★★This recipe is also great with pork!★★
This is one of my favorites to cook and one of my husband’s favorites to eat! Like most of my Korean recipes, I discovered how to make them on accident. This recipe evolved from non-spicy one I had learned called “Broiled Chicken” (닭구이) into what it is today! Yay! It begins very similarly to how I started off for General Tso’s Chicken.
What I Use:
↕ Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (I generally cook a pound or more–I like to prepare extra for other days)
↕ Soy Sauce
↕ Sesame Oil
↕ Korean Fermented Red Chili Pepper Paste (“Goch’ujang”)
↕ Sugar
↕ Toasted Sesame Seeds
↕ Garlic (I use the minced garlic you can buy in stores)
↕ Scallions (Long Green Onions)
↕ Yellow Onion
↕ Veggies to Taste! (Completely optional, but it can add some really great additional flavor. Slices of zucchini are great for this, and you also often see it prepared with carrots.)
Step 1:
Cut the chicken into thin slices and score. Add to a container (I like to use our extra sherbet bins!). I always add the soy sauce first so that I can fairly just the amount I am using. I pour in enough so that after mixing it in with the chicken, there is still a thin layer left on the bottom because this will get absorbed by the red pepper paste and other items.
Step 2:
Add the sesame oil, garlic, sugar and sesame seeds. For the sesame oil, I pour in what I feel is enough to coat each piece. Too much sesame oil will give it a stronger sesame taste, so it does not require a whole lot. I add enough garlic so that you can see pieces of it here and there. It usually ends up being just under a spoonful. For the sugar, it’s roughly 3 spoonfuls for the pound. This is also to taste and to diet. It adds a great sweetness to the dish that truly compliments the spiciness of it (which, made this way, is not overly spicy). Sesame seeds are basically whatever you feel looks good. ^.~
Step 3:
Time to add some spice! I always start out with a rounded spoonful of the spicy chili paste (goch’ujang). After I mix it in, I look to see if I can see a hint of red or if it is still more brown. Once I see a hint of the red color, I know we are good to go!
Step 4:
Here, you can see that I have cut up and added the onions (both kinds). You can also add the veggies at this time (I did not use any this time around). Mix it all together, and you can more easily gauge whether or not you have too little or too much chili pepper paste in there. In the picture of everything mixed up, you can see that there is a hint of red on the yellow onions in particular–perfect!
Step 5:
Meat needs time to soak in the flavor. I like to let this sit covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking. You can let it sit for 30 minutes, one day…either way, you’ll get a great tasting dish!
Step 6:
Cook! (Shown in the back with Kimch’i Beansprout Soup in the front) I like to use a medium heat and always use a nonstick pan, letting it heat before I put the chicken on it. Some people say never heat a pan without putting something in it first, but I don’t bother too much with that. It doesn’t take too long to cook because the pieces are thin and scored. If in doubt, just check the thickest piece to see. I usually make sure that I only cook what covers the bottom of the pan, not piling it up a whole lot. I apparently forgot to take a picture of the finished product up close, so sorry about that!
