GOCHUJANG GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

One of my favorite condiments, gochujang, that gorgeous bright red Korean paste that adds a ton of flavor when it joins any party… Brown food is not exactly photogenic, so don’t let the looks deceive you, these were delicious, and quite easy to prepare.

GOCHUJANG GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

6 to 8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
For marinade:
1/4 cup gochujang
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.

In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, add the chicken thighs and the marinade. Toss well to combine until all the pieces are well coated. Marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours if you have the time, if not, 30 minutes will do.

Grill the chicken thighs 5 to 7 minutes per side, until fully cooked. Remove the pieces to a serving platter, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: In that particular evening, I grilled half of the pieces of chicken using this marinade and half using a simpler concoction (olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper), which is Phil’s favorite. We were both very happy with our meals, for my taste the gochujang marinade is near perfect, spicy but not too much, super flavorful.

I hope you consider keeping a jar of gochujang in your fridge, you won’t regret it!

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24Jul2024

A TYPICAL DINNER AT THE BEWITCHING KITCHEN

Posted in Poultry, Rice and Grains, Salads, Veggies by sallybr

For the most part our food is super simple. We always opt for a main dish that involves meat (although about one day each week we go the vegetarian route), a starchy side, and veggies. We alternate cooking days, but both of us follow this approach for our meals. Today I share the exact dinner we had a couple of days ago, all preparations are simple and I’ve done them so often I don’t even need to look at the recipes.

STARTING WITH THE MAIN DISH

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH YOGURT PAPRIKA MARINADE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

6 chicken thighs
1/2 cup yogurt (low-fat or full-fat)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
squirt of lemon juice
drizzle of olive oil

Make the marinade by mixing all ingredients from yogurt to olive oil. Whisk well, add to the pieces of chicken, massaging them to coat well. Place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

When ready to grill, remove from the marinade, season lightly with additional salt (omit that if you ar not a “salt person”), and grill until done, on both sides.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I make these all the time, actually. The paprika amount might seem excessive, but trust me, it is not. You can use part of it as smoked paprika, I just don’t like to use the full amount as the smoked version because I find it overpowering. They turned out very moist and tender. I tend to eye-ball everything, just making sure the pieces of chicken are well coated with the marinade until grilling time. If I remember, I go back and move them around a bit in the bag. Honey works in place of the agave nectar, and you can add garlic if you are a fan…

Moving on, the side dishes…

This is a total non-recipe. Slice juicy tomatoes, drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. You are done! We are addicted to this, it shows up at our table very very often…

For the broccoli recipe, which I made probably once every week, click here. SIX MINUTES. Perfect broccoli every time. The version I make all the time is even simpler than the one from the past. After the broccoli is cooked for the total of 6 minutes, I transfer to a bowl, drizzle lemon juice and olive oil, eye-balling it all. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. DONE.

For my quick version of Persian rice, click here. Another constant presence at our table, as Phil simply adores it. So there you go, a typical dinner “chez nous”, I hope you incorporate some of these dishes into your weekly rotation!

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21Oct2023

MISO-HONEY CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

I cannot lie, I have a fascination with all things miso, both sweet and savory. In this preparation, the miso really comes through, so if you are part of my cheerleading team, MAKE IT! Sooner rather than later…

MISO-HONEY GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS
(adapted from The New York Times)

4 tablespoons white miso
4 tablespoons mild honey
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili crisp
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons water
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Make the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the miso, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, chili crisp sauce -garlic sauce, oil and water. Reserve a little bit of the marinade for serving.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Toss the chicken until coated and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Grill the chicken for about 15 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through the cooking time. Serve with the reserved marinade. Adjust seasoning if needed, but remember miso is very salty so you should not need to add additional salt.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This one goes into our regular rotation for sure, I love the flavor and the way the honey gives that amazing color to the meat as it grills. We enjoyed it with asparagus and air-fried cauliflower, and leftovers were still delicious next day, which is a real bonus. We love our leftovers…

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10Jun2023

SESAME MISO YAKITORI

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Totally in love with this recipe that was recently published on my friend Tara’s blog (Tara’s Multicultural Table). It will for sure be part of our regular rotation, as the husband already asked me “when will we have it again?”

SESAME MISO YAKITORI
(slightly modified from Tara’s Multicultural Table)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
3 tablespoons red miso
2 tablespoons sake (I used Brazilian cachaça)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ground
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pound (450 grams) boneless chicken thighs

Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to use.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, miso, sake (or cachaça), ground sesame seeds, and sugar. Place the saucepan over medium low heat and cook, whisking often, until thickened.
Remove from heat and pour 1/3rd of the mixture into a separate bowl and set aside with a clean pastry brush. This bowl of glaze and brush will be for the final coating over the cooked chicken skewers.

Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Arrange the chicken on the skewers. Grill the skewers, brushing with the glaze from the saucepan. Cook until golden, then turn and brush again with the miso glaze. Continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Brush the cooked chicken skewers with the clean brush and bowl of miso glaze.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I normally do not have the patience to add meat to skewers. I know it sounds odd, as I can spend hours decorating a single cookie if needed, but such is life. However, this was so absolutely worth it, the texture is improved compared to grilling the boneless thighs as individual, large pieces. Plus, sesame miso sauce is divine. I used it on pork tenderloin and want to pair it with salmon in the near future. It is nutty, with just the right touch of sweetness. Please try this recipe and then thank Tara for it!

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30Aug2022

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE: KOREAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted in Incredibly simple, Poultry by sallybr

Mix a few ingredients, marinate the chicken. Grill. Done. It will go into our rotation, which tells you how much we loved it. Spicy to the right level. Sweet to the right level. Tender and moist.

KOREAN CHICKEN THIGHS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons Gochujang sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste

Mix all ingredients for the marinade, whisking them well. Add the pieces of chicken and move them around to coat each piece with the marinade. Leave it in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

Sprinkle a little more salt on the pieces of meat and grill until done, about 7 minutes per side, depending on how hot your grill gets.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Two of my best buddies are Gochujang and Sriracha. I like to drizzle Sriracha over turkey burgers or other things ready to eat, but Gochujang I prefer to cook with. I find it a bit too strong on its own. In this marinade it is the dominant flavor, but unless you really dislike spicy food, it is not overpowering. I was quite amazed by how tasty leftovers turned out even when tortured fora couple of minutes in the microwave. We had them with air-fried zucchini (which I did not do a good job, over-crowded the basket and they turned out mushy), and British-style roasted potatoes (Sally pats herself on the back, they were perfect).

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