It’s the last week having my sister visit, and I’m so going to miss her in the kitchen with me 😦 This week we wanted to create a clean Kung Pow chicken recipe that was crockpot friendly and we did just that! Introducing Sar to all the clean cooking alternatives I use in my kitchen has been so much fun! We bounce ideas off of each other like those silly paddles with a ball attached by a string….so, with that, enjoy this yummy crockpot chicken recipe with a kick! Because crockpots trump takeout any day!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 organic chicken breasts
• 1 organic red bell pepper, diced
• 1 organic green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 4-5 organic zucchini, spiraled (I LOVE my Paderno spiralizer I bought off Amazon) to make “zoodles”; if your zoodles are never ending, cut at about 6-8″ so you can eat them easier
• 4 tablespoons unsalted, unskinned, shelled peanuts
• About 6 scallions or chives, sliced (I used chives because my garden has them)
• 1 small can of sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed (dry these out on a paper towel while you prep sauce)
• 1 small can of bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos “Soy” Sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Bragg’s organic apple cider vinegar or organic balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 shake of Chinese 5-Spice Powder
• 3/4 tablespoons organic tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons coconut sugar, organic, raw honey, or 100% pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes or 1/4 dried chili pepper, diced (use more or less depending on how much heat you can take)
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients [aminos, vinegar, water, tomato paste, sugar/honey/syrup, arrowroot, Chinese 5-spice, oils, ginger, garlic & red pepper flakes].
2. In a small sauce pan, add sauce mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbling, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside. (You can also just place all sauce ingredients into crockpot once they’re mixed together, simmering just ensures proper thickness occurs).
3. Turn crockpot on low and place chicken breasts in
4. Add diced bell pepper & onion
5. Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts
6. Pour sauce mixture on top of chicken & veggies (sneak in more veggies if desired; broccoli & carrots are delish with this sauce too! You may just need to double up on the recipe depending on how many extra you add).
7. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked through, or high for 4-5 hours, until chicken is fully cooked through.
8. About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, add zoodles on top of chicken to steam and get al dente.
9. Remove zoodles and place in four bowls.
10. Add chicken on top of zoodles, sprinkling peanuts and scallions on top of each serving
11. Grab some chopsticks and enjoy this healthy, clean, take out alternative!

*Serve with steamed Edamame and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos as a dipping sauce as a yummy appetizer! Or cook up a batch of cauliflower fried rice to serve as an additional clean, healthy side!

XOXO,

Shelley & Sarah

@tiu_shelley   @tiu_sjhopp