spicy grilled chicken, korean style

i'm overly obsessed with my grill, and throughout the year (since it's always sunny in LA), i get to create fun recipes and grill all the time!  here is an easy and delish spicy grilled chicken recipe korean style...plus, it's perfect with tacos too, like kogi truck!

ingredients:

- 1 cup soy sauce

- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 1 tablespoon korean chili paste (kochuchang)

- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

- 6 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 green onion, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

- 1.5 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

- 1-1.5 pound chicken, i recommend chicken breast

directions:

- cut the chicken in half and pound slightly to flatten a tad

- mix the rest of the ingredients together

- marinate the chicken for 4-8 hours or overnight in the fridge

- grill the chicken for 10 minutes on one side on medium heat

- grill the other side of the chicken until done...and enjoy in a taco, sandwich, with rice, anything!

xoxo,

kara

japanese-style chicken curry

i'm really not a big fan of instant, pre-made mixes or frozen, microwaveable foods...but when it comes to japanese curry, i always use curry sauce mix because it's so much easier, takes less time (30 minutes versus 3 hours?!), and it's soooo delicious! i have, of course, made some tweaks to the directions you can find on the back of the box to make this curry recipe the best you've ever had. 

ingredients:

- 2 brown onion

- 2 russet potatoes

- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

- 2 zucchini, cut into chunks

- 1.5 pounds chicken thigh, cut into chunks

- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth

- 1 package japanese curry mix (i highly recommend s&b tasty curry sauce mix in med hot) 

directions:

- first, cut the 2 onion into halves.  dice one of the halves into small pieces; cut the other 2 1/2 onion into chunks

- peel the russet potatoes and cut into large chunks so they won't disintegrate during the cooking process

- in a large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat and add the diced onion

- add chicken pieces into pot and cook until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes

- add the rest of the onion chunks, potatoes, carrots and zucchini into the pot and cook for 5-8 minutes, still over high heat until lightly browned

- add chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil

- lower heat as soon as it comes to a boil; cover pot and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until the veggies are cooked

- turn off heat, then add in curry squares and melt into broth

- simmer for an additional 8 minutes and gently stir occasionally

- serve with some hot white rice.  enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

korean-style spicy chicken

being half korean, i grew up eating korean food occasionally with my family.  one of my favorites was this spicy and super delicious chicken dish that my mom would make.  here is my take on my mom's spicy chicken dish; i've added various ingredients to add more "umph," and potatoes and onions to make it more hearty.  it's super super easy to make, and i think you're going to love it!

marinade ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon soy
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed
- 1 tablespoon (or more if you want it spicy!) of kochuchang (korean style chili paste)
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper (korean style)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic, about 3 garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

other ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken thigh, cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 red potatoes or 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 green onion stalk, sliced

directions:
- mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl
- add the chicken and onion to the marinade and let it sit for 10 minutes
- heat a large skillet with a dash of vegetable oil over high heat
- add the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes
- add the chicken, onion and some of the marinade to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes
- lower the heat to medium, gently stir the ingredients, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through
- once done, turn off the heat, add the green onion slices and transfer to a plate
- serve with some hot white rice.  enjoy!

xoxo,
kara

seafood and chicken paella

i fell in love with paella when i was 14 years old at a friend's backyard paella party.  as soon as i had my first bite of the toasted rice with chorizo, chicken and shrimp, i was head over heels...and i was determined to one day create an amazing paella recipe of my own.  after trying various recipes and making a number of batches over the years, here is my super delicious, easy-to-make paella recipe that will wow any crowd, trust me :) 

ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 2 chorizo links, cut into chunks
- 1 medium onion, chopped/cubed
- 1 green pepper, chopped/cubed
- 1 red pepper, chopped/cubed
- 2 celery stalks, chopped/cubed
- bunch of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 12 cloves of garlic (or 3 tablespoons), minced
- 3 tablespoons saffron
- s&p
- 3 cups chicken broth (add more if needed)
- 3 cups paella rice
- 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 pound tilapia
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges

directions:
- heat olive oil in a paella pan or a le creuset wide pan over high heat until the oil is very hot
- saute and caramelize chicken thigh for 7 minutes or so; remove from pan and reserve
- saute chorizo chunks for 5 minutes or so; remove from pan and reserve
- lower the heat to medium and saute onion, carrot, green & red pepper, celery, parsley and garlic in the pan for 3 minutes
- fold in the rice and stir to coat each grain
- add chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently stirring so the rice absorbs the stock evenly
- add saffron, some s&p, chicken and chorizo into the pan and mix
- cover the pan, give it a good shake, lower the heat, let everything simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice has a bite to them (aka al dente...do not overcook!)
- tuck in the shrimp, tilapia and peas into the rice.  add more chicken broth if needed
- cover and cook for an additional 5 more minutes until the shrimp is pink, rice is fluffy and the peas are cooked through
- serve with lemon wedges.  enjoy!

xoxo,
kara

rosemary chicken with potatoes and zucchini

lately rob has been creating a lot of one pot meals with our le creuset dutch oven.  here's one of his delicious (and super easy) recipes...with just a few fresh ingredients, you can make an amazing meal for up to 4 people in less than an hour!

ingredients:

- 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch slices

- 1 lb chicken breasts and/or thighs, boneless & skinless

- 8-10 small red potatoes, quartered

- 4 yellow or green zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices

- 10-12 cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed

- 4-6 fresh rosemary sprigs (but if you can't find fresh rosemary, use 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary)

- olive oil

- s&p

directions:

- preheat oven to 450 degrees

- coat a cast-iron dutch oven with olive oil and spread with paper towel

- scatter onion slices in the pot

- place chicken on the onion, followed by the zucchini, potatoes and mushrooms

- season with s&p

- tuck rosemary sprigs into crevices

- cover and bake for 45 minutes; serve immediately and enjoy!

xoxo, 

kara

oyako donburi

my favorite dish in the world is oyako donburi; it reminds me of my summers in japan growing up, and my dad and i cooking together on weekends as a kid.  i love the blend of simple, japanese tastes - soy sauce, mirin, dashi stock and green onion.  the best part about this dish is its name: oya = adult, ko = child...get it chicken (oya) + egg (ko)!

ingredients:

- 4 cup cooked japanese rice

- 3/4 - 1 pound chicken thigh, cut into pieces

- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

- 1 2/3 cup chicken stock or dashi soup stock

- 8 tablespoons soy sauce

- 4 tablespoons mirin

- 3 tablespoons brown sugar

- 4 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 green onion, thinly cut

directions:

- heat chicken stock/dashi soup stock over medium heat in a saucepan or skillet

- put cut chicken thigh in a bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of mirin; let rest for 5 minutes

- add soy sauce, leftover mirin and brown sugar to broth

- add chicken to broth and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes

- add sliced onion to broth and simmer for an additional 3 minutes

- bring broth to a boil for 5 minutes, until onion are soft

- add lightly beaten eggs over chicken and onion in broth; turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid for 1 minute

- sprinkle in green onion slices; turn off the heat, cover with lid and let it rest for an additional minute

- to assemble, add hot rice to individual bowls.  with a large spoon, scoop individual portions of the chicken and egg topping and soupy stock into each bowl.  enjoy!

xoxo, 

kara

citrus & herb roasted chicken

i like to make this roasted chicken recipe for rob on sundays (because leftovers last until tuesday or so!).  it's simple, delicious and super super easy to make.  happy roasting!

ingredients:

- 1 (4-pound) roasting chicken

- 1 tablespoon kosher salt

- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

- 4 garlic cloves, minced + 2 heads garlic, cut in half crosswise

- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

- 2 teaspoon of fresh parsley, chopped

- 2 lemons, quartered

- 2 oranges, quartered

- 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (or olive oil)

directions:

- preheat oven to 425 degrees

- in a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, minced garlic, thyme and parsley

- remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out

- pat chicken dry with paper towels

- lift the skin on top of the chicken and place butter between the flesh and skin

- rub the chicken with the herb mixture, above and below the skin as well as inside the cavity

- squeeze each lemon and orange into the chicken cavity and place rind in as well, along with the halved garlic heads

- place chicken, breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan (place leftover lemons, oranges and garlic halves in the roasting pan around the chicken)

- roast for 1 hour (helpful rule of thumb - roast chicken 15 minutes per pound to cook)

- remove from oven and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving

xoxo,

kara