Coconut Chicken Soup

I really, really love Thai flavors, so I was excited to try a crockpot recipe from one of my favorites, Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.

I thought it turned out really well. We added a few things to make it spicy, but other than that, we stuck pretty close to the recipe. When I make it again, I think I'll sub another can of coconut milk for one of the cups of chicken broth. I'd love for the coconut flavor to be brought out more.

Thai-Style Coconut Chicken Soup

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 in. pieces

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups bias-sliced carrots (I didn't have the patience for this, so I just chopped!)

1 large onion, chopped

2 tbs. grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 1-in. pieces or 1 teas. finely shredded lemon peel (I opted for the lemon peel because it was easier to come by)

1/2 teas. crushed red pepper

1 15-oz. can (lite) unsweetened coconut milk

1 medium red, yellow and/or green pepper, cut into 1/2-in. pieces (I used about a cup's worth)

2 4-oz. cans button or straw mushrooms, drained

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

(we added a jalapeno with the seeds plus many squirts of Sriracha sauce)

1. In slow cooker, combine chicken, broth, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, lemon and crushed red pepper.

2. Cover; cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-3.5 hours. If necessary, skim off fat. Stir in coconut milk, pepper, mushrooms and cilantro into chicken mixture. Cover, let stand 5-10 minutes. Remove and discard lemongrass if using. Ladle into bowls, Sprinkle with peanuts.

We served the soup over leftover rice we had. It tastes good both with and without the rice.