Spicy Chili Chicken (3 Star)

For Christmas, one of Brandon's sisters gave him a Korean cookbook. We've had fun trying recipes from it and this recipe is now one of our favorites. I doubled it and made some changes to suit our tastes, but the original recipe is from "Quick & Easy Korean Cooking" by Cecilia Hae-Jin-Lee. This is spicy, (but easily toned down to suit your spice-level) full of vegetables, and cooks up like a stir fry.



Spicy Chili Chicken
doubled and adapted from "Quick & Easy Korean Cooking" by Cecilia Hae-Jin-Lee

3 Tablespoons olive or grape seed oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch slices
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin strips about 2 inches long
1 large onion, cut in half, then cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 bunch green onion, cut into 1-inch lengths
3 Tablespoons Korean chili paste called Gochujang, which can be purchased at Asian markets (this is half of what the original recipe called for)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (this is a lot more than the original recipe called for)
1 Tablespoon sugar (this is more than the original recipe called for)

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. Add the chicken, sweet potato, and onion and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add one more tablespoon of oil (if necessary) to the pan and add the zucchini, cabbage, and garlic and stir-fry another 3 minutes, until tender-crisp. Add the green onion, chili paste, soy sauce, and sugar and cook stirring, until combined.

Serve immediately with hot rice.