I found this recipe in the Cooking Light cookbook – but of course I’ve altered the ingredients and directions a little bit. (This was originally a Crockpot recipe. And it called for cooking the carrots along with the broth. I choose not to do that, because I find it makes the broth too sweet.) When I made it the second time I cooked it as a soup, as opposed to a full meal. I really love this easy recipe that is so incredibly fragrant and FULL of amazing flavor. Give this one a try. I don’t think you’ll be sorry!
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Thai curry paste (I used red curry paste)
1 white onion, cut vertically (like you would see in stir-fry)
1/3 cup julienne-cut peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, halved
3 (4-inch) stalk fresh lemongrass, cut in half lengthwise
8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), skinned
1 (1-pound) bag baby carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups hot cooked jasmine rice
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 lime wedges
Directions:
Place the first 11 ingredients into a soup pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and place a lid on the pot – but don’t cover completely. Simmer for about 2 – 2 ½ hours.
Place the carrots with approximately 1 cup of water in a separate pot. Cover; bring to a soft boil and cook until tender – about 45 minutes. (I find that by cooking the carrots in the soup itself – they tend to leave a sweet taste in the broth, which I don’t really like. So, I prefer to cook them separate.) Drain the carrots and set aside.
After the soup has been cooking for about 2 hours, add the carrots and cook until they are heated through. This takes just a few minutes. Remove the lemon grass stalks and add the cilantro.
Place a half-cup of rice in a bowl; serve with two chicken thighs and the broth and vegetables. Garnish with green onions and a squeeze of fresh lime. Delicious!
Note: The second time I made this, I chose to make it more of a soup – as opposed to a meal. I used only four chicken thighs, and removed them from the soup after 2 hours. I removed the chicken from the bone and added it back into the broth. I followed all of the other directions with the exception of not using any rice, and I added some celery to the soup when I started cooking it. This made a deliciously fragrant chicken soup that we enjoyed for lunch.
