Gochujang-Yogurt Chicken With Garlic Butter Rice

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken

1/2 cup full-fat plain or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons gochujang

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic, from about 4 to 5 cloves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 small yellow onion, grated

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Garlic Butter Rice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic, from about 4 to 5 cloves

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken stock, low- or no-sodium preferred

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons reserved marinade

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 to 2 tablespoons cold water to thin out, if thickened, before serving

1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded, washed, and drained

1 pound Campari (or cocktail) tomatoes, cut into large chunks

Directions

Prepare the chicken marinade: In a bowl, combine yogurt, gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the grated onion (reserve the rest), salt, and pepper. Whisk until well-combined and smooth, making sure the gochujang is mixed in. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and transfer to another similarly-sized bowl. In a zip-top bag, place the chicken thighs and the rest of the marinade inside. Close the bag, remove excess air, and give the bag a good massage, ensuring every piece of chicken is well-coated with the marinade. Place the sealed bag flat on a plate and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours, or up to overnight. Remove chicken from refrigerator at least 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.

Prepare the garlic butter rice: Place a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, and any reserved grated onion from your marinade-making; cook until the butter has melted and the garlic and onion have softened a bit, about 1 minute. Add the rinsed rice; stir until each grain is coated in the butter. Add the chicken stock and salt, giving everything a stir. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce to a simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not peek! After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes with the lid still on until ready to serve. Just before serving, gently fluff the rice with a fork.

Prepare the sauce: In the bowl with the 2 tablespoons reserved marinade, add mayonnaise and lemon juice. Whisk well (use the same whisk, it's fine!) and cover with plastic wrap or transfer to a small glass jar. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Before serving, give it a stir and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water to thin it out to a nice drizzly consistency.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken: Place an oven rack about 6 inches away from the broiler's heating element (in my oven, that's the second from the top). Turn on broiler 5 to 10 minutes before cooking. Line a sheet pan with foil. Oil or Pam-spray a cooling rack/pan grate and place atop the sheet pan. Using tongs, remove chicken thighs from the ziptop bag, letting any excess marinade drip off. Place on cooling rack/pan grate, placing them all closer to the center of the sheet pan to ensure they'll get even coverage (take a look at your broiler to see the shape of the heating element if you're not sure). Cook the chicken on the first side for 7 minutes. Remove the sheet pan, flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the sheet pan once more, flip the chicken back and cook for a final 2 minutes, until cooked through and charred in spots. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board; cover with a piece of foil and rest for 10 minutes. After resting, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

To serve: On a plate, add rice, lettuce, chicken, and tomatoes. Drizzle plenty of sauce over the chicken, and lettuce and tomatoes. Serve any extra sauce alongside.