Gochujang Chicken

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a Korean-flavored chicken dish.  I try to stick to chicken breasts as much as possible with my cooking, but it can be challenging to think of ways to keep them interesting and flavorful, as they have the tendency to get dried out easily.

This dish isn't based on any traditional recipes, but combines a variety of Korean flavors and puts gochujang front and center.  If you're not familiar with gochujang, it's spicy Korean red pepper paste.  A combination of that and gochugaru (Korean dried red pepper flakes) are found in the majority of spicy Korean dishes and help give things like kimchi their classic red color.  It's a thick paste, similar in consistency to tomato paste, and while it does pack some heat, it's also tangy and fruity, making it an ingredient that's easy to work in to dishes without the fear of making them ridiculously spicy.  I'm seeing it pop up more and more as people grow tired of sriracha (which, in my opinion, isn't that great to begin with), and I think it's a welcome addition to most dishes you find it in.

Gochujang Chicken
1 chicken breast, sliced into strips
1/4 white or yellow onion, sliced into strips
1 green onion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp honey
2 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp low sodium Korean soy sauce 
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Black sesame seeds for garnish

Stir together garlic, ginger, honey,  gochujang, vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and set aside.  Set a wok or frying pan over high heat.  When pan begins to smoke, add vegetable oil, followed by onion and green onion.  Stir fry until fragrant and translucent, 1-2 min.

Push onions to the sides of the wok and add chicken breast to the center.  Stir fry for 3-4 min, or until chicken is browned on the outside.  Pour sauce over chicken and stir thoroughly.  Allow sauce to simmer for additional 2-3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and liquid thickens slightly.  Serve over rice and garnish with black sesame seeds.