Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup gochujang (Korean fermented red pepper paste)

¼ cup granulated sugar (or to your preference)

2 Tablespoon garlic (, minced, about 4-5 cloves of garlic)

2 Tablespoon oil (, plus more for cooking, or any neutral flavor oil)

1 Tablespoon gochugaru (coarse) (Korean dry red pepper flakes)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper (optional)

8 piece boneless, skinless chicken thighs (, cut into large chunks, about 2 lbs.)

4 cup cooked white rice (, or your preferred grain/ starch substitute)

1 head romaine lettuce (, cut into bite size pieces and washed)

1 large carrot (, peeled and shredded)

1 english cucumber (, washed and sliced)

1 avocado (, sliced)

⅓ red onion (, thinly sliced, optional)

Toasted sesame seed (, for garnish, optional)

Directions

For the marinade and chicken:

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade, except for the chicken. Taste the marinade to see if you'd like it sweeter, spicier, or more salted.

Once satisfied with the marinade flavor, add the chicken thighs and mix until the chicken is well coated with the marinade. Set aside until ready to cook.*The marinade can be made a week ahead of time and the chicken can be marinaded up to 3-4 days ahead of time, as long it's properly stored and refrigerated.*

In a large fry pan, add a couple Tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and starts to shimmer, place the marinated chicken thighs in the pan piece by piece to give each piece a good char and sear. DO NOT overcrowd the pan! Let the marinated chicken cook on each side for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through (165°F). Remove the the cooked chicken, along with all the juices and repeat until all marinated chicken are cooked.*Cooking time for the chicken will vary depending on the size of each piece of chicken and how cold they are.*

To assemble the bowl:

Arrange the rice (or your preferred grain), romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumber, avocado, and cooked chicken in 4 bowls. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and enjoy while the rice and chicken are hot!

Nutrition

• Calories: 772 kcal
• Total Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
• Cholesterol: 215 mg
• Sodium: 1102 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 78 g
• Dietary Fiber: 9 g
• Total Sugars: 19 g
• Protein: 53 g