Korean Grilled Chicken & Jackfruit Salad with Gochujiang Dressing

- Serves 2

This salad is the result of my love for all things gochujiang and Korean chicken. I used this marinade in a lot of different meat and vegetarian recipes but my favorite way to use it is in salad dressing. I love a ton of garlic and ginger in my dressing, but feel free to reduce the quantity if it’s too overpowering for your palate. I have used sweet, aromatic jackfruit pods here which are easily available in most supermarkets these days. The beautiful fruit go perfectly with hot chicken and the spicy, tangy dressing; you may use any sweet fruit of your choice if you can’t find jackfruit. Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients for Korean grilled chicken and jackfruit salad with Gochujiang dressing

For marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Korean chili paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
3 grinds black pepper, or to taste
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 large spring onions or scallions, finely chopped

For Salad:
2 medium chicken breasts or thighs
2 tablespoon olive oil, for dressing plus more for brushing on the pan
100g mixed leafy greens
6-8 pods ripe sweet jackfruit, deseeded and sliced into 1cm wide strips
1 tablespoon toasted black and white sesame
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Recipe

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, vinegar, gochujiang, ginger, sesame oil, sesame seeds, black pepper, salt, garlic and spring onions.
Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour in half the marinade, close bag and lightly bash chicken with a rolling pin or mallet to flatten it a bit (this will help tenderize the chicken). Save the rest of the marinade for dressing.
Cover and place chicken in the fridge for at least 4 hours and better yet, overnight, to let the flavors infuse. Let the chicken come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
To cook, bring a grill or griddle pan or cast-iron pan to medium-high heat. Brush lightly with olive oil.
Shake the excess marinade off the chicken and place on the grill. Cook until cooked through, flipping once, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Let rest in a warm place before slicing.
Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil and the other half of the marinade in a small bottle with a tight lid. Cover and shake well until dressing emulsifies and comes together.
To make salad: place leafy greens, jackfruit and sliced chicken in a large platter. Drizzle a few tablespoons of salad dressing all over, toss to coat well. Garnish with toasted sesame and walnuts. Serve immediately.