Chicken Braised with Ginger and Star Anise

This is a great slow-cooked Asian meal! The spices and the star anise gives the house a great aroma. I got this recipe from my trusted slow-cooker cookbook, with my own amendments

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs fillets, diced, or 4 chicken thigh with bone
1 brown onion, chopped finely
½ capsicum, finely diced
2cm piece fresh ginger, julienned
Small amount chilli paste
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoons chicken stock powder
1 tablespoon sichuan pepper seasoning
¼ cup Chinese rice wine
⅛ cup dark soy sauce
½ - 1 cup of dry white wine
1 tablespoon honey
4-6 star anise
1 teaspoon cornflour
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method for Slow Cooker

Switch on slow cooker to preheat.
With a small piece of cotton, place star anise and wrap with cooking string.
Add oil to a saucepan and once hot, brown diced chicken. Remove excess fat from pan. Add chilli paste.
Add onion, ginger, capsicum, and mushrooms. Cook for 5 mins, until onions have softened. Add sichuan pepper seasoning, rice wine, soy sauce and honey and mix well.
Add wine, stock powder and star anise. Cook for 5 mins. Add in cornflour and cook until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours.
Switch off slow cooker and let stand for 10-15mins.
Serve with steamed rice.

Method for Stovetop

With a small piece of cotton, place star anise and wrap with cooking string.
Add sichuan pepper seasoning, rice wine, soy sauce and honey into a jug and mix well.
Add oil to a saucepan and once hot, brown each side of chicken. Remove from saucepan
Add onion, ginger, capsicum, chilli paste and garlic. Cook for 5 mins, until onions have softened. Add chicken.
Add contents from the jug, wine, stock powder and star anise. Cook for 5 mins. Add mushrooms.
Cook on a slow to medium simmer for 45mins to 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked.
If the sauce is too thin, add some cornflour.
Serve with steamed rice.