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!
would I be able to cook this in the airfryer ? Would you recommend cooking mostly all the way in the oven then putting in air fryer for a few mins to let it crisp up?
thanks! can’t wait to try the recipe!
You could definitely try that. Let us know if the air fryer version works for you!
Confused…it says bake @ 425° then broil at 425°?
Sorry for the confusion! It’s just changing where the heat is coming from. When baking, the heat comes from the bottom. When broiling, it comes from the top and is what you want to get the darker caramelized bits on top of the chicken. If you can’t control the temperature your oven broils, just keep a super close eye on the chicken when you broil it.
After the chicken was in the marinade our oven broke. I used boneless skin-on thighs and did them in the Sous vide 167/2, marinade and all. Then ice bath 30 minutes, thickened the juices from the bag and OH MY!!!! Absolutely delicious!
Love this recipe and make it on a regular basis. Never fails and very easy to make.
Fantastic recipe. Made this tonight; the marinade/sauce is a perfect balance. Will save it and make it again. Thanks!
Would I be able to make this in a crock pot?
I suspect that you could. The sauce might be a bit thin but you could always thicken it by simmering it on the stovetop to reduce it.
OK so far so good… I’ve got the chicken in the marinade in the fridge. But now I’m wondering… How about grilling us on the barbecue? I mean would that make it even more unbelievably delicious?
Love BBQ! Just keep an eye on the temp to make sure the sugars in the sauce don’t burn before the chicken fully cooks. 🙂
Awesome! I’ve been making this for many months now and it is easily a once a week meal, even my son asks for it. Sweet, savory and comforting like a warm down comforter. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re so very welcome!
Fantastic, easy and super tasty
Thank you for letting us know you loved the recipe!
Yikes… I followed the recipe and marinaded the thighs for 5 hours. I then prepared the chicken per the recipe. OMG, this was excellent. I hate to admit it but after eating all of the chicken served over rice, I licked the parchment paper clean.
I added this to my “Keepers” board and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Haha I love it! You just made my day!
I just made this again and it is sooo good. This time I topped off with fresh basil before baking it and served it over rice vermicelli.
This recipe looks so YUMMY! Just wondering what adjustments I would have to make if I used chicken wings?
I haven’t tried it with wings but it should work just fine.
This is one of our go to weeknight meals! Thanks for the recipe – we love it, both toddlers and adults!
So happy to hear that your family loves this recipe!
Is this recipe spicy? I want to try it but I have GERD and I’m not allowed to eat spicy food.
No, I don’t find it really spicy. The spice is mellowed a lot by the sweetness. You can always reduce the amount of gochujang if you’re worried about it. 🙂
I forwarded this recipe to everyone I know?
I love it! Thank you!
Wow I just made these for my family and they loved them! Came out so tender and flavorful. I used bone in chicken thighs and took the skin off before marinating.
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!
I’ve made this MANY time with chicken thighs and it’s so delicious!! What would be the changes if I wanted to use chicken breast instead?
You’ll want to be careful to not overcook the chicken breasts. I would recommend preparing the recipe as is but only cooking the chicken for 20 minutes. The sauce will probably not be very thick. If it’s thin, pour it into a pan and reduce it over high heat until it is thicker then pour it back over the chicken breasts. I hope that helps!