Welcome all you spicy chicken lovers out there. Today we are mixing it up a bit with a Korean stir fry of sorts, full of flavor and veggies for all you health nuts. While the name itself actually translates as Chicken Ribs, this stir fry is great as is, but finishing it up with some rice that is fried until crispy with the leftover juices and sauce in the pan truly completes this masterpiece. Stick around and check out the recipe walk through. You may just find yourself making this delicacy at your next family and friends get together. Let's get cooking!
Let's begin by knocking out all the prep work. Rough chop a small to medium sized head of cabbage. Traditionally this recipe calls for Korean sweet potatoes, which I don't know about you, but are not exactly available anywhere near me so I just found a couple standard sweet potatoes and thin sliced them into half moons after peeling. Continue on by chopping a couple onions, and then cut up a couple pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. The one actual specialty ingredient in this recipe is rice cakes. Can you leave them out if you don't feel like a trip to the Asian market? Sure, but these little morsels of yum really help fortify the recipe and soaked in the sauce truly taste amazing so you do you and decide if you want to be somewhat authentic or a bit lazy. I won't judge, this time, since this ingredient is out of the norm and you likely don't keep them around in your freezer.
Next, like all great Korean foods, we need to make that key marinade to cover all the chicken and veggies. The ingredients can be found in the recipe below. They are standard Korean/Asian flavors and things so this is one time you can't be lazy and complain about gas prices for your trip to the market. And since you are headed to the market anyway, might as well grab those rice cakes we talked about previously :P Make up your marinade and combine with the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and allow to rest in the refrigerator several hours, but overnight is best. I do stray from tradition here, by combining everything ahead of time. Most restaurants will bring out the meat and sauce separate from the veggies, but ain't no one got time for that so it's just easier to have it all together in one big mixing bowl. Do whatever floats your boat!
While most dishes can be cooked in any pot or pan you have around, this Korean Spicy Chicken Stir Fry really benefits from the use of cast iron. Not only does it produce a nice sear on the meat and veggies, but the heat it retains really helps crisp up some already cooked rice. Begin by heating up your pan till its raging hot, pour a little cooking oil around, and throw down the meat and veggies. Go ahead and let it cook undisturbed for 3 or 4 minutes before mixing everything up to prevent actually burning anything on the bottom. Finish cooking another few minutes until your chicken is done and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F. Scoop the mixture out and plate it up for your guests to enjoy, but just leave that greasy, messy pan as is for the time being. Once everyone has had their fill of the spicy chicken stir fry, reheat that cast iron pan back up and pour in a bit more oil. Now comes the fun part. Using some already cooked rice, fill the pan about an inch deep and pack everything flat to get maximum rice coverage on the bottom of the hot pan covered in sauce and oil. Let the rice cook for a few minutes until the entire bottom is a solid crust of fried rice. Boom! Simply scoop out the rice and make sure everyone gets a bit of that crispy fried deliciousness! You have just enjoyed a tasty Korean staple, only dirtied one pan, and more than likely impressed the hell out of your guests! Go ahead and give this one a try and let me know what you think online. You really can't mess it up, with or without the rice. Just get that chicken and veggies marinating and enjoy one great meal with your friends and family.
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