium-low and add garlic, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon stick and cayenne (if using). Stir it all around until you can smell the spices.
5. Turn heat back up to medium-high and add the tomatoes and their juices, crushing each tomato between your fingers as you add it to the pot.
6. Drizzle the honey over top and bring it to a boil.
7. When liquid is boiling, turn heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is reduced, about 20-30 minutes. If you'd like to reduce your sauce even further, remove the chicken and turn sauce to high heat for a few minutes to let some liquid boil off.
8. Season with salt to taste (it will depend on how salty your tomatoes are).
9. While chicken is cooking, put couscous, raisins, butter and salt in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Put a lid on the bowl and leave it for a few minutes, until the couscous has absorbed all the water.
10. Fluff couscous with a fork, and serve chicken and sauce over couscous. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes       Cook Time: 25 minutes       Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings