Hayley says: “This is another of my favourite Chinese takeaway-style dishes. Chicken thighs have a really good flavour, especially when slow cooked. If you have time, marinate the chicken for up to an hour to infuse the meat with all those delicious salty, sweet and spicy tastes. You can serve this chicken with rice or noodles along with your choice of steamed green veggies – I like tenderstem broccoli.”

Serves 4

Cooking time: 3 hours on high; 5 hours 30 minutes on low

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Calories: 511 kcals (without rice, noodles or veg)

Ingredients

1kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs
100ml hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 spring onion, thinly sliced

For the marinade:

5 tablespoons tomato purée
2 tablespoons garlic paste
4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

First, marinate the chicken. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the tomato purée, garlic paste, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and chilli flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper, then stir well to mix everything together.

Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, stirring to make sure each piece is evenly coated. Leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 1 hour, if you have time.

When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge and transfer it to the pot of the slow cooker, along with any marinade from the bowl. Pour in the chicken stock, then stir to mix well. Cover the pot with the lid.

Set the slow cooker to ‘cook’ mode, then turn it either to high and cook for 2 hours 30 minutes or to low and cook for 5 hours.

Remove 2 tablespoons of the sauce and combine with the cornflour in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Stir this cornflour paste back into the sauce in the pot. Continue to cook on high, with the lid off, for a further 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced. Season to taste.

When ready to serve, scatter over the sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.

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