Slow-Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Combining sweet, savory and spicy flavors, it’s no wonder Thai Peanut Chicken is a take-out favorite. But here’s a secret: It doesn’t have to come from a take-out box to turn out delicious. You, or rather your slow cooker, can do this dinner at home. Thai cooking is all about combining bright, bold ingredients to create big flavor. Here’s how that works in this recipe. First, simply choosing chicken thighs will start you off in the right direction. Thighs have more fat and turn out tender (not dry) when slow cooked. Second, dredging your thighs in flour and then browning, before slow cooking, develops the flavor of the meat and helps the sauce turn out thick and velvety. Combining standard ingredients—your jar of peanut butter and bottle of Worcestershire—with a few more specialized, but still widely available, ingredients—curry paste (more on that below), coconut milk and fresh ginger—allows you to build the flavor you know and love. Finally, letting all these elements stew together in the slow cooker over low heat melds them together, so you end up with a perfectly balanced and fully flavored dinner.