Spicy Braised Chicken With Root Vegetables
Total Time: 35 minutes Serves: 4
- 2½ pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 medium carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 small kohlrabi, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into bite-size wedges
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 cup sake
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)
- Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, then lay in chicken, skin-side down. Sear until golden brown, 5 minutes per side. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Stir potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, onions, garlic and ginger into pot. Add sake, increase heat to high and cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pot, until alcohol burns off, about 4 minutes. Stir in stock, gochujang, red pepper flakes, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium.
3. Return chicken to pot. Continue to simmer until chicken is cooked throughly and vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Garnish with scallions, if you like. Serve alone or with white or brown rice.
You can make the dish the day ahead and reheat. The sauce will have nicely thickened.
Kohlrabi is also called a German turnip or a turnip cabbage. You can find it at better grocers or farmer’s markets. It’s related to cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc and is in the genus Brassica. It can be eaten raw or cooked.
Gochujang is a Korean pepper sauce or paste (sometimes) is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. Heat levels very between brands so try it before adding too much… you can always add more if you like.