Recipe: Chicken in Chili Sauce

Recipe Source: Lee, Cecilia Hae-Jin.  Eating Korean.  John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2005 p. 177

I made this dish as part of my attempt to eat healthier during the playoffs (a futile attempt so far) and as part of one of my regular freezer purges.  I had some chicken thighs in the fridge.  I knew that in order to implement my plan of making food ahead of time and eating it during the week I would need to clear some space in the freezer.  This was done. 

I did make a few changes, naturally.  I halved the amount of chicken, because that's what I had on hand.  I also used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the bone-in ones, again because that's what I had.  Due to poor inventory management, I had run out of regular onions on Sunday and had only red onions to work with.  I substituted some home-grown broccoli for the zucchini and carrot, because I detest carrots and because we'd harvested the broccoli before the first big frost and needed to use it up.  I increased the amount of garlic and I omitted the sugar. 

I really, really liked this dish, having felt the need to sample it before freezing.  It's a hearty, fall-appropriate dish that really brings a smile to your face.  Well, my face anyway, and my husband certainly liked it too. 

Chicken in Chili Sauce (serves 4; approx. $2.51/serving)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

2 cups water

2 potatoes, cubed

1 red onion, diced

1 lb broccoli, chopped

7 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

5 tablespoons Korean chili paste

2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal

Equipment:

• Deep frying pan or wok with lid

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in the pan. 
2. Add the chicken, potatoes, onion and broccoli.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chili paste.  Bring back to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 
5. Add the scallions and cook another minute or so. 
6. Remove from heat and serve. 

Comments

[Chris]

I really like the heat and flavor combinations here. I've never had this "poor inventory management" that you speak of, I only have "creative substitutions necessitated temporary unavailability of key ingredients". :)