Gochujang Sticky Chicken Bowl
Cook Time: ~30 Minutes
The standout star in this recipe is the sticky Gochujang sauce; fragrant, vinegary, and ever so slightly sweet. Paired with sticky rice, and the light crunch of radish and spring onion. Pickled red cabbage for another hint of acidity, and polished off with the aroma of coriander. This dish is a certified banger and one of the most satisfying dishes I like to prepare at home. There is a bit of marination involved, so the ideal time to prepare it is in the morning.
I usually make this for dinner, for two, and have enough left over for lunch the next day.
Serves: 4
Prep: ~20 minutes
Cook: ~30 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken
Chicken thighs ~1kg
Buttermilk ~500ml
Corn flakes ~200g
Chilli powder (3 tbsp)
Onion granules (3 tbsp)
Garlic granules (3 tbsp)
Plain flour (4 tbsp)
Kosher salt
Gochujang sauce
Gochujang (4 tbsp)
Soy sauce (6 tbsp)
Rice wine vinegar (4 tbsp)
Sesame oil (1 tbsp)
Brown sugar (2 tbsp)
10x garlic cloves
2x thumbs of ginger
Bowl
Sticky rice ~500g
1/2 a red cabbage
Red wine vinegar (5 tbsp)
Sesame seeds (3 tbsp)
Spring onions
Coriander ~15g
Radishes
Ground black pepper
Notes
Chicken thighs: Try to go for skin-on thighs. If they have bones, debone them.
Gochujang: Nothing compares to the particular brand of Korean Gochujang I shared in the image above. If you can, use that one. The texture is sticky and the flavour is perfect.
Rice: I usually go for Japanese sushi rice.
Rice cooker: If you want perfectly consistent, great rice; get a rice cooker.
Equipment
Rice cooker
3 mixing bowls
Baking tray
Mise En Place
Just as a heads up, a few components of this dish require a little marination time, so I would recommend doing this in the morning, or at lunchtime, before cooking in the evening.
Empty buttermilk into a medium-sized bowl and season heavily with salt and ground black pepper. Cut the chicken thighs into portions and let them soak, submerged, in the buttermilk for at least one hour.
Slice up red cabbage and add to a bowl alongside a healthy amount of ground black pepper and the red wine vinegar. Close the lid, and shake well. The goal is to pickle the cabbage, and for the best results leave it for a few hours, shaking occasionally.
For the sauce, peel and grate the garlic and ginger into a bowl. Add the Gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Mix well and stick back in the fridge to marinade.
Slice up radishes and spring onions.
Toast the sesame seeds and leave aside to cool.
For the chicken coating, start by crushing the cornflakes. I use a pestle and mortar, but throwing them into a sandwich bag and using a rolling pin works too.
Once crushed, add garlic granules, onion granules, salt, pepper, chilli powder, and plain flour to the cornflakes and mix.
Just before cooking, wash the rice, and let soak for ~30 minutes.
The Cook
There are three components to the cook; chicken, rice, and sauce. The chicken and rice take roughly 30 minutes and can be started in tandem. The sauce takes ~10 minutes and can be simmered just before serving.
First, spread out your chicken coating onto a plate. Carefully coat each buttermilk chicken piece and lay down on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tip: When removing the chicken from the buttermilk, be sure to scrape off excess buttermilk before coating. Otherwise it takes longer to cook and can leave you with a soggy layer between the chicken and coating.
Once your tray of chicken is full, bring the oven up to 200°C and cook for ~30 minutes, ensuring you cook both sides of the meat. The goal is to have golden brown chicken. You can start your rice at the same time. I use a rice cooker, so either use yours or cook the rice the way you know how to.
When there are ~10 minutes remaining on the chicken, empty the Gochujang sauce into a small pot, bring to a simmer, and stir occasionally for ~5 minutes. The sauce should reduce so that it is sticky. The pungent Gochujang and vinegar should be strong; and almost alcohol-like. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and brush it with the Gochujang sauce.
Make up your bowls by setting down rice, sliced radishes, chicken, and pickled red cabbage. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the chicken. Then sprinkle coriander and spring onions over everything. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this publication please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor