Gochujang Chicken Drummies

Ever since I could remember I have loved eating chicken. To the point where my parents didn't even know how to prepare the chicken anymore.  Yes, I never got sick of eating the same types of chicken over and over again but they sure did. I guess even though there are various ways to prep chicken in Chinese food, the base of the ingredient remain is the same. What can I say, it's still chicken. Remind me to thank my parents for putting up with my chicken obsession as a child. 

Things clearly haven't changed much because I still enjoy my chicken now as much as I did when I was a kid, but I'd like to think that my larger palate now has allowed me to use new ingredients to add an oomph to my chicken dishes. I've sampled recipes from Cajun to Jamaican, French to Moroccan and with each additional chicken dish I try I find that the possibilities are seemingly endless. It's the perfect meat to take on any flavor with which you impart to it.

 

I've always enjoyed gochujang on beef and as a dipping sauce. It’s so flavourful, so why not try it with chicken drumsticks (or thighs or breast meat). Luckily it turned out great and my husband loved it, which I'm really glad because as much as I'd have to apologize to my parents for forcing them to eat chicken all the time when I was younger. I'd have to give my husband the same apology. To be honest I probably eat it more now a day since I'm now the master of my (kitchen) domain. So hopefully you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did and agree that chicken is a great flavor vessel!

 

Nutritional Tidbit: Dark meat chicken has always gotten a bad rap because it supposedly has a higher fat content.  Truth is, if you remove the skin, the actual dark meat itself is only slightly higher and you get a pretty comparable amount of protein per serving. While white meat does provide more protein overall, you miss out on a lot of the other nutrients such as vitamin B, iron, selenium, zince and more. People are often worried about the saturated fat content, but like anything else moderation is key.

Ingredients:

1 tsp salt
8 medium chicken drumsticks
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 1/2 tbsp gochujang paste (can be found at a oriental food store like T&T)
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

 

Preparation:

Cut a slit in to eat chicken drumstick along the length of the bone. This will allow the marinade to really penetrate in to the chicken and also allow for a quicker cooking time.

Place the chicken drumsticks in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the salt over the drumsticks and set aside while you combine the marinade.

In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, soy sauce, gochujang, honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and make sure the each drumstick is well covered.

Cover and set the chicken aside for at least 30 mins.

Meanwhile, heat up the grill or preheat oven to 425c.

If grilling, cook the chicken for approx. 15-20 mins.

If using the oven, bake for 25-30 mins.

Makes 4 servings

PS- Grilling the drumsticks provided that extra caramelization which really brought out the sweetness of the marinade but I believe baking it is a great alternative as well, especially when it's chilly outside.

Also, If you're planning to prepare the chicken the night before, skip the step where you need to salt the chicken before adding the marinade. That step is to account for the lack of marinating time.