Korean Chicken Thighs with Gochujang Glaze
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These delicious Korean chicken thighs are marinated in a sweet and smoky chili paste called gochujang and make an easy weeknight meal. Serve them with a side of rice for a full meal. You will LOVE them!
I could honestly talk about how good these Korean chicken thighs are until I’m blue in the face. But don’t take my word for it – here’s what one recipe tester had to say:
Hands down the best chicken recipe I can remember making. It brings the heat and sweet and made me think I was eating at a restaurant. This will be added to my normal dinner rotation.
~Jessie F.
These Korean chicken thighs are sticky, savory, sweet, and just a little spicy — basically everything I want from an easy weeknight chicken recipe. The sauce caramelizes in the oven and clings to the chicken beautifully, creating deeply flavorful edges while the thighs stay juicy and tender inside.
The flavor combination here is what makes this recipe so good. Gochujang brings warmth, depth, and a gentle fermented chili flavor, while honey balances it all with sweetness. Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger round things out with lots of savory flavor that makes it taste as if it took much longer to make than it actually did.
I also love how simple this recipe is. With just a handful of pantry-friendly ingredients and minimal prep, it’s the kind of dinner that’s easy enough for busy nights but flavorful enough to feel exciting. Finished with sesame seeds and green onions, it’s perfect served with rice and something fresh on the side.
Is this a traditional Korean chicken thigh recipe?
This chicken thigh recipe features Korean flavors, but it’s not a traditional recipe. To achieve the flavors characteristic of Korean cuisine, we use gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. It’s a delicious combination.
What to serve with Korean chicken
Let’s make it a whole meal! Alongside your Korean gochujang chicken, here’s some other tasty sides sure to please the entire table:
- Ginger Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Miso Tahini Butter
- Crispy Eggplant Fries
- Spicy Long Beans
- Asian Salad with sesame ginger dressing
How to store
How to store leftover Korean chicken thighs? Store any leftovers in a covered container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Can I freeze Korean gochujang chicken? Absolutely! You can follow the recipe up to step 2, then pop the chicken in the freezer. Thaw the chicken before baking when you’re ready to eat it.
Korean Chicken Thighs with Gochujang Glaze
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons gochujang – Korean chili paste (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use coco aminos for paleo)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Sesame seeds and sliced green onions (to serve)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized baking dish, mix the honey, gochujang, coco aminos, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons gochujang – Korean chili paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Add the chicken thighs and mix them around in the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 1-24 hours in your fridge.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken from your fridge and let it come to room temperature while your oven preheats. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Turn your oven to broil and broil the chicken for another 5-10 minutes, until the chicken starts to darken.
- OPTIONAL STEP: For a thicker sauce, pour the sauce from the baking dish into a small frying pan and boil it rapidly for 3-4 minutes, until it thickens. Baste the chicken with the thickened sauce and broil it for a few minutes, until it turns dark red.
- Serve the chicken with sesame seeds and sliced green onions on top.Sesame seeds and sliced green onions
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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For more inspiration, check out all of our chicken recipes!
Finally got around to trying this recipe and it is outstanding..When my small pack of gochujang is empty I will definitely try to make my own…which by the way ….not in the to far distant future.
Awesome! I actually had to buy a new jar of gochujang just yesterday. I’ve got a few more Korean-inspired recipes coming up this fall. 🙂
Trying the Spicy Kung Pao Chicken tonight and can’t wait to try some of the vegan recipes .Three carnavores and two vegetarians for Thanksgiving so all the recipes and shared bloggers going to make my planning a breeze.Thank you all
Gochujang contains a lot of corn syrup, rice syrup, fructose or glucose. Not sure if that fits into a Paleo diet or not.
Most commercial brands do contain some ingredients that are not paleo, although they differ by brand. If you can’t find a brand that fits your diet, I’ve linked to a homemade gochujang that is 100% paleo approved. 🙂
Would this work on a bbq? In a tinfoil pan maybe?
It’s way too hot for the oven these days, isn’t it?! I haven’t tried it on the BBQ yet, but it’s definitely worth a try.
I know it’s a little late, but I just found you! This recipe sounds freaking fantastic! Can I make this with bone-in chicken thighs? I already have them. Will I need to increase the cooking time?
Thanks, Cheryl 🙂
Thanks, Cheryl!
I would increase the cooking time by 5 minutes if you’re using bone-in thighs. If you have a meat thermometer use that to make sure the chicken is at 165 degrees. 🙂
I made them with the chicken thighs… OMG… they were delicious! My son loved them! But, they didn’t get sticky… the sauce remained liquidy. I may have used a little extra soy sauce by accident, and it got all bubbly while cooking. The skin crisped up nicely too. It was still delicious enough for him to say, “Mom, can I drink the rest of this?” But I still wonder why it didn’t thicken up and get sticky like you describe.. It was definitely a hit, and I will be making it again, but perhaps you can figure out what happened?
Thanks again! Cheryl 🙂
How strange that it didn’t thicken! Did the chicken fit quite tight in the pan you used? The smaller the pan the longer it would take for the marinade to reduce. Perhaps this is what happened?
So happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
I had the same thing happen almost to the letter. We did bone in chicken thighs (we had to double the cooking time for bone-in), and my husband was CRAZY about the sauce… As in licking MY plate clean. I must confess, I snuck into the kitchen after dinner was over and spooned some over the leftover cauliflower rice. It was that good!
My guess is that because the bone in thighs have the skin on, the extra fat keeps the sauce from thickening. There was a thick layer of oil on top when I pulled it out of the refrigerator this morning.
I personally don’t care, this is still one of the best low-guilt chicken dishes I have had. Thank you SO much for posting this recipe!
YES… I noticed all the fat too! I think you may be right. But, like you said, it was so delicious, I didn’t care. I think I’ll try it with boneless, skinless next time and see what happens. I want the stickiness!! Whew… I’m glad it wasn’t just me! 🙂
That’s it! I make these with boneless, skinless thighs but … I bet all that extra fat was extra delicious!
This recipe is so freakin good!!! Since finding it my husband asks for it weekly. Even my picky 6 year old that usually wouldn’t touch a piece of chicken loves it. Thank you so much for sharing!
That makes me so happy to hear!!!
Yum this looks so good! Instead of marinating the chicken could I put everything in the crock pot? If so how long do you think I should cook it and at what temp? Thx!
I haven’t made this in a crock pot before so I can’t say for sure. I’m sure you could use the recipe flavours as a guide and go from there. You will want to add some liquid or it might burn. I would try it on low for 4 hours and go from there. Happy experimenting!
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for your recipe. I love Korean food. Just a heads up though, most gochujang contains grain, usually wheat. Making a ‘porridge’ to add to gochujang, kimchi, etc. is a traditional way of making Korean ferments. It’s a delicious food but not Paleo due to the grain in it. Most gochujang also contains sugar that isn’t Paleo friendly in the ingredients. If you’re up for it, I’d love for you to let us know how to make a Paleo gochujang or if there’s a brand of it that would be best to purchase?
Thanks,
Maria
Hi Maria,
You’re right, most gochujang does contain wheat. I know that many people who eat paleo are ok with small amounts of non-paleo condiments in their diets … so many contain wheat and sugar!
If this is not something you’re comfortable with I’d suggest checking out the link I have in the notes under the recipe for homemade gochujang. You can sub the soy for coco aminos. It’s not my recipe, but it is a really good one. 🙂
Hello kristen,
Is the sauce similar to the of hotties lollipop wings, take me out restaurant?
I’ve never heard of the restaurant Hotties before, so I really can’t say. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
This recipe looks amazing! I’d like to try it with chicken drumsticks..do you think that the cooking time would change?
Drumsticks and thighs cook at a pretty similar time so you shouldn’t have to adjust the time at all. Hope you like the recipe as much as I do!
That was THE best chicken thigh recipe ever. I could eat that every night. Can’t wait to make it again. And, the cauliflower rice…OMG, delicious! Thank you
I’m so happy to hear you like it!! 🙂
Just made this & it was outstanding!
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe!
I want to make this right now…wish I had the ingredients …happy feasting!
I hope you’re able to get the ingredients soon!!
This is such a fantastic recipe, Kristen 🙂 I love dark meat chicken with any kind of Asian sauce to begin with, I am pretty sure this recipe will hit a home run at my house. Love it so much. 🙂
Thank you so much! I totally agree, dark chicken meat is always so much tastier. 🙂
I am totally obsessed with anything sweet and salty and the soy sauce and honey combo is one of my favorites! It’s only 9 in the morning in California and I’m already craving this for lunch 😉
I totally agree! Sweet and salty is always the best!!
This chicken looks sticky and incredible! It has such great color. Pinning.
Thank you for the pin, Thao!
Dam girl! You just made me really really hungry! Thanks… I’m going to have to go my myself some gochujang and chicken thighs!
You totally should! It’s crazy how obsessed I’ve become with it!!