Slow Cooker Korean Chicken & Kimchee Bowls

Close up of slow cooker korean chicken thighs with kimchee, sesame pak choi and rice in a blue bowl.

I adore Korean and Korean-inspired food like these Slow Cooker Korean Chicken & Kimchee Bowls. Whilst my Super Saucy Korean Steak, Pepper & Broccoli Stir Fry and my Korean Prawn Rice Bowls with Sesame Pak Choi are both super speedy weeknight recipes I like to throw together at the last minute (no, seriously, I make the steak one at least a couple of evenings a month!) if I have a bit more time I like to use the slow cooker to make these super tender, slightly spicy, Korean-inspired chicken thighs, delicious served with a mountain of fluffy and aromatic Jasmine rice, some of my sesame pak choi and lots of delicious kimchee.

Living in Los Angeles with easy access to their amazing Koreatown and all the brilliant food there Korean flavours have become one of my favourite things to incorporate into recipes since returning home to England. I’ve always got a jar of kimchee in the fridge, a tub of gochujang and toasted sesame oil is one of my favourite Asian ingredients for finishing dishes.

I’ve adapted the recipe for these chicken thighs from Williams-Sonoma’s brilliant The Slow Cooker Cookbook (ad) which really helped get me started learning how to develop my own slow cooker recipes.

Can I customise these Slow Cooker Korean Chicken Bowls?

Of course, any Korean or Asian-style toppings or add-ins would be delicious! If you want to go the extra mile some of my Korean Cucumber Salad would be delicious here, some Japanese Dressed Leaves, or some of my Kimchee Sauce I usually serve with barbecued steak.

Is this slow cooker Korean chicken spicy!

Yes, but it will depend on the brand of gochujang you use, because that is where the heat is coming from. I’ve written an essay on why gochujang is one of my favourite ingredients here.

Slightly spicy slow cooker korean chicken thighs with kimchee and sesame pak choi in a rice bowl.
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Close up of slow cooker korean chicken thighs with kimchee, sesame pak choi and rice in a blue bowl.

Slow Cooker Korean Chicken & Kimchee Bowls

  • Author: Rachel Phipps
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2-4 hours
  • Total Time: 2-4 hours
  • Yield: Serves 2-3 1x
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: Korean

Description

This delicious Korean-style slow cooker chicken is perfect served with a mountain of fluffy and aromatic Jasmine rice, sesame pak choi and lots of kimchee.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Korean Slow Cooker Chicken

  • 46 skinless boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp gouchjang 
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp mirin
  • 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 large banana shallot
  • 1 large garlic clove 

For the Rice Bowls

  • 140g (5 oz) jasmine rice
  • large handful kimchee
  • 2 large spring onions
  • 1 x quantity sesame pak choi

Instructions

  1. To make the chicken, blitz together the shallot and garlic, peeled and roughly chopped, the brown sugar, sesame oil, orange juice, mirin, gochujang and soy sauce in a high powered blender or mini chopper to create a smooth paste. Combine with the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on high, or 4 hours on low until the chicken is tender.
  2. Cook the Jasmine rice for 12-15 minutes in a pan of boiling water over a high heat. Meanwhile, blanch the pak choi for the sesame pak choi and thinly slice the spring onions.
  3. To assemble the bowls, divide the chicken and some of the cooking liquid over the jasmine rice, and serve the sesame pak choi and a generous amount of kimchee alongside. Sprinkle the spring onion – topped, tailed and thinly sliced – over the chicken and serve immediately. 

Notes

In the recipe I’ve linked to above for my sesame pak choi I’ve used black sesame seeds. If you prefer and for extra flavour – as I have done here – substitute furikake instead.

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