Easy Bulgogi Chicken

If you’ve never tasted Bulgogi Chicken you are in for a treat! Like most Korean food, it’s a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy and a whole lot of delicious! And because it comes together quickly and easily, it’s great for weeknight meals!

The direct translation of “bulgogi” is “fire meat”, because the meat, which can be beef, pork or chicken, is very thinly sliced and generally cooked over an open flame, like a bbq or tableside grill. Since we’re still smack in the middle of winter and getting pummeled by storm after storm, we’re staying in and going the stovetop route instead.

You start by chilling boneless chicken breasts in the freezer for about 20 minutes so that you’re able to cut super-thin, quick-cooking slices.

And while the chicken is chilling out, you whip up the simple sweet and spicy marinade, which is a finger lickin’ mix of pear, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes. It infuses the dish with loads and loads of flavor and you can let the sliced chicken sit in it for as little as 30 minutes (if you’re pressed for time) or up to 8 hours (if you’ve somehow miraculously planned ahead).

I promise you are going to love how quickly this goes from start to finish. If you put on a pot of rice as you start to heat up the skillet, I guarantee you’ll be done cooking and plating the chicken by the time the rice is done!

Add a simple veggie or salad and dinner is served. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Or more tasty! Every bite is so tangy, sweet, tender and light with hints of garlic and spice—major YUM!!

Definitely takes the ho-hum out of boneless chicken breasts and makes for a fun meal, which in these stay-at-home times, is no small accomplishment!

---

Bulgogi Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes for chicken to marinate and up to eight; Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ripe, but not mushy, pear (I used Bartlett)

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

• A couple of pinches red pepper flakes

• Rounded tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (placed in freezer for 20 minutes)

• Vegetable oil

• Salt

• Chopped scallions for garnish

The Recipe

1. Using a large box grater, grate the pear and garlic cloves into a large bowl. Add the onion, pepper flakes, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil and whisk to combine well.

2. Remove chicken from the freezer and using a sharp knife, cut thin slices and add to the bowl. Toss well to coat the chicken and cover the bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or chill, covered, for up to 8 hours in the fridge.

3. Coat a large heavyweight skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, add a layer chicken slices, draining the marinade as you remove the pieces from the bowl, so that the chicken is in one single layer—you will definitely have to do this in batches. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the layer of chicken and let cook for a minute or two without turning the pieces so that the chicken can brown. Then, turn the chicken, tossing often, until entirely cooked through and golden brown with sort of blackened edges. Transfer to a plate and cook remaining chicken, adding more oil and salt in the process. Transfer to the plate, top with the chopped scallions, and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Epicurious. I tinkered a lot with this.