Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roast: a taste of Korea - Roast Chicken with Gochujang

"Over the coming weeks, I will share recipes that are a twist on the traditional Sunday roast - using ingredients from Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East."

A Korean twist on a Sunday-roast favourite

According to my social media feeds, roasts are the new brunch. I have seen hundreds of posts about carveries and Sunday roasts of late; it is now very clearly a trend. While I cannot say that I am a huge fan of the 80’s style carvery, I endured too many flaccid Yorkshire puddings and overcooked vegetables back in the eighties to be able to embrace that aspect of this latest trend, I do adore a good roast dinner. I love it in part for nostalgic reasons. 

Sunday lunch was always a special family meal when I was a child, a ritual that brought us all together every week. We used the best tableware and ate in the dining room rather than at the kitchen table. It was a lovely family ritual, but it was also always a delicious meal. So, while I am not generally one for trends, this is one I can get fully on board with.

Over the coming weeks, I will share recipes that are a twist on the traditional Sunday roast; recipes with traditional core ingredients such as chicken, beef, pork, and lamb, but with twists using ingredients from Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East. I will also share a recipe for a very tasty vegan roast, there will be something for everyone.

This week, to kick off the series, I am sharing a brand-new recipe for roast chicken with a Korean twist. As the recipe part-boned chicken breasts, it can be easily adapted to cook for just one or two people. If you are cooking for a family, it would be more economical to use a whole chicken and spatchcock or cut it into portions before roasting it.

Serve the chicken with some buttery mashed potato and crispy tender-stem broccoli. The broccoli is perfect with this dish. Just toss some tender stem broccoli in a little sesame oil, soy sauce and minced garlic and roast it in an air fryer or hot oven until the florets are lightly charred and crispy, but the stems are still a little crisp.

I roast the chicken in my air fryer as it cooks the chicken beautifully and is quicker than an oven. I give the method for both air fryer and oven below, so do not be put off if you do not have an air fryer.

Colm O'Gorman's Roast Chicken with Gochujang

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

I give the method for both air fryer and oven below, so do not be put off if you do not have an air fryer.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean

Ingredients

• 4 part boned chicken breasts

• 3 tbsp gochujang chilli paste

• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1-2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes

• Juice of half a lemon

• 40g pecan nuts

• 40g butter

• 30g dried cranberries

• 40g panko breadcrumbs

• Pinch flaky sea salt

• To Serve

• Buttery mashed potato

• Crispy tender stem broccoli

• Chopped spring onion

Method

1. Heat your oven or air fryer to 180 Celsius. Brush the skin of the chicken breasts with a little olive oil and pop them in to roast. While they are roasting, make the sauce for the chicken by combining the gochujang, tomato ketchup, maple syrup, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and the lemon juice in a small pan. Bring the sauce to a soft boil and then reduce to a simmer for three to four minutes.

2. If you are using an air fryer, take the chicken out of the fryer after then minutes and brush each piece over with some of the sauce. You just want to lightly coat the chicken; not smother it in sauce. If you use too much, the sauce will burn due to the sugars in the gochujang and maple syrup. A light brush of the sauce will add some lovely colour and flavour to the chicken, just lightly coat the chicken portions all over. Place the chicken back in the air fryer and cook until done. The air fryer method is quite fast, so you will only need another ten minutes to perfectly cook the chicken. Use a probe thermometer to check when you think it is ready. Just slid the probe into the thickest part of the breast and when it hits 74 degrees Celsius it is perfectly cooked. If you do not have a probe thermometer, slide a skewer into the breast of chicken and if the juices run clear, it is ready.

3. If you are roasting the chicken in an oven, give it twenty minutes before you remove it and brush on some of the sauce. Put it back in to roast some more, and check to see if it is done after another ten minutes. Give it a little longer if needed, but, at most, it should only need a total of thirty-five minutes in the oven.

4. While the chicken is roasting, roughly chop the pecans. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and roast the chopped pecans for a few minutes until, they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Next, add the butter and when it beings to foam, pop in the dried cranberries and the panko breadcrumbs. Stir until the breadcrumbs and toasted and golden, about two to three minutes will do it. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt, and taste. I usually add a splash of lemon juice at this stage to just to add some freshness and balance out the butter and the sweetness of the cranberries. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for now.

5. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the air fryer and rest it for a few minutes while you warm up the sauce. Place a dollop of creamy mash on the centre of each of four plates and place a piece of chicken on top. Spoon over just a little of the sauce, and then divide the crumb across the four plates, sprinkling it over the chicken and the mash. Garnish with a little chopped spring onion and serve immediately with the remaining sauce and crispy tender stem broccoli on the side.