Gochujang Roasted Chicken

I won’t lie to you - the only reason I bought this chicken is because it was on sale.

Honestly, I tend to shy away from cooking whole chickens because, 1.) I can buy a rotisserie chicken and expend little to no effort, so why go through the hassle? 2.) it always comes out a little dry and bland. So, when I came home from the store with this whole chicken I started to wrack my brain trying to figure out how I could give it flavor and pizazz.

I’ve recently just discovered the Korean chili paste gochujang. I was familiar with similar chili pastes used in Chinese cooking, but this condiment is in a class of its own. It is sweet with a bit of a spicy kick, and has a deep, layered richness to it. I had just tried it for the first time in a chicken salad recipe created by Milk Street, and it was amazing. So, I decided to try out gochujang as the glaze/marinade for my chicken. Wow. The beauty of this recipe is that not only does the gochujang make the chicken taste beautiful and keep it moist, it soaks down into the potatoes and garlic lining the bottom of the pan increasing flavor and juiciness. SO. GOOD.

In an effort to avoid dry, crumbly chicken, I decided to try a slow cooking method - without using a slow cooker. By baking at a lower temperature for longer, the meat is less likely to dry out as it is gently roasted. The end result was juicy, tender meat that was literally falling off the bone. It doesn’t make this recipe convenient, but a little extra planning and prep can make it doable no matter how busy you are. The temperature and characteristics of your oven may require different baking times. My old electric oven required three hours, but yours may take less time. That’s why it’s important to check the bird often after the 2 hour mark.

Lastly, adding lemon juice may seem like just an extra step (especially when you’ve been waiting for the chicken for three hours!), but adding a little acid to balance the depth of the gochujang flavor and the fattiness of the chicken will make all the difference. Garnish with basil - as much or as little as you like - and enjoy!

Serves: 3-4 | Prep Time: 30 min. | Cooking Time: 2-3 hours | Author: Liz Genders

ingredients

1 3-4 lb. whole chicken

2 heads of garlic, halved

salt and pepper

5 Tbs gochujang

2 Tbs avocado oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs ginger, minced

1 lb small creamer potatoes

juice of 1 lemon

basil for garnish

instructions

Rinse chicken and thoroughly pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, being sure to season inside the cavity as well. Place one head of garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Truss with kitchen twine, or create slits in the excess breast skin and insert the legs (shown above). Set aside.

Place gochujang in a medium bowl. Slowly add the avocado oil, whisking to combine. The mixture should create a spreadable sauce, more oil may be needed. Add garlic and ginger. Using a pastry brush, coat the outside of chicken with the gochujang mixture, being sure to coat all crevices for maximum flavor! Once chicken is coated, place potatoes in the bowl with gochujang mixture, stirring to coat. Put the potatoes in a 12 inch iron skillet, then add the second head of garlic. Move potatoes and garlic to outer edges of the skillet to create space for the chicken (potatoes that remain under the chicken will not cook through). Bake chicken in the oven at 300F for 2-3 hours, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Lightly smash the potatoes with the back of a spoon to check for doneness, and so the potatoes can soak up sauce at the bottom of the skillet. Pour the juice of the lemon over the potatoes and the chicken. Garnish with basil and serve.