Korean Chili & Soy Marinated Chicken

Ever since I made my honey & gochujang glazed brussels sprouts (here) I've been daydreaming about what else I can use the magical sensational Korean chili paste for. I love it so much I was about ready to fill a pool and bathe with it but I came up with a more socially acceptable idea.

This chicken is spicy-salty-sweet and has a depth of flavor that legitimately makes you drool - not even mouth watering I'm talking full on drooling. I took my first bite and before I was done chewing I was grabbing for more.

I knew I wanted to make a kind of teriyaki sauce with some spice and complexity from gochujang and this absolutely nailed it - not to mention it was so simple. Soy sauce, gochujang, oyster sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic. Talk about umami! The chicken marinates for two hours and then it's baked (or grilled if it's not 15 degrees out where you live) and it takes on a beautiful reddish-brownish color from the marinade and absorbs all the wonderful flavors. It's amazing.

I believe thighs > breasts. Though they're not as uniformly shaped as those plump genetically enhanced breasts, they're generally more tender, flavorful and often cheaper than breasts at the store. Dark meat is where it's at and it absolutely melts in your mouth in this recipe. Of course breasts would work as well, and so would pork or shrimp with this marinade.

With the big game coming up tomorrow, this would be a fantastic marinade for wings as well! Just follow the same directions and possibly reserve a few tablespoons of the marinade to toss the crispy wings in once they're done baking!






Korean Chili & Soy Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb chicken thighs, cut in half for ultimate marinade coating
2 1/2 tbsp gochujang (Korean Chili paste)
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
Pepper
Scallions & sesame seeds to garnish

Directions:

• Whisk all together the chili paste, chili powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour in bag with chicken to marinate for 1-3 hours (the longer the better).
• Remove chicken from marinade and bake in preheated 425 oven for twenty minutes on foil lined baking dish or grill for 3-4 minutes each side, until cooked through. 
• Serve with rice or quinoa and garnish with scallions & sesame seeds.