Korean Chicken

This recipe was given to me by a Korean friend who grew up with her Mom cooking it. She says this is what she most looks forward to when traveling back to Korea, so we can assume the recipe is authentic. I recommend not substituting anything in the ingredient list, especially the Gochujang sauce. Of course you can adjust the amount of ingredients you use depending on your tolerance of spice. You will notice that this recipe balances sweet, sour, and spice, which is what makes Korean chicken so special.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken – I prefer skin-on, bone-in thighs
• Marinade/Glaze
  • 4 oz. Soy sauce
  • 4 oz. Honey
  • 3-4 TBL Gochujang paste
  • 2 TBL Brown sugar
  • 2 TBL Sesame oil
  • 1.5 TBL Rice wine – can substitute dry sherry
  • 1 TBL Freshly grated ginger or 0.75 tsp powered ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
• Garnish
  • Toasted Sesame seeds
  • Green onion

Process

1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
2. Wash thawed chicken and pat dry
3. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and set 4 oz. aside for dipping sauce.
4. Marinade chicken in the refrigerator 4-8 hours. I put in ziplock bag and shake every few hours to make sure the marinade is getting spread around.
5. Let chicken sit at room temperature for 15-30 mins prior to baking.
6. Preheat oven to 375 F., and place foil lined pan in oven as it heats.
7. Add chicken to baking pan so they aren’t touching. Glaze the chicken with some of the left over marinade sauce.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Occasionally re-glaze the meat.
9. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.
10. To dress up your servings, sprinkle with freshly cut green onions and toasted sesame seeds. I like to serve this with steamed rice and stir-fried snow peas.