Do you know the very sweet Kelly from Life Made Sweeter? Though Kelly and I have never met in person, I've gotten to know her via this food blogging journey and have the pleasure of considering her a friend. Take a look at her site and it'll be obvious that Kelly is an incredible cook and baker. You'll find her making delicious yet easy Asian-inspired meals, whipping up fresh batches of granola for her family, concocting fantastical cakes for her kids' birthdays, or tempting us with glorious desserts. She's a supermom to 2 adorable little kids, a devoted wife, and a loving daughter. Kindness just radiates from her and I can't thank Kelly enough for the support and encouragement she's shown me in the last few years.
Lucky for all of us, Kelly just launched her first cookbook, The Asian Slow Cooker! I am so happy for all her well-deserved success and it's clear she worked very hard on this book. It's chock full of easy, mouth-watering, creative recipes with an Asian twist, often using the slow cooker to do the work so we can have more time to do everything else.
I've tagged many recipes to make from the cookbook so I'll be busy for a while! And although it wasn't easy picking the first recipe to make, I went for the honey garlic chicken sliders...who doesn't love honey garlic chicken! This is my kind of recipe - an easy one that uses a handful of mainly pantry ingredients with hardly any prep. After a few hours in the slow cooker, the chicken turns out moist and succulent - and the sauce (which I thickened slightly with a cornstarch slurry to make more of a glaze) lends it a delicious sweetness; my son likened it to teriyaki sauce, which is a very good thing in our book. Shredded, the chicken is great for sliders, as a filling for tacos, or eaten on its own with some rice or noodles.
Making this for dinner on a busy weeknight, I used Hawaiian rolls and loaded them up with the chicken and plenty of the tasty sauce. We had some roasted veggies - as well as tortilla chips and salsa - with it but to kick it up another notch, follow Kelly's advice and make a colorful and crunchy cabbage slaw to go with the sliders. Either way, you can't go wrong.
There is something wonderfully cozy about a slow-cooker working away in your kitchen, filling your house with delicious aroma as you go about your day. You can make a hearty, healthy meal to share with your family and often have leftovers to repurpose for another day. For anyone who likes the idea of Asian inspired slow cooker recipes, or who loves Chinese takeout but is looking for a healthier, tastier alternative to enjoy at home, this is a great book for you!
