This delicious Skinny Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken is coated in a sweet and spicy sauce with tender vegetables and crunchy cashews.
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1¼ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pieces), cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- **4 – 6 dried red chili peppers (to taste) found in Asian supermarkets or the International section of a large chain grocery store – see NOTE
- ⅔ cup roasted cashews (or roasted peanuts)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped into halves
Sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried red pepper chili flakes
Cornstarch slurry
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a large zip-top bag, toss in chicken, cornstarch and black pepper. Shake until well-coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Transfer chicken into slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, honey, hoisin sauce, galic, ginger and red pepper chili flakes and pour over chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 2.5 – 4 hours or HIGH for 1.5 – 3 hours. (SEE NOTE)
- About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into the slow cooker. Add the dried red chili peppers, red bell peppers, zucchini and cashews.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened up. (Add more water to thin out sauce to your preferred consistency).
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and serve over rice, quinoa or zoodles, if desired.
Notes
**If you can’t find dried red chili peppers, leave out and add an additional ½ – 1 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes**If your slow cooker runs hot, be sure to check on chicken earlier as it may cook faster than the suggested cooking times.
