With busy school nights, I’ve been trying all sorts of different make-ahead dinner ideas, including a Five Spice Braised Chicken recipe that I found on Chez Pim. Some days, I start making dinner in the morning, other times, not until the afternoon, but rarely can I make dinner right at dinnertime since I’m usually driving the kids around. As soon as my boys walk in the door, they are starving, so I try to have dinner completely cooked and ready to serve well before then.
To go along with it, I made steamed brown rice in my rice cooker, which can also be left on the warm setting. The only dish I made when I walked in the door were some stir-fry bok choy, which I prepped earlier in the day, so all I had to do was throw them in the wok for a few minutes to cook. The sauce from the Five Spice Braised Chicken, which was fall-off-the-bone tender, was delicious served over the brown rice – my kids loved it!
If I could relive my life, I think I might like to try on Pim Techamuanvivit’s shoes. She has a job that I dream of on some days…globetrotting around the world, eating her way through the streets of Asia and Three Michelin Star restaurants. And, she cooks a mean pot of curry. The New York Times once said, “Pim is not a professional cook, but she is a professional eater.” Not just that, her partner is the “wildly talented” chef David Kinch, chef and owner of Manresa in Los Gatos, California, one of the country’s most innovative restaurants. What could be better…eating good food all the time, whether you’re away or at home.
Five Spice Braised Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 cilantro roots
- 1 teaspoon white pepper and black pepper
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons five spice powder
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- One 2" knob ginger peeled and sliced
- 3 pounds chicken thighs and legs or one 4-pound chicken, cut up
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Instructions
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In a mortar, pound garlic, cilantro roots, peppercorns and a pinch of salt together until fine. Alternatively, use a small food processor.
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Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
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Add garlic pasta and cook, stirring vigorously until fragrant, about a minute.
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Add five spice powder, onion, and ginger and cook until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
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Add chicken pieces and brown on both sides.
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Add chicken broth, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and continue cooking until chicken is cooked and tender, about 30-45 minutes.
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Alternatively, after liquid comes to a boil, transfer chicken and sauce to crockpot and finish cooking. I set my crockpot on high and cooked it 40 minutes, then reduced the heat to low to keep it warm until serving time.
This is the perfect choice for this weeks challenge Jeanette and still follows your healtht philosophy.
Thanks Bellini – I am definitely adding this to my easy dinner repertoire, especially since it can be made so easily in the crockpot.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe….I have some five spice and have only used it a couple times. A plus with this recipe is you can slow cook it while you’re busy doing other things!
Thanks Barbara – I love five spice powder and don’t use it enough. It is such a nice spice to have in the pantry for dishes like this one. Loving my slow-cooker these days…it’s about 20 years old and doesn’t have any of the fancy buttons, but it still works terrifically.
This looks delish! I love five spice powder!!
Thanks Alison – I love five spice powder too, going to have to work it into more recipes.
These spices sound so inticing and inviting Jeanette. This time of year, as the days get shorter and darker, I really look forward to the energizing potential of food. Wonderful dish.
Thanks Kelly – yes, I do believe what we eat can affect our mood, especially during the darker colder days coming in the next several months.
Another great chicken dish from Pim. I love the sound of this, probably because I love 5-spice! Another one for the “to try” list 🙂
Thanks Heather – definitely an easy weeknight meal that I will be returning to.
Love this chicken for a weeknight meal, balsamic and herbs sound great!
Thank you!
I haven’t had 5 spice in ages. I recently had it in a soup and realized I’d forgotten how much I liked it. I don’t have a crockpot anymore:( but I can whip this up on the stove. I look forward to trying it out.
Hi France – I don’t use five spice as much as I’d like, but I’m hoping to take it out more as I really like the warming spices in this mix. You definitely don’t need a crockpot for this, I just used it out of convenience so I didn’t have to worry about leaving a pot on the stove while I was picking my kids up from school.
I love crockpot recipes and this sounds and looks awesome! Going to add this to my list to try.
Thanks Julie – I’ve been trying to use my crockpot more lately…it makes getting a warm dinner on the table a lot easier!
This sounds so fabulous, especially with the five spice powder. I’m going to have to try this one!
Thanks Anne – hope you enjoy this, it is such an easy dish, and the five spice powder adds a nice flavor dimension.
What a great comforting meal for fall!
Thanks Maria – with the weather getting cooler, I am all for comfort foods.
I love Chinese Five Spice blend too. Adds such a unique flavor. Great chicken recipe 🙂
Thanks Marla – Chinese Five Spice is a nice blend of sweet warm spices, definitely perks up this chicken dish.
This sounds fabulous! I love all that gorgeous Cilantro on top!
Thanks Jessica, this chicken dish has a lot of flavor, and the cilantro definitely brightens it up.
I’m a huge fan of five spice powder. My latest favorite way to use it is in apple sauce — and apple pie, and baked apples.
Lydia – love the idea of using five spice powder in apple sauce, apple pie and baked apples – it must add a nice flavor dimension, something different but still with sweet spices.
I NEED to pick up 5-spice powder the next time I see it. So many delish dishes I wanna make with it
Penzey’s or your local Asian market sells 5 spice powder. It has sweet spices in it so it can be used in both savory and sweet dishes.
Beautiful photo! The beauty is in the simplicity. I’m sure it taste delicious as well!
This is a simple, humble dish, but it is deceptively flavorful.
Simple humble dishes are often the most satisfying. I only started using 5 spice a few years ago. and I love the flavor combination in so many foods. Last winter I was experimenting with it with baking and that was very interesting!
I agree Donalyn, humble simple foods are often the comfort foods that we seek. I haven’t tried baking with five spice, but I’ve seen more recipes using it as a baking spice.
did you blog change in format and font?? yay for change! 🙂 and what is GF soy sauce? i’ve never heard of it! i want to try mushroom soy sauce (since i am soyfree!). love the five spice flavor here!
Hi Junia – yes, I just moved my blog over to WordPress and made some changes in the process, including a recipe index that I am really excited about! Gluten-free soy sauce does not have wheat in it, which is in most soy sauce products. The mushroom soy sauce I’ve seen has soy in it, so if you’re soy-free, I’m curious which mushroom soy sauce you use that’s soy free.
Pim always has such wonderful recipes. The idea of this waiting in the crockpot when we get home from soccer practice is so appealing to me.
Dara, I love using the crockpot during the busy school week. It’s so nice coming home to a hot meal.
Yum! Love five spice and have a bunch of chicken in the fridge right now.
Looks so lovely and satisfying!
Gorgeous photo and this sounds so good.
Quick question — what could I use in place of cilantro roots? I have never seen those before.
You can probably just use the cilantro stems instead of the roots. I’ve found cilantro with roots mostly at Asian grocers.
I was happily looking through your Pinterest boards then stopped at this one. It’s not right to be drooling at 8 in the morning. You always have great recipes, Jeanette!
Please, can you tell me when to add the soy sauce and the fish sauce? Thank you.
Hi Mary, thanks for catching that – the soy sauce and fish sauce can be added along with the chicken broth. I’ve updated the recipe. Thank you!
Thank you!