In a small bowl, add the salt, black pepper and rice vinegar to the chicken and mix until all coated and set aside.
½ lb chicken thighs, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Heat a large pan or wok on low and add the chicken skin and fat. Continue cooking on low heat to render the fat. Flip and cook on all sides until crispy and golden brown. Remove the chicken skin and set aside.
Turn up the heat to medium. Add the black bean paste to the chicken fat and brown sugar and fry for 5 minutes, while stirring. Remove from oil once fragrant.
¼ cup black bean paste (chunjang) (75g), 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Add the chicken to the same pan and let cook for a few minutes, untouched. Once it develops colour, stir and cook for a few more minutes until all golden brown.
Add in the zucchini, daikon, onions and mushrooms, stir and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
½ medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 cup diced daikon, ⅓ cup chopped cremini mushrooms
Stir the fried black bean paste into the vegetables until all combined.
Add the chicken stock, stir and let simmer for around 10 minutes, covered.
1 cup chicken stock
Take off the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.
1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoon water
Boil noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse. Place in serving plate.
jjajangmyeon noodles
Add the jjajang sauce on top of the noodles. Top with the julienned cucumbers, pickled radish or any topping you like!
sliced cucumber
