Creamy Spicy Korean Udon Noodles with Bulgogi Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 Large Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts (approximates 400-450 grams) – washed, fat trimmed, and pat dried
• 2 TBLS Olive Oil (for cooking)
• 3 TBLS Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste)
• 3/4 TBLS Gochugaru (Korean Chili Powder)*
• 1.5 TSP Ginger Paste
• 1.5 TSP Garlic Paste
• 1.5 TBLS Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 TBLS Mirin**
• 1 TBLS Honey
• 1 TSP Chili Oil
• 1 TSP Sesame Oil
• 1 TSP Black Pepper
• You can usually find Garlic Paste, Ginger Paste, and also Ginger Garlic Paste at an Indian or Asian Grocery Store or try online. If using Ginger Garlic Paste, use 3 teaspoons. If you can’t find either of them, blend equal amounts of roughly chopped garlic and ginger together with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable/olive oil. I recommend making a small quantity – 1/2 cup chopped ginger and 1/2 cup chopped garlic, as you will only need 3 TSP in total for this recipe. This paste can be stored in the fridge for about a week and used for quick and easy cooking in other recipes such as pasta, noodles, and stir-fries.
• Alternatively, you can blitz all the ingredients for the marinade sauce in a blender to make the marinade sauce. Use 3 cloves of roughly chopped garlic and a tablespoon of roughly chopped ginger if doing so.
• 2 TBLS Olive Oil
• 2 TSP Sesame Oil
• A splash of chili oil (optional)
• 1/4 Yellow Onion – sliced
• 6 Garlic cloves – minced
• 2 TBLS Ginger – grated
• 1 Scallion/Spring Onion – chopped, whites and greens separated (use the greens to garnish later)
• 10 Red Chilies, or to taste – chopped
• 2 medium Brown Mushrooms (Asian variety such as Chinese, shitake, or shimeji preferred but Portobello will work just fine) – stems removed, thinly sliced
• A handful of Spinach Leaves (about 8-10 leaves) – stems discarded, washed
• 150 ml Cooking Cream
• 100 ml Whole Milk
• 1.5 TSP Honey
• Remainder Marinade Sauce
• 1/2 TSP Korean Capsaicin Sauce (optional, but a must if you like your food very spicy)
• 1 x 200g Pack Udon Noodles, boiled and drained
• 2 TSP Toasted Sesame Seeds – to garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   --- For the Chicken: ---

2. 2

   Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a large bowl, add the chicken breasts and 4 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside the remainder marinade sauce to be used for brushing onto the chicken while cooking and for the noodles later. Mix to coat the chicken well with the sauce. Leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes at least. (The sauce will penetrate the chicken better if refrigerated overnight, but if you don’t have the time, 20-30 minutes will work just fine.)

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 175°C/347° While the chicken is marinating, chop up and prepare the other ingredients for the noodles.

4. 4

   For the chicken, turn on the stove to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a cast iron grill pan/skillet. Spread the oil with a cooking brush. Once the oil is hot, lift the chicken from the marinade bowl with tongs and place them top side up on the pan.

5. 5

   Cook for 3-4 minutes, then brush the chicken with more marinade from the bowl they were marinating in and use tongs to turn them over to the other side.***

6. 6

   Cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes, then brush the chicken with more marinade and turn them over again so that they are top side up again.

7. 7

   Repeat step 4 & 5 again so that the chicken ends up facing top side up again.

8. 8

   Brush chicken with the marinade, then place the cast iron pan in the oven. (Note: If your cast iron grill pan/skillet can’t fit in your oven, transfer the chicken to either an oven safe dish or sheetpan lined with foil.) Bake for 18-20 minutes, flipping and brushing with more marinade every 5-6 minutes.

9. 9

   Remove from oven and wait at least 10 minutes before slicing chicken into strips.

10. 10

    --- For the Noodles: ---

11. 11

    While the chicken is baking, start preparing the noodles. Boil the udon noodles according to package instructions. Drain the water and set aside in a strainer. If using a non-metal strainer, run some warm water over the noodles to prevent them from sticking to the strainer.

12. 12

    Turn on stove to high heat and in a large pan, add olive oil and sesame oil. (Note: you can also add a little chili oil for extra heat if you like.)

13. 13

    Add the spring onion whites and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds.

14. 14

    Add the onion and sauté for until they are translucent – about 1 minute. Turn down heat to medium and add the garlic and red chilies. Sauté until fragrant but be careful not to over brown the garlic – about 1-2 minutes.

15. 15

    Add the mushrooms and cook on both sides for about 2 minutes. The onions will start to turn golden-brown. Toss and combine everything together. Add the cream and milk and stir.

16. 16

    Add the remainder marinade sauce – about 50ml/3.5 TBLS, honey, and Korean capsaicin sauce (if using) and stir to combine. Add the spinach leaves and stir until they have wilted.

17. 17

    Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the udon noodles (Note: Run water over noodles if they look dry/sticky before adding to the pan). Turn up the heat and toss to combine noodles with sauce.

18. 18

    Place sliced chicken strips on noodles. Let them warm up for about 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat. +

19. 19

    Garnish with spring onion greens and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over chicken. Serve.