Gochujang & Honey Chicken Sandwich

This one goes out to all the sport’s fans out there who will never miss “The Big Game”. After all these years, I needed to do something to say thank you. Because it is you, you loyal sportsman/sportswomen, who stay home at least one Sunday a year……….. and let us have the ski slopes allllll to ourselves! :P

Okay, okay silliness aside, while I am not a fan of football or tv sports, I am a fan of damn good comfort food. There’s something about the big game that makes all of those foods come together at once, so why not celebrate that too? And while we all know these are not the healthiest dishes, aren’t they are some of the most fun? I love to see how creative people get for this day so I am adding one of mine to the football pot:

It’s a slightly spicy, slightly sweet and delightfully tangy dish that I hope you will enjoy in front of the tv, or after a day on the slopes: Gochujang & Honey Chicken Sandwich.

To start, the chicken is breaded with not one but two key players, but together they are a game changer: Crushed Cornflakes and Panko. After being oven fried until super crispy, the chicken is coated in the gochujang/honey-based sauce, layered over a multi-grain brioche bun and topped with kimchi, butter lettuce and sriracha mayo for a Korean-inspired take on a classic chicken sandwich :)

Make ahead note: Marinade the chicken at least 2 hours in advance, or overnight. It will help the thighs become juicier. The Sriracha mayo and gochujang sauces can be prepared at least a day in advance and stored in the fridge. Store buy your brioche buns and kimchi for extra time saving!

Ingredients

Serves 4

Crispy Chicken

4 boneless chicken thighs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup cornflakes (lightly sweetened or sweetened with honey is best)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg

Gochujang Sauce

3 tbsp gochujang paste ( I used Mother In Laws Gochujang Paste)

3 tbsp honey

1 tbsp shoyu (or soy sauce is fine)

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

Sriracha Mayo

1/4 cup good quality mayo (I like Sir Kensington)

1 tbsp sriracha

Additional items:

Meat thermometer

Method

1. Marinade the chicken thighs in buttermilk for at lease 2 hours to overnight. Bring to room temperature when ready to use.

2. Prepare the gochuang honey sauce by whisking all the ingredients together until it gets to a drizzly consistency. Set aside. Prepare the sriracha mayo by well mixing the 2 ingredients together. Store in fridge until ready to use.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

4. Make your assembly line: Crush or chop the cornflakes in a food processor. Mix the crushed cornflakes and panko bread crumbs and set aside on a plate or shallow/wide bowl. In a second bowl or plate, mix the flour and spices and set aside. Lastly whisk one egg in a bowl and set aside.

5. Start by letting as much buttermilk drip off the chicken then coat the chicken thigh in the flour mixture (it should just be a light dusting). Next, dipping the chicken in the egg (again a light coating is fine). Next press the egg-coated chicken in panko/cornflake mixture until it is covered. Set aside and repeat with remaining chicken.

6. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, making sure to oil the bottom side so it does not stick. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the meat thermometer says its done. The timing will depend on the thickness of your chicken thighs and your oven.

7. Drizzle the gochujang/honey sauce on both sides (or leave on the side to dip into!) and set aside on the parchment paper.

8. Now you are ready to assemble: Layer the chicken on the bun then follow with 1-2 tbsp of kimchi, 1-2 slices of butter lettuce. Spread some sriracha mayo on the underside of the top bun and DONE!