Cooking a Korean meal can sometimes feel like a huge production. Alongside a warm bowl of rice, you have the “star” of the table (usually some type of soup, stew, marinated meat, or grilled fish) as well as multiple side dishes (a.k.a “banchan”) of which kimchi is an absolute must. Of course, the banchans make their appearance all throughout the week, but the thought of preparing multiple dishes, requiring lots of bowls, pots, utensils, etc., is a bit daunting.
Source: Korean Bapsang
So on days when I crave Korean food but am too lazy to go out of my way, I resort to dishes like Korean Spicy Chicken and Potato stew, one of my and the Hungryman’s favorites. It’s basically a chicken and vegetable dish in spicy red sauce, and I’m perfectly content serving this alone alongside a bowl of rice.
While I normally cook it on the stovetop for several hours, time is of the essence more than ever these days. So when I came across Korean Bapsang’s ingenious idea of using a slow-cooker, I just had to try it! BTW, if you haven’t already, you must check out Ms. Hyosun’s incredible blog, full of delicious, easy-t0-follow Korean recipes. I always ask my mom (who’s hands down the best Korean cook I know..no bias here) to share her recipes w/me, but the woman never measures anything! (hmm…sounds like someone else I know) I would really like to put together “Mama Koo’s Cookbook” and pass it down for generations to come. Hopefully that will happen…
Now onto the dish.. The night before, I prepped the chicken and veggies so that come morning, all that was left for me to do was pour the marinade over, mix thoroughly, and set the slow-cooker to do its thing…nice and slow. When I came home early that evening, the only thing I had to do was transfer to a large plate and scoop the rice.
While my sister (and I’m sure plenty of others) will throw a tantrum…I served it with brown rice. Apparently I didn’t get the memo that white rice is the only viable option with this dish. The Hungryman is a staunch supporter of this view, but he’s long given up hope in our kitchen. Brown rice reigns supreme here..along with purple rice…and sometimes w/beans.
The chicken was tender and luscious while the veggies were perfectly softened. They slid effortlessly onto my fork. Thanks, slow-cooker! While there was a good amount of liquid or sauce at the bottom to coat the ingredients, it wasn’t enough for me to call this dish a “stew.” No biggie. It made for a one satisfying, hearty meal, nonetheless. Hope you give this recipe a try!
Updated:
If you want to make this baby-, kid-friendly,
leave out the chili flakes and chili paste and add more low-sodium soy sauce (1/3 cup)
Question:
What are your favorite slow-cooker recipes? I would love it if you would share them on my Facebook page! You can never have enough of them. 😉
- 2 Ibs boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, fat trimmed & cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces of potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
- 3 Tbs Korean chili flakes
- 2 Tbs Korean chili paste
- 4 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbs mirin
- 2 Tbs honey or corn syrup
- 1 Tbs sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ---------
- sesame seeds
- green onion, chopped
- In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.
- Add prepared chicken and vegetables to crockpot. Stir in sauce and mix well until evenly incorporated.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high until the chicken is fully cooked. Once done, stir in chopped green onion. Top with sesame seeds and serve with rice.
im all about one pot dishes and hearty stew. I will definitely think about this dish 🙂
Me too 🙂 I can’t wait for you to try this, Dixya!
This looks good! I think my husband will love it!
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Thanks for the invite, Jennie!
I am always amazed when meals involve many separate dishes. I just don’t have the patience! It’s a work of art indeed – and this looks great 🙂
Haha yes…it does test your patience ;). But there’s nothing like sitting down to a table with an assortment of dishes! And then comes the time for washing for them…now that’s no fun.
Min! This looks gorgeous and delicious. I love hearing about food from around the world. All the Korean food you showcase is one of my favorite parts about your blog.
Thank you, Alisha! I hope to share more Korean recipes in the future.
I love the sweet and spicy combo. Honestly, though I love eating it, I am always so afraid to try any Korean cooking. So I was so glad to see that these ingredients aren’t scary at all. I need a source for the Korean Chili flakes though. Where do you get it?
Hi Katie! Thank you for stopping by ;). The sweet and spicy combo is a common theme in Korean cooking. Our ancestors sure knew what they were doing :). As for the chili flakes, I’ve only seen them in Asian markets. Do you have one that’s close to you? Let me know if you ever need help with another Korean dish you want to try. Oftentimes, it just comes down to having the basic condiments (e.g. Korean chili paste, fermented soybean paste, soy sauce, sesame oil).
Min, this looks awesome! And I love that you can make this in the crock pot, aka, my best friend (especially during the fall :). Hopping over to Korean Bapsang, since I cannot get enough Korean food in my life!
Haha crock pot is my best friend too…along with Keurig, food processor, stand mixer… 😉
You’re going to love her site!
Korean chicken in a SLOW COOKER? You are amazing…I so needed this recipe in my life right now. PS: I’m with you all the way on serving it with brown rice. We rarely eat white rice here. 🙂
Hi Kimiko! I wish I could take credit for the ingenious idea but all the credit goes to Ms. Hyosun ;).
Yay! A fellow brown rice lover!! It’s been a LONG time since we last ate white rice…no wonder Tim’s been begging to dine at a Korean restaurant. He specifically orders white as snow rice and eats to his heart’s content.
Love this recipe! And being in a Crock Pot is just awesome 🙂 Can’t wait to try it and I look forward to following you and seeing what other great ideas you have! Thanks for sharing at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays.
Thank you so much, Emily for stopping by!
I love this recipe! Pinned it to make. My husband will absolutely love it. I, too, will have to serve it with white rice. My hubby is from India so rice is white! I love brown rice though. Someday I will manage to get he and my daughter to eat brown rice!
Hi Christie! Can’t wait for you and your husband to try this dish ;). Haha don’t give up! They will come around..someday.
Did you use boneless or bone-in chicken thighs/breasts? I would have assumed boneless, except when I clicked on the link to Korean Bapsang, I see that she used bone-in for her recipe.
Hi there! So sorry for the confusion. I used boneless chicken simply bc I always have them on hand in my freezer. Oftentimes bone-in chicken has skin on it, and while it keeps the meat moist, since this is a stew and I like to soak the rice in the liquid, I didn’t want all that fat in there. Hope this helped answer your question!
I love Hyosun’s blog too! Very informative and recipes are great! I really want to get a slow cooker. So easy to make this with slow cooker and hard to pass! I just need more kitchen space or clean up the garage space so I can place the slow cooker. =P This looks great! I need rice and meal will be just perfect!
Hi Nami! Yes, she’s an amazing woman! You MUST get a slow cooker! I can’t live without it…I don’t really have time during the week to cook so it’s nice to have the option of throwing various ingredients in, pushing the on button and stepping away. The house smells incredible when I come home…It’s the best feeling ;).
This looks AMAZING and you must write your mama’s cookbook some day – I would definitely buy it for sure! I’m off to check out Ms. Hyosum’s blog….
This looks gorgeous. I love how easy this dish is! We would enjoy it more then likely with brown rice in our house too but the kids like white rice so once in awhile I’ll do a 50/50 mix of white and brown and they can’t tell the difference! I pinned this to my crock pot board! Thanks for sharing!
Wondering about the Spicy Chicken and Potatoes. What kind of potatoes are used in this dish? White Rose, Russet, Sweet Potato????
Also, you mentioned preparing the chicken the day before. What prep is done? Just cutting and removing the skin?
sounds super good and there are at least 3 Asian (2 are Korean) markets within 30 min of me so can’t wait to try this dish! 🙂
Hi Nelli! I used russet potatoes this time, but you can use whatever kind you prefer. I like to add a combination sometimes (russets and sweet potatoes) to please everyone ;). Sometimes when I’m pressed for time, I like to prep the chicken (trimming the fat, cutting) as well as the vegetables the night before so that when I wake up, I can just throw everything into the crockpot, pour the marinade over, set the time, and walk away ;). Hope this helps. I can’t wait for you to try! Let me know how it turns out!!
When I first saw that photo of all the banchan dishes, I thought you made all that! I don’t blame you for wanting to make a one-dish dinner instead. I haven’t tried many Korean recipes, but I really want to try this. If I can’t find all the ingredients at our regular stores, we have lots of great Asian supermarkets around here. It will be a fun new dinner to try!
I included this in my slow cooker roundup last week. Thanks so much for sharing it with us at Saturday Night Fever! Hope to see you tonight 🙂
New follower here, and I wanted to tell you your photos are gorgeous! Pinning this amazing recipe. have a great day!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I look forward to following you as well 😉
Hi Min, I have a slow cooker that can take up to 3.5qt and was wondering if its too small for this recipe? ps. I love the idea of mixing white and sweet potatoes together!
Hi Diana! Yes, the slow cooker is a bit small, so I’d advise you to half the recipe ;). Enjoy!
Hello! Would it be okay to cook on low for longer than 4 hours? I want to throw this in before work and then have it be done by the time I’m off. I work an 8 hour day though :S
Sure! 6-8 hours should work. Just make sure to cut your potatoes a bit larger so they don’t get all mushy!