Did you see ‘The Croods’? Delightful flick, following a cavemen clan as they explored the world and discovered new horizons. Great animation, likeable characters, interesting themes and pacey enough to keep me as interested as the kids.
Best yet, the female lead character had chunky arms, frizzy hair and unkempt eyebrows. Considering how I long for more diverse female ‘types’ in the media, it was a bit confronting to realise that I was watching, distracted by how ‘not pretty’ she was. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it, but I’m so programmed for all the animated women to be so effortlessly large-eyed, curvaceous and feminine that I kept waiting for her ‘big reveal’. Surely, I thought, the movie will end with her inadvertently falling into some magic dew that transforms her into a more conventional (ie, gorgeous) heroine.
But it never happened. She stayed grubby, squat and determined. And I was glad for my daughter to see that strength is more important than pretty and that ‘sexy’ doesn’t have to be part of a kid’s movie at all.
Snuggling into winter, today’s recipe does have a ‘big reveal’. You chuck all the ingredients into the slow cooker, go pick up the kids, take them to sport, piano, dancing etc etc then come home three hours later and find the most astonishingly welcome transformation has occurred.
Ta da!
Slow cooker chicken satay
This is based on a recipe from Sally Wise’s ‘Slow Cooker’ cookbook, but I’ve altered it quite a bit.
2 carrots, peeled, cut into thick batons
1 small red capsicum, cut into thick slices
3-4 button mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 sticks celery, thickly sliced
1 small onion, finely diced
700g chicken thigh fillets, fat removed, cut into slices
Handful of snow peas
Coriander
Lime wedges
270ml coconut milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp peanut butter (smooth if you have it)
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp corn flour (optional)
Spray the bowl of your slow cooker with oil (not essential, but helpful when cleaning afterwards). Place the vegies in layers in your slow cooker. Pop the chicken on top.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients, pour over, cover and leave on ‘high’ for 3 hours.
If you’d like to thicken the sauce, place the corn flour into a mug or small bowl. Spoon a couple of scoops of the cooking liquid onto the flour and mix to a runny (lumpfree) paste. Stir back into the pot. Pop the snow peas on top, re-cover and leave for 10 minutes or so until the peas are a bright green.
Serve over rice, topped with coriander and lime wedges.
SERVES 2 ADULTS & 4 KIDS.
Vegie Smugglers 
katielendrum said,
May 1, 2013 @ 9:39 am
Hi Wendy,
Do you think this would work in a pressure cooker? For less time of course. I don’t have a slow cooker.
Katie
Sent from my iPhone
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 9:50 am
I keep meaning to buy a pressure cooker – I don’t actually know much about them at all. I’ll look into it and get back to you katie.
Mel @ The cook's notebook said,
May 1, 2013 @ 9:47 am
Looks fabulous, and I can guarantee Mr12 would love it [he is very picky, but thankfully getting less so]. I make all slow cooker meals in my Le Crueset in the oven – a perk of working from home, and it warms my second office [the dining table] and makes the house smell amazing! Let’s hope winter hits Brisbane soon – it’s another shorts and t-shirt day today.
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 9:49 am
Yes, it would be ok in the oven too – I like both methods, but do find the slow cooker extremely easy! Especially if I’m trying to get ahead and make two meals in one day.
Mel @ The cook's notebook said,
May 1, 2013 @ 9:53 am
Yes loads of people say that
Natural New Age Mum said,
May 1, 2013 @ 10:33 am
you are a legend! we love satay and I had never thought to do it in the slow cooker!!
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 1:58 pm
It’s a great one for those of us who are about during the day but then are busy all afternoon. I’ve made it a few times now and each times the kids have hoovered it – very rare in my house.
Claire said,
May 1, 2013 @ 12:22 pm
Looks great so I’m off to get ingredients for tonights dinner – thanks again for sharing the recipe and your thoughts on The Croods, I’m yet to see it but feel exactly the same as you!
Renae said,
May 1, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
I don’t have a slow cooker, but like the idea of doing some slow cooking in the oven – had never thought of that! How long do you think it would take and what temperature you would set the oven to?
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 2:06 pm
Renae, here’s a good link for converting slow cooker timings for the oven… http://www.ehow.com/how_4926523_convert-cooker-times-oven-time.html. You’ll also need more liquid – I would use a 400ml can of coconut milk and maybe even add 100ml of chicken stock too. Also, I’d mix everything through, and have the meat submerged in liquid. But that’s a bit of a guess – if you have a go that way, report back and let us know what works!
Mel @ The cook's notebook said,
May 1, 2013 @ 2:11 pm
Just to interrupt, I’d use 270ml coconut milk and add extra chicken stock as I find coconut milk quite rich. And yes, let the chicken submerge. Given the chicken will be in small pieces, it should cook in an hour at 160c in the oven, maybe a bit longer for the sauce to reduce (when I make apricot chicken in the oven, the whole pieces of thigh on the bone cook in an hour at 180c)
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 2:19 pm
thanks Mel! Yes, agree, just extra chicken stock is a good idea if you don’t like things too milky, although I reckon both would be delish!
Lisa said,
May 1, 2013 @ 1:39 pm
Do you think you could use Chicken breast instead of thigh?
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 1:59 pm
I”m going to say no to this! I find chicken breast in the slow cooker just goes dry and nasty. I know alot of people don’t like cooking with thigh fillets, but really, they are the tastiest bit and really good in this dish.
Lisa said,
May 1, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
That is what I have found, so tend to never do chicken slow cooker recipes. Thanks
Kym Petersen said,
May 1, 2013 @ 3:20 pm
Trying this tonight Wendy, about to actually pop everything into the slow cooker so I’ll report back on how it went down in my house. Love trying new recipes and certainly don’t mind a satay in this (cooler) Melb weather! Thanks, Kym
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 3:29 pm
Excellent! I was meaning to ask yesterday, what clothing will i need in melbourne this weekend? Forecast is for 20 during the day, but does that mean I need a jumper? Jacket? Overcoat? I’m a bit of a wus with cold weather. 🙂
Kym Petersen said,
May 1, 2013 @ 4:37 pm
Yep, bring a jacket for sure as it’s 18 and cloudy on Sat and 20 and showers Sunday. As you’ll be out and about at night too, I know the overnight temps are around 9-11 so a bit chilly. The city can be a little cooler too and if there’s a bit of a breeze you will be cold without a jacket (I usually do a scarf too). It’s leather boot weather down here this week, I don’t mind rugging up to be honest. You’ll have a great time with all those fabulous restaurants!!
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
All noted with thanks! I’m hopeless in the cold. I can’t tell you HOW EXCITED I AM about the restaurants, the hotel, the sleep ins….. ahhhh. Last time i was in Melbourne i had gastro – wasn’t a great trip! Determined to rectify it a decade later.
Kym Petersen said,
May 1, 2013 @ 5:11 pm
You will have a ball, Melb is a great city for a foodie let me guarantee that! No kids, sleep-ins, it’s gonna be awesome and so you should be excited! I hate the cold too, you will enjoy all of it much more if you’re warm. Oh gastro, that is just awful. You might have stomach pains due to food-overload this time but it will be self inflicted :-). Enjoy it, I’m jealous!
Kym Petersen said,
May 1, 2013 @ 7:52 pm
Reporting back in to say that the slow-cooker chicken satay was delish! Thanks again, another success
wendyblume said,
May 1, 2013 @ 8:55 pm
Great!
Cheesemonkey1 said,
May 2, 2013 @ 8:49 am
that was my thought exactly about the croods. i don’t have daughters but if my son gets to see movies where the girl is terrific and not necessarily a hottie, that makes me happy. also, i cried at the end. great movie.
Marnie said,
May 2, 2013 @ 7:49 pm
I just made this using chicken breast and it was still delicious. I cooked it for about 2 and a half hours and stirred it a few times to make sure the chicken didn’t dry out on top – it was perfect! Great recipe – thanks!!
wendyblume said,
May 2, 2013 @ 8:06 pm
good to know! Thanks for passing on results – much appreciated.
Shelley said,
May 5, 2013 @ 7:32 pm
Thank you so much Wendy for sharing this recipe. I use recipes from your two cookbooks all the time and I love using my slow cooker but am yet to find a slow cooker recipe that my kids really love………. until now. The only sound that could be heard at the dinner table tonight was forks scraping the bowls at the end. My son even went back for seconds. No whinging about not liking the vegetables etc. This was an absolute success that I’ll be sure to dish up again soon. Thanks again.
Lisa said,
May 6, 2013 @ 1:15 pm
This may be a silly question but I love satay chicken, and hubby is allergic to peanuts!! Is there a similar substitute? Thanks
wendyblume said,
May 6, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
Lisa, look in the health food section of your supermarket for the eskal brand nut-free peanut butter. Just saw it today and other readers have assured me that it’s good.
Lisa said,
May 6, 2013 @ 8:51 pm
Thanks Wendy! I’ll give it a go. I downloaded your iBook and have enjoyed all your recipes so far. Thanks so much 🙂
wendyblume said,
May 6, 2013 @ 9:50 pm
Thanks Lisa!
Mel B said,
May 29, 2013 @ 7:14 pm
I’ll kill two birds with one stone and say I love the Sally Wise version of this recipe and can’t wait to try your version. In regards to the Eskal FreeNut butter, it is fantastic and as we have a peanut allergic son, we’ve used it in the slow cooker satay and it is great! It’s made from sunflower seeds and it tastes surprisingly similar to peanut butter!
Brenda Janschek said,
May 6, 2013 @ 9:01 pm
I’m desperately seeking slow cooker recipes and so happy to find this one here. I’ll definitely be trying it out and crossing my fingers that the kids like it. Loving the sound of that heroine in The Croods, it’s just shame that it’s and exception rather than the norm. Cheers.
Angla Fortuin said,
May 6, 2013 @ 9:34 pm
Hi Wendy,
My name is Angie and have been following your blog for a few weeks now, I was looking at how we could include more veggies into our meals, your blog seemed to be the best for our family, something easy enough to add to meals we already eat, like lasagne, which I made a double batch, tonight was our last night of lasagne, sooo good, even my fussy 8 year old ate up all the silver beet, (even though when I was assembling the lasagna she was highly sceptical) and have also tried the pumpkin soup with lentils and corn, next will be tacos! Both your books are great, they are a feast for the eyes, as well as the tummy. Thanks for the inspiration and making going back into the kitchen a new adventure, for the whole family at the dinner table.
wendyblume said,
May 6, 2013 @ 9:44 pm
Angela! This is such great feedback and I thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. To me, improving what we eat can be so simple – not a lot of extra effort is needed. I’m so thrilled that I’ve been able to give you a little inspiration.
Tracey Rose said,
May 7, 2013 @ 7:12 am
OMG! Yummy … I’m sooooo doing this today – thanks 🙂
traceyroselive said,
May 7, 2013 @ 2:48 pm
Just put everything in the pot and realised I forgot the coconut milk – arrgghh! … back to the shops I go 😉
wendyblume said,
May 7, 2013 @ 2:55 pm
nooooooo! bummer.
Heidi said,
May 11, 2013 @ 10:25 pm
Tried this a few nights ago & it is going into the make again file. Husband, 10 year old & I all loved it. Thanks
wendyblume said,
May 12, 2013 @ 9:38 pm
Awesome! So pleased!
Kym Petersen said,
May 13, 2013 @ 12:09 pm
Hey Wendy – hope you’ve recovered from your eating extravaganza in Melbourne! I wanted to ask you about this chicken satay recipe as I made it but found it a little too much liquid. I really liked the flavour but wondered what I could add (or reduce in terms of liquid) to make it less runny at the end? Also would you be able to freeze it? Thanks again! Regards Kym
wendyblume said,
May 13, 2013 @ 12:23 pm
Hi Kym, did you thicken the sauce? I’ve made it a few times, always with the cornflour at the end and like the thick saucy style of the dish (especially over rice). You could reduce the amount of coconut milk a little though? And yes, for sure, this one would freeze well.
Kym Petersen said,
May 13, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
Hi Wendy, thanks so much for your feedback. I’d passed this recipe on at work and all the girls have made it as well. We all used the cornflour and yep it did thicken it but was still a bit liquidy for us. Thanks again, it’s getting another run in my place this week!
wendyblume said,
May 13, 2013 @ 3:10 pm
Keep me posted on how you go – you’re doing noble recipe-testing work for me! 😉
Becca Caldwell said,
May 22, 2013 @ 3:13 pm
Just discovered your blog, love it! Made this recipe last night and it was a hit.
wendyblume said,
May 22, 2013 @ 3:44 pm
Welcome becca! this recipe does seem to be a bit of a hit! Hope you enjoy the recipes. x
Danni said,
May 27, 2013 @ 3:04 pm
Reblogged this on I am Danni and commented:
I think I need to try this 🙂
wendyblume said,
May 27, 2013 @ 4:40 pm
Thanks danni! This recipe has been a bit if a hit!
Lisa said,
June 4, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
Made this a few weeks ago (served with rice) in the new slow cooker – loved it. Thought I’d do it again tomorrow and serve with hokkien noodles – would I add them at the same time as the snow peas? Thanks for another winner recipe!
wendyblume said,
June 4, 2013 @ 8:53 pm
Glad you liked it lisa! Check the packet instructions, but if the noodles are the already cooked packet ones, I’d just soak them in a bit of boiling water to loosen, rather than add to the mix – they can be ooze a surprising amount of starch out into a dish. I’ve learned that the hard way after I ruined a nice dinner one night. 😉
Rachel said,
May 12, 2014 @ 1:19 pm
Hi Wendy,
Is there any way this would work without coconut milk? I have all the ingredients except for coconut milk and no chance of getting to the shops today!
Thanks
wendyblume said,
May 12, 2014 @ 2:09 pm
got any shredded or dessicated coconut? you can whip up some of your own! these instructions look good…. http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2013/09/easy-homemade-coconut-milk-using-shredded-cocoonut/
Trish Churchill said,
October 28, 2014 @ 9:30 am
Im after a chicken satay recipe for a large group when we go camping this weekend. Could you double this recipe and if so , how much longer would it need?
Thanks so much
Trish
wendyblume said,
October 28, 2014 @ 4:07 pm
It should double without any problem and cooking time should stay about the same – but I’ve not tested it myself, so you might want to allow an extra hour just in case – you can always ‘keep warm’ for a while if need be.