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Spicy Gochujang Chicken Stew

chicken stew in white bowls

This recipe is based on the pressure cooker Spicy Gochujang Chicken Stew in Melissa Clark’s book, “Dinner in One“. It’s been converted to stovetop and has had the sweet/spicy/umami-ness dialed up a bit. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 TBS soy sauce
  • 2 TBS gochujang
  • 1 TBS brown sugar
  • big pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 pound), cut into 1″ pieces
  • kosher salt
  • 2 TBS canola oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced into 1/4“-thick rounds
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 1” piece of ginger, grated
  • 4 C vegetable stock
  • 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
  • 1 small head of green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 big handfuls)
  • 23 tsp of Better than Bouillon (I used the chicken flavor), if needed
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
  • chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Whisk together 3 TBS of the soy sauce, the gochujang, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Season the chopped chicken thighs with salt, add them to the bowl and toss to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat the canola oil in a  large dutch oven over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and carrot to the pot, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft — about 7 minutes.
  3. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken and all the liquid from the marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes to allow the chicken to begin to cook on the outside and the liquid to reduce slightly/begin to concentrate all those flavors.
  4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring for one minute.
  5. Add the potatoes, a big pinch of salt, and the vegetable stock and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to high to bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. (Test the potatoes’ doneness by stabbing a piece with a paring knife and lifting it out of the liquid — it should slide back off the knife immediately.)
  6. Add the sliced cabbage and cook for 5 more minutes, until wilted. 
  7. Taste and season with the remaining TBS of soy sauce and 2-3 tsp of Better than Bouillon if needed.
  8. Serve, garnished with sliced scallions and cilantro.

Notes

*The cooking times and nutritional info noted in this recipe are approximate.

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