I found this recipe for Korean Beef Tacos on Pinterest sometime last year and it has been a favorite. I only ran into two problems with it 1) it is so juicy that it makes the tacos fall apart and 2) the beef cost more than I like to pay for meat on a weekday meal that isn't deemed special occasion.
I played around with it for awhile and decided I loved the warmth the spices from the meat give my mouth in combination with the super refreshing cucumbers. Yeah, I love some cucumbers. Finally I decided what better way to make this meal more affordable and less messy than by eating it out of a bowl, adding rice, and using chicken. Because let's face it, with all the seasoning you can't really tell what type of meat it is...except for maybe the texture and fat content.
This dish is great for summer or winter really. Plus it's made in a crockpot, which during the school year I nearly live by. The chicken mixture would also be really good with some soba noodles, however I couldn't find any at the store so I opted for brown rice.
Crock Pot Korean Chicken
Add the chicken to the crock pot. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the cooking liquid. Pour over the chicken.
Set the crock pot to low and cook about 8 hours. When ready to serve shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Skim the fat off the top of the liquid.
For the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber lengthwise using a veggie peeler to create ribbons. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Splenda, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss the cucumbers in the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, spoon chicken mixture over rice and top with cilantro, Siracha, and cucumber slaw.
Recipe adapted from Pink Parsley.
- 6 1/2 pounds chicken (skinless)
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
- 10 cloves garlic
- 2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cucumber (cut into ribbons with a veggie peeler)
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Splenda
- 2 pinches of salt
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- rice
- fresh cilantro
- extra Siracha
Add the chicken to the crock pot. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the cooking liquid. Pour over the chicken.
Set the crock pot to low and cook about 8 hours. When ready to serve shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Skim the fat off the top of the liquid.
For the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber lengthwise using a veggie peeler to create ribbons. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Splenda, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss the cucumbers in the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, spoon chicken mixture over rice and top with cilantro, Siracha, and cucumber slaw.
Recipe adapted from Pink Parsley.
