This one is really good and comes together fast enough for a week night. The inspiration for this was a local restaurant that unfortunately closed earlier this year. See my review of Urban Wren. They had a dish that my wife got every time, see below.
Since the restaurant closed, we haven’t had anything close to it. Full disclosure, the recipe below is very good. I mean, it will be on regular rotation good, but it is not as good as Urban Wren. Much cheaper and faster but not better.
NOTES: The air fryer makes the chicken cook in no time. You can make the rice ahead of time. I used Carolina Gold Rice and call it out here because I always have it on hand and it is delicious. You can use whatever rice you have but ideally not minute rice. For the fried rice, I just used whatever vegetables we had in the fridge. If you don’t have a steamer, you can sauté the bok choy. I did not season the bok choy because I knew the chicken and rice had plenty of flavor. You could also use any other vegetable like broccoli.
Is this authentically Korean? No clue. I know Koreans use gochujang and kimchi and I THINK it is at least close to traditional but I have no idea. I do know it was pretty darn good and I’ll be making this again and again.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Air Fried Korean Chicken Thighs
- 4 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for Kimchi Carolina Gold Fried Rice
- 1 cup Carolina Gold rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1-2 large radish, chopped
- 1-2 cups kimchi, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 green onions, sliced. Mentioned above.
- Salt and pepper to taste, if needed
- Gochujang or crushed red pepper for more spice if desired
Other Ingredients
- 4 green onions, sliced. 2 for the fried rice and 2 to garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 head bok choy, trimmed and cleaned
Instructions
How to make Air Fried Korean Chicken Thighs
- In a large bowl add the gochujang, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, liquid smoke and whisk together. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Add the chicken thighs and toss until the marinade is coating all the chicken. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Toss occasionally to insure full coverage.
- Preheat your air fryer at 400F for at least 3 minutes. In batches so not to crowd, cook the chicken thighs for approximately 10 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 160F. Allow the chicken to rest. The final temperature should be around 165F.
How to make Kimchi Carolina Gold Fried Rice
- Place the rice, water, rice vinegar, mirin, salt and sesame oil in a medium pot.
- Heat over high until boiling. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to set, covered, for another 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pan or wok to medium high heat. Add canola and sesame oil.
- Add shallot and garlic and toss until fragrant. Add the rest of the veg and toss to combine. Cook until just softened.
- Add the rice, kimchi and soy sauce. Toss to combine. Taste and add more soy or gochujang to taste. Keep warm.
How to make Steamed Bok Choy
- Heat a large sauce pot with two inches of water over high heat until boiling. Reduce to a hard simmer.
- Add the steamer with the bok choy. Cover and allow to steam until just cooked through.
How to plate Air Fried Korean Chicken Thighs, Steamed Bok Choy and Kimchi Carolina Gold Fried Rice
- Add some of the fried rice to the plate, top with some of the bok choy. Slice the Korean chicken and add to the plate.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
one foodie 