Soy-Glazed Chicken Hot Pot

Soy sauce is key to the flavour and colour of this dish. To cut extra salt, we have chosen sodium-reduced soy sauce rather than regular and gone a step further with sodium-reduced chicken broth. This cuts the sodium by more than half.

2 tsp vegetable oil
8 chicken thighs
1 cup mushrooms, halved
1 onion, sliced
1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch hot pepper flakes
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup sodium-reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 sweet yellow or green pepper, chopped

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, in batches if necessary. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Drain fat from skillet. Fry mushrooms, onions, ginger, garlic and hot pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring occasioanlly, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into slow cooker.

3. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar to skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Scrape into slow cooker. Stir to combine.

4. Cover and cook on low until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 4 to 5 hours. Skim off fat. Move chicken and vegetables to one side.

5. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; whisk into liquid in slow cooker. Stir in yellow pepper. Cover and cook on high until thickened and pepper is tender-crisp, about 15 minutes.

Make ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, in airtight containers until cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.