It truly takes some accuracy and knife handling abilities to cut that single flat steak from the chicken thigh. But it was all worthwhile after all the peeling, deboning, slicing, and marinating. I like the savory, sweet flavors typical of bulgogi marinades, which were enhanced even more by the supple, succulent thighs that had been steeped over night. With a bunch of Boston or Bibb lettuce and onion strips on top, serve this.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 6 hrs |
| Total Time: | 6 hrs 25 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ apple – peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chile powder)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Peel skin from chicken thighs and trim off excess fat. Cut each into single flat ‘steak,’ working around the bone. Save any smaller pieces for cooking as well. Rinse thighs under cold water, removing any film. Place in a large bowl.
- Pulse soy sauce, apple, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, gochugaru, and ginger together in a food processor until marinade is smooth.
- Pour marinade into the bowl with the chicken and stir to coat. Pierce the chicken with a skewer for extra absorption, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 6 to 12 hours.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and add to the skillet. Cook and stir until no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Transfer thighs to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds.
- Use pear in place of apple, if preferred.
- If there is extra marinade, add near the end of cooking to give the thighs extra flavor. Do not add until the very end, otherwise it will burn/char the thighs because of the sugars in the marinade.
- Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of marinade ingredients. The actual amount of marinade consumed will vary.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 435 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 141 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 1940 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Used less spice to adjust for my family, was amazing!
I served the chicken on a bed of spinach with carrots cooked in the same sauce and with sweet potato noodles sprinkled with sesame oil. I was lazy and tossed it with partially cooked carrots and put them in a baking dish. The flavors were excellent. I was looking for something like hoisin sauce. I could have increased the sugar but decided to enjoy it as it was. It also looked very professionally plated if i do say so myself. I was looking forward to seconds but my large dog snitched my plate off of the table. I will definately make it again and share it.
Very juicy, but maybe could use more sugar or apple.