Sweet n’ Spicy Korean Chicken with Cauliflower Rice a Better Way

Maybe you are better at reading Korean than I am, but making this dish was somewhat like traveling in Asia.

Ranch 99 is a huge Asian Market in the Bay Area. I went to find a specific Korean chili paste called Gochujang. I found more jars of condiments than you could ever imagine, many with labels I could not read.

It took 20 minutes of looking up and down the aisles, with help from another shopper, before I finally gave up and asked a staff person for assistance. He immediately went way up on a top shelf, and handed me a jar with a Korean label. I had a hunch the taste would be authentic.

The recipe included cauliflower rice, something I'd tried in the past but wasn't too keen on. I found "a better way" on the BBC website - slowly roasted instead of sautéed that got a 10/10 on their taste tests. The “rice” was light and fluffy, and went perfectly with the Korean chicken.

This dish is easy and quick, and worth the adventure to find the chili paste or order it online. The Wang brand was on the sweet side; here is a link to select the Gochujang of your choice.

My Paleo Marin: 4.5 Persimmons

Wang Brand Gochujang

Ingredients:

Chicken and Marinade:

4 - 6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (my preference)
OR 1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless thighs

3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 Tablespoon coconut aminos
1 Teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Teaspoons grated ginger

Garnish: Sesame seeds and green onions sliced on the diagonal

Cauliflower:

1 medium head cauliflower, stem removed and broken into florets
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions:

Chicken and Marinade:

1. Place the chicken thighs in a 1 gallon plastic storage bag. 

2. In a small bowl, mix together the honey, chili paste, coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.

3. Add the marinade to the bag, cover the chicken thoroughly, and place in the fridge for 4 hours to overnight.

4. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. Place the marinated chicken pieces on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer. 

5. To serve, top with green onions and sesame seeds (optional).

Makes 2-4 servings.

Cauliflower Rice

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F

1. In a food processor, cover the bottom of the bowl with florets and chop for about 15 seconds, until the cauliflower looks like rice. Repeat until all florets are chopped.

2. Place a handful of the chopped cauliflower in about 3 paper towels and squeeze out the moisture into another bowl. Repeal until excess water is drained from all the cauliflower.

3. Spread out the cauliflower on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and salt on top. Stir to combine well. 

4. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring half way through. 

5. When lightly toasted, fluff and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

#paleo #maincourse #chicken #korean #asian #gochujang #wang #cauliflower #rice #cauliflowerrice #lowcarb

Recipe  for "Sweet Korean Paleo Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower Rice” from The Endless Meal website here.
Recipe for cauliflower rice from the BBC goodfood website here.
Gochujang Wikipedia reference here.

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.