Wednesday, February 10, 2010

KOREAN-STYLE CHICKEN

Unlike the Korean food that is spicy hot, this dish, flavored with a traditional marinade, has a more subtle kick that lies beneath the sweet-tart flavor of the chicken. Those who crave that spicy hot flavor can turn up the heat by serving the dish with kimchi, that extremely hot and pungent fermented vegetable dish available in Asian markets.

I based my recipe on one I found in a favorite cookbook, Everyone Loves Chicken. The suggestion to prick the chicken all over with the tip of a sharp knife was a good one as it allowed the marinade to really permeate the meat. I marinated the chicken overnight, but that isn't necessary; two hours will do.

Serves 6
5 WW pts per serving

3 scallions, chopped
3 tbs mirin (rice wine) or sherry
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, all visible fat removed
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

Combine the scallions, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, and crushed red pepper in a zip close plastic bag. Add the chicken, press out the air, and seal the bag. Turn to coat the chicken and refrigerate at least two hours or up to overnight.

Lift the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add the remaining tsp sesame oil, and add the chicken. Cook 2-4 minutes per side, until the chicken is browned. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Turn the chicken to coat with this syrupy liquid and serve.
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TASTE NOTES
I removed the chicken after 10 minutes and kept it warm while I further reduced the liquid. The result was  well-coated pieces of chicken that were spicy and sweet, very moist, and perfect with some jasmine rice and an Asian vegetable stirfry. I found that I preferred this preparation to the shoyu chicken that has always been a favorite. Both are very flavorful and result in perfectly cooked chicken, but this one had more interesting contrasting flavors.

20 comments:

  1. Arlene, this looks so darn good. And I just got done eating my dinner. How can this look tempting when I am full?

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  2. Arlene, what a terrific looking dish! I love anything with a subtle kick which does not overpower, but add a little heat.

    I am definitely putting this on my "must-try" list. Thanks...

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  3. I love this chicken with that reduced and syrupy sauce. It looks delicious Arlene! I never thought of using a knife to poke holes in the chicken to let the marinade soak in. I'll have to try that.
    I'm hoping that you made it down to Longboat Key and that the sun is shining:D

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  4. Hah...another delicious fantastic chicken recipe from Arlene to drool about......

    We too use a knife in place of a fork to prick meats all over :-))))0

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  5. What fantastic flavours! Mmm a side order of kim chi would be fantastic.

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  6. Excellent flavors with mirin and rice vinegar!

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  7. Have you ever tried http://mamaeun.com/ ?
    They have several products I´d like to try but I´m a lil eceptic...

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  8. wow this must be fantastic the flavors and pictures are awesome`

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  9. Chicken Thighs are the BEST flavor chicken available. Your compilation of ingredients is outstanding. This has great grill possibilities!! Thanks for sharing.

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  10. This is probably the first time I am going to make that has an Asian touch of cooking. I hope it would be successful!

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  11. Looks delicious! There is a Korean place here that makes a delicious chicken I love that seems similarly-flavored--I'll have to give this a try and see if it is the same.

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  12. Looks very tasty, Arlene. I love what sesame oil does to any dish.

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  13. Yum, this looks totally delicious. I am in love with mirin - the sauce looks wonderful.

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  14. I have tried MamaEun and it is delicious! Mouth watering. I am not joking! You should definitely try it out. The Lateral Cut! YUM!

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  15. It's really stylish chicken. The sauce ,make it soo tasty. wonderful dish for a amazing party.

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  16. This something that i call fascinating will you agree with me and beside Great post. We own a Dining Table ecommerce site and are always looking for great content to help inspire. Thanks.

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  17. This something really interesting and grate post to me. This dish looks so delicious.

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  18. This is something that could make a difference in your cooking life

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  19. Wow! It really looks so delicious. I like the style of cooking and the arrangement of the food is very tempting.

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  20. I'm surprised that there is no soy sauce in the recipe since it plays a big role in Korean Kalbi and Bulgoki. Is that an oversight? I love Korean chicken and can't wait to try this recipe out but will probably grill the chicken and then add it to sauce.

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