If the title of this recipe seems confusing to you, I understand. In fact, I was just going to call these sticky Asian chicken thighs if not for the fact that’s a bit too vague. Instead I just pulled three punchy ingredients as adjectives. Gochujang, Soy Sauce, and Orange Marmalade are the primary ingredients in these sticky sweet spicy chicken thighs.
I’ve decided to pair these with some garlic mashed celeriac, also known as celery root. This is lighter and healthier than mashed potatoes, and really goes well with the sauce. If you can’t find a celeriac you should substitute with some white rice.
Making The Garlic Mashed Celeriac
It’s an ugly looking starch, but it’s one of my favorites. With half the carbs of potatoes, and a lighter, more delicate flavor, Celeriac has recently surged in popularity with haute cuisine. However it’s not really difficult to work with. Just peel the skin and dice into cubes. This method follows my basic how to cook celeriac guide, so you can make it perfect every time!
Place the cubes in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 15-20 minutes (or until fork tender depending on your size). They even cook a lot faster than potatoes.
Once the celeriac pieces have boiled until fork tender pour out the water and put a lid back on the pot. This will allow the pieces to steam a bit and become even more soft and creamy. This will also keep them hot while you prepare the chicken thighs, although you could be doing both at the same time.
After letting the celeriac steam for 10 minutes or so you can mash them just like you would potatoes. I like to add a tablespoon or two of butter, 5 cloves of roasted garlic (you can use my recipe or your own), and freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste. Just mash and mix and set aside until ready to serve.
Making The Gochujang Soy Marmalade Sticky Chicken Thighs
This recipe cooks just like many other chicken thigh recipes. The first step is to brown your thighs in a pan. You can use a little bit of oil if you like, but if your thighs are fatty then just cook them skin side up first so the rendered fat greases the pan.
Once the thighs are browned set them aside in a roasting dish while you prepare the sauce. Also preheat the oven to 190 Celsius while you’re at it.
In a pan with a bit of oil add in thinly sliced shallot. I use about two small shallots for this recipe, but if you have a large one you can use that. When the shallot begins to cook down add in a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of orange marmalade, and 1-2 tsp of Gochujang chili paste depending on your spice preference. Add a half cup of water and stir until everything comes up to a boil.
Pour the hot sauce over the chicken thighs in the roasting dish. Try to coat the surface of the chicken, but if you can’t it’s okay. We will be opening up the oven to spoon hot sauce over the meat as it cooks.
Into the oven it goes for 30 minutes. On the 10 minute mark and the 20 minute mark remove the dish and spoon the gochujang soy marmalade sauce over the chicken and pop back in the oven.
Making The Gochujang Soy Marmalade Glaze
To finish the dish all we have left is the sticky Asian style glaze. Since you need to move the chicken you might as well begin plating first. Set a base of mashed celeriac on a plate and add the chicken thighs on top. Then pour all the gochujang soy marmalade mixture into a pan and reduce by 50%. It will get dark and sticky so I recommend using a rubber spatula to move the liquid around.
Top with some shredded spring onion, serve, and enjoy!
Gochujang Soy Marmalade Sticky Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Pan
- Pot
- Roasting Dish
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 4 large Chicken Thighs bone in-skin on
- 1 tbsp Orange Marmalade
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Gochujang Korean hot chili paste
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 Shallot thinly sliced
- Salt to taste (soy sauce might be salty enough, so use salt sparingly)
Roasted Garlic Celeriac Mash
- 1 Celeriac peeled and cubed
- 5 cloves Roasted Garlic whole garlic bulb that has been roasted at 175 Celsius for 30-45 minutes with olive oil and salt.
- 3 tbsp Butter
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp Heavy Cream optional
Instructions
- Begin by setting a pot of boiling water and adding the cubed celeriac. This root vegetable takes about 15-20 minutes to boil so you can start it now.
- In a pan on medium high heat brown the chicken thighs on each side. About 3-4 minutes a side. Then remove and set aside in a roasting dish. Preheat your oven to 180-90 Celsius on convection.
- Into the same pan add a touch of neutral oil (or not, because some chicken thigh fat should have rendered) and add the shallot. Lower the heat to medium and let the shallot reduce a bit, then add the soy sauce, orange marmalade, and gochujang. Mix everything together and add the half cup of water.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the roasting dish and pop in the oven skin side up. Braise for 30 minutes, removing to spoon over the sauce every 10.
- While the chicken is roasting drain the celeriac. Let sit in the pot with the butter off the heat for 10 minutes, then open and mash. Add in the roasted garlic mash and mash more. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Plate the celeriac mash. Remove the chicken from the oven and place the thighs on top of the celeriac mash. Pour the remainder of the sauce into a pan and reduce by 50% on medium heat. Pour the glaze over the chicken and mash and serve. Enjoy!
