It’s hump day, y’all! Now, I normally eat chicken breasts, but sometimes a recipe just tastes better with chicken thighs. Like these Korean Chicken Thighs. Of course, I could just throw this marinade at any old chicken breast, but then I’d lose out on some of that succulent juiciness that you get with a thigh. Besides, chicken thighs are much more forgiving when you cook and reheat them – you really have to try to try them out.
My girlfriend is half Korean, so I’ve had some introductory lessons in Korean food. I’ve learned a bit about the über essential Korean ingredient: a ground red pepper called gochugaru…which you will find in the marinade for this chicken, obvi. And I’ve learned a little bit more about canned silkworm than I ever wanted to know (I did not even attempt to eat this “delicacy”). Sometimes I even sneak an episode of Korean Food Made Simple with Judy Joo so I can attempt to up my K-food game. Other times I just fantasize about Spam and kimchi fried rice or Korean ramen after I’ve taste tested too many cocktails 😉
I figured it was time for me to finally bring some Korean flavors to PBF (although I did make that Korean-Mexican fusion of a Korean Burrito Bowl one time and it was awesome). For those of you who aren’t spice lovers, never fear. This recipe has yummy spice flavors but not a lot of heat. Of course, you can always up the ante by making a little more of the marinade to put on top of the chicken after cooking! I cooked mine in a skillet on the stovetop since it’s winter, but a grill would probably make this chicken even better!
Full disclosure – I was informed that my presentation of this chicken is more Japanese than Korean, but hey – baby steps, right? Enjoy!
Korean Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
- 2 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, (1.25 oz)
- 2 tbsp gochuchang, (1 oz)
- 2 tbsp water, (1 oz)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, (12 grams)
- 1 tbsp grated ginger, (7 grams)
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, (0.25 oz)
- 1 tsp olive oil, (0.17 oz)
- 1/2 tsp gochugaru (red pepper powder)
- Optional toppings: chopped green onion, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients except chicken and olive oil.
- Add chicken to a resealable bag or container and add marinade. Massage marinade into chicken, then place in refrigerator to marinate overnight.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs (rough side down) and cover. Cook for about 6 minutes on one side, then remove cover, and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.
- Flip chicken and continue cooking for about 4 minutes on the other side (uncovered). Adjust cooking time to ensure chicken is cooked through and flip more often if the marinade begins to burn.
- Serve over rice and steamed bok choy, if desired.
Nutrition Information
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