This Weight Watchers Korean Braised Hen Is Wonderful

Korean Braised Hen, or dakjjim, is a comforting, flavorful stew that brings the magic of Korean delicacies to your kitchen. Tender rooster is simmered with healthful greens in a savory-sweet sauce with only a trace of spice. Sweetened with Splenda, this Weight Watchers-friendly dish delivers all of the daring flavors with out further factors.

Completely balanced with candy, salty, and spicy notes, dakjjim is hearty but gentle, making it a satisfying 1-Level meal for any event. Prepared in underneath an hour, it’s straightforward to arrange and filled with taste in each chew. Discover this and different Weight Watchers dinner recipes for extra scrumptious inspiration!

Why must you attempt Korean Braised Hen?

1. Easy Elements, Extraordinary Taste: At first look, Korean Braised Hen makes use of acquainted stew elements—rooster, potatoes, carrots, and onions—however the addition of mushrooms, ginger, scallions, and a contact of spice elevates it into one thing extraordinary. Mirin (a candy rice wine) provides sweet-tangy taste, however if you happen to don’t have it available, vinegar works in its place.
2. Wholesome and Weight Watchers-Pleasant: This model skips sugar and makes use of Splenda to maintain the sweetness with out the energy. It’s an ideal option to get pleasure from a comforting dish whereas staying conscious of your factors.
3. Good Stability of Candy, Savory, and Spicy: Korean delicacies is thought for combining these flavors superbly, and dakjjim isn’t any exception. The spice might be adjusted based mostly in your choice—go gentle or add a fiery kick with chili peppers.

Preparation Time: quarter-hour

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

Whole Time: 45-50 minutes

Servings: 4

Serving Dimension: About 1.5 cups (350 g)

1 WW Level Per Serving. You’ll be able to view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)

Elements

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless rooster breast, minimize into giant chunks
• 3 medium carrots, minimize into giant cubes (1 1/2 cup, 200 g)
• 1 medium potatoes, minimize into giant cubes (3/4 cups, 120 g)
• 1 giant onion, minimize into chunks (1.5 cups, 200 g)
• 2 inexperienced onions (scallions), chopped (half for cooking, half for garnish)
• 1 cup (150 g) mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, or button), halved
• 1-inch piece of ginger, grated (1 tablespoon, 15 g)
• 2 Korean chili peppers (optionally available), sliced for spice
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) mirin (candy rice wine)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil (vegetable or impartial)
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt, or to style
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
• 2 packets (2 g) Splenda (sugar substitute)

Directions

1.      Put together the Elements

• Start by reducing the rooster breasts into giant, even chunks. This ensures that they cook dinner evenly and stay tender through the slow-cooking course of.

• Chop the carrots and potatoes into thick cubes to stop them from turning into too tender. Slice the onion into giant chunks, and minimize the inexperienced onions into small items, separating half for the cooking and the opposite half for garnish.
• In the event you’re including Korean chili peppers, minimize them in half to launch the warmth into the stew.

2.      Make the Sauce

• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, grated ginger, Splenda, and sesame oil. Stir till the Splenda is absolutely dissolved. Style and modify seasoning if wanted—you possibly can add a pinch of salt or extra Splenda for sweetness.

3.      Assemble the Elements within the Sluggish Cooker

• Place the carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms on the backside of the sluggish cooker. Layer on high of the rooster chunks. Add half of the chopped inexperienced onions and the chili peppers if utilizing.

4.      Pour the Sauce

• Pour the sauce evenly over the rooster and greens within the sluggish cooker. Use a spatula or spoon to softly combine every little thing in order that the sauce coats the elements.

5.      Cook dinner the Dish

• Cowl the sluggish cooker with its lid. Cook dinner on Low for 4 hours or on Excessive for two.5 hours, relying in your time choice.
• Keep away from stirring through the cooking course of to permit the potatoes to naturally thicken the sauce.

6.      Last Touches

• As soon as the cooking time is full, verify the rooster and greens for tenderness. The rooster ought to shred simply with a fork, and the potatoes and carrots needs to be tender however not mushy.
• Stir gently to mix the sauce with the rooster and greens evenly.

7.      Serve

• Switch the Sluggish Cooker Korean Braised Hen to a serving dish. Sprinkle the remaining chopped inexperienced onions excessive for garnish.
• Serve heat as is, or pair it with steamed rice for a whole and hearty meal.

Variations and Substitutions

Korean Braised Hen is splendidly versatile, and there are a couple of well-known variations you possibly can attempt:

1. Andong Jjimdak: This model comes from town of Andong and is thought for its clear, spicy taste. As an alternative of utilizing Korean chili paste (gochujang) or chili flakes (gochugaru), it will get its warmth from dried purple chili peppers and recent scorching chilies. The result’s a dish that’s candy and completely spicy with out being overly wealthy.
2. Vegetable-Packed Dakjjim: For a nutrient increase, add extra greens to the dish. Asian greens like bok choy or kale work superbly. Bell peppers, zucchini, or daikon radish are additionally nice additions that complement the sauce.
3. Noodle-Topped Dakjjim: Some variations embrace delicate glass noodles or crispy fried angel hair noodles for further texture. Whereas I’ve chosen to skip these for the sake of factors, they could be a scrumptious addition if you happen to’re on the lookout for one thing particular.

Suggestions and Tips for making Korean Braised Hen

1. Sluggish Cooker Suggestions: In the event you’re utilizing a sluggish cooker, one of the crucial frequent questions is, “How a lot liquid ought to I add?” The reply: as little as attainable. The magic of sluggish cookers is that they extract moisture from the elements, so extra liquids aren’t at all times needed.
2. Adjusting Spice Ranges: In the event you love the stability of candy and spicy however need a milder model, go for Anaheim or poblano chilies as an alternative of hotter varieties. This retains the flavour intact with out an excessive amount of warmth.
3. Style Your Marinade: The important thing to excellent dakjjim is balancing the flavors of the sauce. Style it earlier than including salt—the soy sauce already gives loads of saltiness, so that you would possibly want lower than you assume.
4. Don’t Skip the Mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms (recent or dried) add a wealthy taste to the stew. In the event you can’t discover shiitake, use cremini or button mushrooms in its place.