Korean Grilled Chicken Crispy Rice Salad

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Korean Grilled Chicken Crispy Rice Salad

Think Korean fried chicken in crispy rice salad form. This twist on the viral recipe is incredibly moreish, incredibly easy, and jam-packed full of complex flavor. We've got juicy charred chicken, crispy spicy rice, and crunchy veggies all tossed with a sweet, spicy gochujang sesame dressing. Brilliant for meal prep and entertaining.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Salad

Cuisine: asian

Keyword: crispy rice salad

Servings: servings

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the Korean grilled chicken -

1 lb (500g) chicken thighs skinless and boneless
1 tablespoon of gochujang paste
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam or more honey
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

For the salad -

2 cups of cooked rice or 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 tablespoon of gochujang paste
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 red or white cabbage shredded
1 cup of frozen edamame beans thawed
1 cucumber diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
A handful of cilantro (coriander), chopped
3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

For the gochujang sesame dressing -

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of gochujang paste
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam or sweet chili sauce
1 garlic clove crushed
1- inch piece of ginger grated (or 1 teaspoon of ginger paste)
1 teaspoon of soy sauce

Instructions

Cook your rice (skip this step if you use leftover rice). Add ⅔ cup of rice to a small saucepan you have a lid for. Add 1 cup of water, then set the pan over high heat. When you see the water looking foamy on top, pop the lid on, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat (still with the lid on), and set it aside for another 10 minutes, to finish steaming. After this, fluff up the grains with a fork, then spread it onto an oven tray lined with parchment paper and pop it into the fridge to cool, for at least 10 minutes.
Cook the chicken (skip this step if you're using leftover/rotisserie chicken). Heat your oven to 430°F (220°C fan). Mix the chicken with 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes, until deeply charred.
Make the crispy rice. Line a separate baking sheet with parchment paper and add your cooked rice. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine well, then transfer to the oven with the chicken for 25 - 30 minutes to crisp up. Check the rice after 15 minutes to see how it's going - some ovens are a little uneven and you may want to rotate the tray. Check it at 20 minutes too as it can easily burn and all ovens are different again.
Make the gochujang dressing.
To either a jar you have a lid for, or a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Pop the lid on the jar and shake well to create a silky smooth dressing, or mix the dressing in the bowl with a fork.

PRO TIP: You can loosen the dressing with a little water if you like.

Assemble the salad. Once the chicken is ready, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add it to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl you'd like to serve the salad from), along with 1 cup of edamame beans, shredded cabbage, diced carrots, diced cucumber, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro and the sesame seeds. Pour the crispy rice on top, then pour over the gochujang dressing. Toss to combine, then serve.

Notes

PREP AHEAD: It's best to serve the salad right after you've added the crispy rice and the dressing, as the rice will soften over time and lose its crispiness. This is fine if you're making this for yourself, but if you're entertaining, wait until you're ready to serve before finishing the salad. Once mixed, it will keep well, for four days in the fridge.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Play around with the salad ingredients, based on what you like and what you have on hand. You could add frozen (thawed) peas, or green beans, bean sprouts, asparagus or broccoli florets. Swap the cilantro for mint, Thai basil or chives.

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