After spending most of the beautiful Saturday out and about running errands (ultimately leading to three hours lost in the maze of Ikea), Alex and I returned home with freshly cut hair, eight new pieces of furniture, and absolutely no energy. While he set about putting together our new “dining room” table (it completely collapses and is the perfect size for our tiny apartment–what will those genius Swedes think of next!) I started working on dinner. We didn’t actually sit down to eat until 9:30, but it was worth the wait to have a disgustingly domestic corner nook for meals.

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp light oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp gochujang (or sriracha)
1 tbsp gochugaru (or red pepper flakes or chili powder)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp salt, divided
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups water
2 tsp lime zest (about 1 lime)
2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine light oil, sesame oil, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, light brown sugar, minced ginger, minced garlic, white pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Stir completely until a paste has formed and set aside.
On a large cutting board, lay out your chicken breasts. Spread a piece of plastic wrap over each (NOTE: if you don’t have plastic wrap, put each chicken breast in a Ziploc bag, but don’t seal the bags. You just need something sturdy but malleable to cover the raw chicken for a bit).
Using a meat tenderizing mallet, regular hammer (which I used), your fists, an empty wine bottle, the bottom of a Yankee candle, or anything else you can wield with force without breaking, pound the chicken breasts flat so that you have a larger, thinner piece of meat to work with.
Put your flattened chicken breasts in the bowl of marinade and flip several times until both are completely coated with the sauce. Cover and store in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight.
When you’re ready to cook or while your chicken is marinating, run the uncooked rice under cold water until the water runs clear. (NOTE: if you don’t have a mesh strainer, simply fill up a bowl with the rice in it, swirl it around, and pour the cloudy water out while holding the rice back with your hands; rinse and repeat).
In a small pot, add uncooked rice, water, lime zest, lime juice, and remaining 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes. When finished, remove from heat and set aside without removing the lid.
Heat grill, grill pan, or skillet on medium-high. Lay marinated chicken breasts flat and cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping in increments of 5 minutes. If desired, baste with the remaining marinade on the first two flips.
When completely cooked through, remove chicken and set aside. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into strips and serve with lime rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, soy sauce, and/or additional lime juice. Enjoy!

This recipe keeps great overnight and reheats well in the microwave.

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