Kimchi Braised Chicken for Gut Health

 
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This recipe is absolutely delicious. Bursting with flavor, spices, and succulent chicken- it is perfect for dinner parties, date-night, making ahead for the week, and even freezing for later. It is so versatile and is a great catch-all for veggies laying around in the fridge. It can be served over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, grains, rice-noodles, just about anything. Plus, it is packed with Kimchi- one of the most powerfully healing fermented foods out there.

Healing Compounds

Benefits of Fermented Foods:

  • Contain properties we cannot get in any other foods

  • Repair cellular damage from chemicals in our food system + environment

  • Affordable way to get essential brain nutrition (no expensive supplements needed)

  • Enhanced mood and emotions

  • Healthy skin

  • Decreased sugar cravings and increased focus

  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes

  • Fights cancer growth

  • Lowers inflammation

  • Increased sleep quality

  • Healthier thyroid = better everything

Kimchi is made from fermented cabbage, onions, peppers, garlic, and chilis. It is bursting with bioactive compounds such as capsaicin, propionic acid, and the powerful anti-inflammatory Quercetin for the brain. New evidence shows Kimchi can reduce amyloid beta plaque- the buildup in the brain that leads to Alzheimer’s Disease, memory loss, and brain fog. It also reduces reactive oxygen species which cause damage to our cells and lead to cancer.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

  • 1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil

  • 1 3½–4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces; or 4 chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs separated, plus 2 skin-on, bone-in breasts, cut crosswise

  • Salt and Pepper

  • 8 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • 2 cups kimchi with juices, divided

  • 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter

  • 2 tablespoons sliced green onions for garnish

  • Any extra veggies you need to use up! Peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini all work great in this recipe

Directions

  • Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet and coat the bottom with a high-heat oil, I suggest avocado oil or coconut oil

  • Season chicken generously with salt + pepper. Cook, skin side down, until skin is very golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Transfer to plate, placing skin side up.

  • Add garlic and tomatoes to same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly browned and tomatoes have burst, about 5 minutes. Add wine, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by three-fourths.

  • Add half the kimchi and nestle the chicken, skin side up, into tomatoes (make sure chicken skin is above surface of liquid to keep it crispy). Bring to a simmer and cook, reducing heat if needed, until chicken is tender and cooked through, 45–60 minutes. (Throw in any extra veggies you’d like to add now).

  • Transfer chicken back to plate and bring braising liquid to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

  • Stir remaining kimchi into chicken braising liquid; season with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side up, in braising liquid. Sprinkle green onions on top

  • Serve chicken and tomato-kimchi sauce over rice, cauliflower rice. quinoa, or noodles

Francesca Barone