Main dish

Slow Cooked Gochujang Chicken recipe

Name: Slow Cooked Gochujang Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 banana shallots (or 2 onions); 3 cloves of garlic; 2 red bell peppers; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (whole pieces); 1 large chicken breast; 2-4 tbsp gochujang (start with 2); 1 tbsp soy sauce (I use low sodium); salt (I start with a ¼ tsp of kosher); black pepper; monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional, I add ¼ tsp); a slow cooker or Instant Pot

Jump to recipe

Just 15 minutes of prep, and a slow cook, will yield a big pile of tasty chicken.

Prep15m
Cook6h
Total6h 15m

chicken korean slow-cooker

I had a whole spiel about this chicken but all I really want to say is: ever since life got busy, this chicken has become my saviour.

Take yesterday, for example. The ingredients went into the Instant Pot at 9am and the rest of the day zoomed.

Dinner then consisted of:

Toasted wholemeal pitta
Mayo (or yoghurt if you’re a mayo-hater)
Cheddar
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Big pile of chicken
A boatload of pickles

We’ve been eating this a lot. It’s heaven. It reminds me of a kebab.

Yesterday’s chicken was juicy (okay, wet) because I didn’t take the lid off the Instant Pot until the final 30 minutes. The pitta went a bit soggy but it still tasted great.

Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days (that’s the official party line; it’s 3-4 really). Any remaining chicken is served with rice and veg, or piled on top of Itsu Ramen Broth.

Notes

Gochujang

The first tub I bought turned rock solid from neglect. Now I put a layer of cling film over the opening then close the lid. This is a neat trick I picked up from my local Thai takeaway; they deliver Tom Yum soup this way and it never leaks.

I add three to four tablespoons of gochujang but this is fairly spicy. Start with two and add more to taste.

MSG

A recent Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) binge led me to buy some MSG (“FUIYOH!”). Use salt if you prefer, or add more soy sauce (which naturally contains MSG).

MSG is generally used in addition to salt, not as a replacement. If including, start with a small amount and keep tasting.

Recipe

Slow Cooked Gochujang Chicken

Prep15m
Cook6h
Total6h 15m

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Gochujang Chicken

4 banana shallots (or 2 onions)
3 cloves of garlic
2 red bell peppers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (whole pieces)
1 large chicken breast
2-4 tbsp gochujang (start with 2)
1 tbsp soy sauce (I use low sodium)
salt (I start with a ¼ tsp of kosher)
black pepper
monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional, I add ¼ tsp)

You will need

a slow cooker or Instant Pot

Method

Slice 4 banana shallots (or 2 onions) and 3 cloves of garlic. Cube 2 red bell peppers (about 1½ cm cubes).
Sauté the veg with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for 5 minutes. I use the sauté setting on my Instant Pot. Use a separate pan if your slow cooker doesn’t have this function.
Add 500g of chicken thighs and 1 large chicken breast to the slow cooker.
Add 2 tablespoons of gochujang and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Set the slow cooker to the low setting for anywhere between 6 to 8 hours. I try to leave the lid off for the last 2 hours.
When the programme finishes, shred the chicken with two forks. Add salt if needed (I start with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt) and black pepper. Optionally add some MSG (I add around 1/4 teaspoon). Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more gochujang if you like.