Notes
I kind of whipped together this recipe with a bunch of stuff I had laying around, and it turned out amazing. I've recreated it a couple of times now, and I suspect it will be a regular staple for me.
I used coconut oil to fry the chicken, which is quite nice. It takes on a slight coconut flavor that's not overpowering. But you can use any good frying oil.
I also separately roasted some baby broccoli and tossed that with the chicken and sauce for the final dish. You could do this with broccoli, broccolini, or any other hearty green.
Ingredients
- 2-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 (ish) cup flour
- 1/2 (ish) cup coconut oil
- salt
Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang (I like Mother in Law's or Queens)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp sriracha (I really like Fix Sriracha)
Sides
- white rice
- roasted broccoli
Process
Note: If you're going to serve this with broccoli and rice, prepare those in advance.
Start by cutting up your chicken thighs. Remove any excess fat or sinew, and cut them into small pieces.
Add the pieces to a bowl and season them with salt. Then coat them with flour and toss to cover them completely.
Next, prepare your sauce.
Mix together 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp honey, and 3 tbsp sriracha in a bowl. Once it's incorporated, taste it. It should have a really nice balance of sweet, spicy, salty, acidic, and umami. Feel free to experiment with adding more of any ingredient to make it tasty and balanced to your liking. Usually I don't need to add salt because the sriracha and gochujang already have quite a bit, but add some if you feel it needs it.
Heat a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat.
Add in a generous amount of coconut oil. You don't need the pieces to be completely submerged in oil, but you'll want a good amount to fry them.
Once the oil is nice and hot (you can test this by dropping a small piece of chicken into the oil– it should sizzle but not start to burn), add in the chicken pieces and cook them, turning occasionally, until they're golden brown and cooked through.
Pull them onto a paper towel lined plate or sheet tray and sprinkle them with a bit of salt.
Dump the oil and give the pan a quick rinse and dry.
Add in a tiny bit more oil and heat the pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken (as well as your roasted broccoli or vegetables, if using).
Pour in the sauce and toss it all to coat evenly.
Cook for just a minute or so until the sauce is warm.
Serve immediately over rice. I like to top this with some cilantro and sesame seeds, if I have them.
