Smoky Gochujang Korean BBQ Chicken

Korean BBQ Chicken is smothered in an easy to make and DELICIOUS gochujang BBQ sauce then grilled until charred and crispy. This recipe will be your new summer favorite!

If you love BBQ chicken recipes, try our Baked BBQ Chicken or our Grilled Chicken Wings. Both are delicious!

Hello, you sweet and smoky Korean BBQ chicken all covered in the best BBQ sauce ever. I know you're begging to be eaten! And who are we to not follow the orders of something that looks that good?

Gochujang: the magic ingredient. Have you guys heard of it? Tried it? Loved it? Think I'm making up a new word just for fun?

I promise you that this is a real thing and if you haven't tried it please promise me you will. It's sweet/spicy/smoky flavored Korean sauce that makes everything you put it in tastes amazing.

Reasons to make Korean BBQ Chicken:

• The Korean BBQ chicken marinade is seriously the best thing ever.
• Sweet/sticky/smoky/and a little bit spicy. Or a lot spicy if you go crazy and heap in the gochujang.
• Super easy to make.
• The best messy eat with your fingers chicken recipe.
• It's summer! And there is literally no reason to turn on your oven make your place even hotter. Fire up the barbecue instead!

READ MORE: Best BBQ Sauce for Chicken

Do you have a favorite BBQ chicken recipe? Summer for me is all about taking it easy so any barbecue chicken recipe needs to simple and quick to make. This gochujang chicken tops my list. It checks all the must have boxes:

• Super fast to make.
• Full of flavor.
• Makes few or no dishes.
• A healthy recipe my whole family will love.

I like to serve this Korean BBQ chicken with a simple side green salad. If your family loves rice (which is everyone but me in my family) then put on a pot of rice before you put the chicken on the grill. The extra gochujang BBQ sauce is delicious over the rice!

All the gochujang recipes:

Now that you have your jar of gochujang in hand, you're going to want to put it on everything. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

• Grilled Gochujang Pork Chope with Watermelon Mint Salad
• Gochujang Pulled Pork Korean Pizza with Kimchi Dipping Sauce
• Crockpot Korean Gochujang Pork
• Sweet Korean Paleo Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower Rice
• Skinny Bang Bang Cauliflower with Gochujang Sauce

Healthy Grilled Chicken Recipes

• Chimichurri Grilled Chicken
• Lemongrass Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Aioli
• Grilled Mustard Chicken with Creamy Walnut Sauce
• Margarita Chicken with Tequila and Agave
• The Best BBQ Sauce for Chicken

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4.91 stars (33 ratings)

Smoky Gochujang Barbecue Chicken Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

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Korean BBQ Chicken is smothered in an easy to make and DELICIOUS gochujang BBQ sauce then grilled until charred and crispy. This recipe will be your new summer favorite!

4 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon gochujang (Gluten-free, if needed. Homemade, if paleo)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ 8 chicken drumsticks or thighs
• ▢ Cilantro (to serve)

Instructions 

• Preheat your BBQ to medium heat. (use a BBQ mat to keep your grill clean)
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the tomato paste, gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of water to boil then set aside.
  2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon gochujang, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 cloves garlic
• Place the chicken on the grill, skin side up. Let it cook for 20 minutes, flipping over halfway.
  8 chicken drumsticks or thighs
• Baste the chicken generously with the gochujang BBQ sauce and cook for another 6 minutes, turning and basting again halfway.
• Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro over the top.
  Cilantro

Nutrition

Serving: 2 drumsticks with a generous amount of sauce, Calories: 270kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 8g (3%), Protein: 27g (54%), Fat: 14g (22%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 139mg (46%), Sodium: 222mg (10%), Potassium: 442mg (13%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 200IU (4%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 22mg (2%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.