There once was a family vacation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida who had the delicious pleasure of eating at a restaurant called Casa Sensei. Oh. My. Goodness. I think this was my first real intro to Korean flavors. My kids FELL into the food there! Gochujang is used often in Korean cuisine. I actually bought a container of it a few months ago and it has sat in my pantry until recently.
I am SO glad that I finally jumped out of my comfort zone and tried my hand at a recipe using this delicious ingredient. Fabulous and delicious!
35 minutes/easy/6 servings
nutrition per serving:
402 calories, 33g protein, 43g carbs, 9g fat, 8g sugar
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons thinly bias-sliced green onions
- 4 cups cooked rice
directions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Cook rice in your preferred manner. (I cook mine in an instant pot. Quick and easy. Recipe coming!) Set aside and keep warm.
- Stir together gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, honey, garlic, sesame oil, and ginger in a small bowl.
- Heat oil over medium-high in a wok or large skillet. Add half of the chicken to the wok; cook and stir over medium-high until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the skillet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Return all cooked chicken pieces to the skillet.
- Stir sauce well.
- Add sauce to the chicken in the skillet; cook and stir the chicken and sauce until sauce has thickened and is bubbly, about 3 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat.
- Serve chicken immediately over rice.
- Top with sesame seeds and green onions.
notes
What is gochujang?
Gochujang is a bold Korean fermented chili paste used to add intense salty, spicy and sweetness to marinades, sauces, dips, and stews. Easy to work with and downright delicious! Where has this ingredient been all my life?
What is mirin?
Mirin is a sweet rice cooking wine, similar to sake, prevalent in Japanese cuisine, enhancing dishes like udon and ramen broths and sauces such as teriyaki and tempura. Its golden hue varies by brand, and it offers a slight syrupy thickness without being as heavy as maple syrup or honey. The alcohol content of mirin helps to balance stronger flavors in meats and seafood while adding depth and shine to glazes and sauces.
Mirin substitutes: sometimes you can’t find mirin and you need to find a substitute. Recently I thought I had mirin in my pantry and I got all my ingredients together and realized that I didn’t have it after all. UGH! I had to find a substitute! Here are some:
- Sake. It has a higher alcohol content remember! You can also use sherry or vermouth.
- Rice vinegar. You will also have to add a pinch of sugar, since we want this dish to keep that sweet element, and rice vinegar does not. Mirin is a sweet wine and you need to make sure your substitute has that sweetness.
- Sugar and water. Add a teaspoon of sugar in about a tablespoon of water, mix, then add to your gochujang mixture.
Ultimately, you want to find mirin for this dish. It adds the right addition of sweet, glossy coverage to the chicken that is typical of the perfect gochujang dish.
I can’t state how easy this recipe is and how much flavor it has. This recipe is definitely added to our regular rotation in the Perugini house!
