Korean Roast Poussin Stuffed with Sticky Rice (a.k.a. Big Flavour, Small Bird)

Right. So I went to Bokman in Bristol, got emotionally attached to their Tongdak-gui (통닭구이) and haven't shut up about it since. Think 1970s Korea, where this rotisserie chicken dish was the main character—perfectly juicy chicken, jam-packed with sticky rice on the inside, and fit for a post-pub love story. This is my cheeky riff on it and is a proper feast: served with lettuce wraps (ssam), kimchi, sweet pickled turnips and all the bits for building your own filthy bite.

Also, anything in miniature form does something to me. Baby chickens? Cute. Aggressively edible. Tiny veg? Gimme. Tiny cooking videos? Brain crack. So yes, we’re using poussins, they're just fun-sized chickens with main dish energy.

Tongdak-Gui - Roasted Korean Poussin stuffed with sticky rice

Tongdak-Gui Korean Roast Poussin Stuffed with Sticky Rice

What You’ll Need:

For the Poussin Brine:

• 2x poussins

• 1L chicken stock (you can use a cube)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 lemon, quartered

• Pinch white pepper

• 2 big pinches of salt

• 2-second pour of soy sauce (Mississippi count, obviously)

To Roast:

• Drizzle of sesame oil

• 25g butter

• 1 heaped tbsp gochujang

Sweet Pickled Turnips:

• 2 turnips, peeled + chopped into 1–2cm cubes

• 200g sugar

• 200g white wine vinegar

• 150ml filtered water (it just tastes better)

• 1 tbsp salt

Sticky Rice Stuffing:

• 300g sushi rice

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• 25g butter

• 3 slices ginger

• 70ml kimchi juice

• ½ tsp white pepper

• 3 spring onions (greens only, sliced)

• 3 tbsp sweet pickled turnips (from above)

How to Make It:

1. Brine It Like You Mean It

Whack all your brine bits in a ziplock bag with the poussins. If you’re using a stock cube, dissolve it in hot water first. Into the fridge it goes—overnight minimum, 24 hours if you want the juiciest bird.

Then, dry the little birds off, stick them on a plate, and back in the fridge uncovered for another 12–24 hours. Trust—it’s how you get a really nice roast on them.

2. Pickle Party

Chop your turnips into cute cubes. Warm everything else in a pan until the sugar and salt dissolve. Cool it down, chuck in the turnips, whack it all in a jar. Ideally leave overnight, but even a few hours will do the trick.

3. Let’s Talk Rice (Don’t Mess This Up)

Wash your rice like it owes you money—rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear. Then soak it in fresh water for 30 mins.

Infuse your sesame oil, butter and ginger in a pan on med-low for 4 mins. Don’t burn it. Then crank up the heat, stir in the rice, white pepper and kimchi juice. Flatten it out, add boiling water to the first line on your finger (you know the trick), bring to a bubble, lid on, and cook for 7 mins 30 secs. (my sushi rice normal cook time was 10 mins) We want it slightly undercooked and bitey—it’s going in the bird.

Let it cool. Add some to a bowl and stir in spring onion greens and pickled turnips (decide how much of each you want running through). Taste it. Add salt if needed. You’re now a rice boss.

4. Roast Those Bad Boys

Let the poussins hit room temp while the oven preheats to 180°C. Stuff them with the rice mix.

Melt butter with sesame oil, then baste the birds all over like you mean it. Salt the skin. Roast for 15 mins.

Pull them out, slap on some gochujang (plus leftover butter if you’re feeling extra), and roast another 25 mins. Check if the juices run clear. If they do, you’re golden.

To Serve:

• Lettuce leaves (the ssam sitch)

• My peach + cucumber kimchi

• Ssamjang (that funky Korean meat dip made from doenjang + gochujang)

• Sesame oil + toasted sesame seeds + salt

• Sweet pickled turnips

• Leftover rice (duh)

How To Smash It:

Lettuce leaf → ssamjang smear → sesame oil mix drizzle → chicken, rice, pickles, kimchi → one big bite. Repeat. Chat. Guzzle beer. Repeat again.

Top Tips:

• This is a proper mates-round-the-table kind of dish. Cold drinks flowing, hands messy, stories flying. Scale it up for a party—or chuck in a couple of buttery, soy-seared steaks if you’re feeling fancy.

• If you scale this up my pickle and kimchi recipe make way more than a serving for 2 people, so just scale up the poussin brine + basting.

  
  

  Korean Roast Poussin Stuffed with Sticky Rice