Korean Chicken Thighs
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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 or cauliflower rice for a full meal. You will LOVE them!
We could honestly talk about how good these Korean chicken thighs are until we’re blue in the face! Actually, don’t take our 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.
- All aboard the flavor train: Between the slightly spicy, salty gochujang paste, the sweet honey, and the savory soy sauce and sesame oil, these Korean chicken thighs are a winning flavor combination. The spice from the fermented chili paste has a slight kick, but it’s truly a dish the whole family can enjoy!
- Easy & inexpensive: This recipe has 4 steps and only 10 minutes of prep time, making it a great weeknight option. Not to mention, chicken thighs are usually less expensive than chicken breasts, and many of the ingredients needed you likely have in your pantry or on the door of your fridge.
- Versatile: These chicken thighs can be served over rice or sliced and tossed on a salad for a lighter meal. If you’re following a paleo diet, you can easily make your own gochujang or use a paleo-friendly variety. This is a delicious paleo option served over cauliflower rice! If your household is gluten-free, you can order gluten-free gochujang to make these Korean chicken thighs.
Is this a traditional Korean chicken thigh recipe?
This chicken thigh recipe features Korean flavors. To achieve the flavors characteristic of Korean cuisine, we use gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. It’s a delicious combination.
A few ingredient notes
7 ingredients are all you need to make this sticky, spicy-sweet chicken dish:
- Honey: 3 tablespoons of honey adds enough sticky-sweetness to balance the salty and savory flavors in this dish.
- Gochujang: Add 3 tablespoons of gochujang (homemade, store-bought, paleo, or gluten-free varieties will work perfectly) to give your chicken a distinct spicy, funky, salty quality.
- Soy Sauce: Add a tablespoon of soy sauce, or coco aminos if you’re making paleo chicken thighs, or tamari if going gluten-free. This adds another layer of flavor and depth to the marinade.
- Sesame oil: Is there any better smell than sesame oil? Just a teaspoon will go a long way in adding a nutty and sweet component to the sauce.
- Ginger & garlic: Time to add a fresh zing to the chicken by incorporating 2 finely minced cloves of fresh garlic and a teaspoon of minced fresh ginger.
- Skinless chicken thighs: Chicken thighs are a great cut to use for this recipe as they stay tender and juicy as the sauce caramelizes in the oven.
- Optional garnishes: To finish off the dish, you can optionally toss some sesame seeds and sliced green onions over top.
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
- Avocado Cucumber Salad
Recipe FAQs
Can I use another cut of chicken other than chicken thighs?
You can definitely make this recipe using other cuts of chicken, like drumsticks or breasts. That said, since the thighs are a tender cut they will perform better in the oven as the gochujang sauce has time to caramelize and crisp up.
What can I use instead of gochujang?
You can use miso paste (made from fermented soybeans, so some of the flavors will be replicated) or sriracha, in a pinch!
How to store leftover Korean chicken thighs
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Can I freeze Korean gochujang chicken?
Absolutely! You can follow the recipe to step number 2 and then pop the chicken in the freezer. Thaw the chicken before baking when you’re ready to eat it.
Korean Chicken Thighs Recipe
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.
Korean paleo chicken thighs:
- To make this paleo-friendly, start by using paleo-friendly gochujang paste. Gochujang contains glutinous rice (and sometimes wheat) that ferments over time to enhance the paste’s sweetness, so you will want to find a paleo-specific chili paste for these Korean chicken thighs or consider making your own.
- Consider whether you want to serve your chicken as is or with a side. A perfect vehicle or accompaniment to your paleo chicken thighs is this cauliflower rice.
Gluten-free Korean chicken thighs:
- For the same reason, traditional gochujang isn’t an option for those who follow the paleo diet; the wheat in the paste means a gluten-free gochujang is what you’ll need instead.
- For a gluten-friendly marinade, replace the soy sauce with tamari.
- Consider serving your Korean chicken thighs with a salad, roasted broccoli, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato fries.
More chicken thigh recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our chicken recipes!
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.
Your link to the gluten-free gochujang is no longer active. Do you have another link for that?
Hi! Yes, we found this gluten-free gochujang as a replacement.
Have you tried freezing this chicken in the sauce and reheating it for an even quicker meal?
I haven’t but I suspect that it would work well!
Oh boy. The flavours were fantastic. I’m already plotting when I can make it again and we only just finished dinner. I did use a bit less honey because I ran out but the flavours were still fantastic although the sauce was probably a bit thinner.
Love this recipe. I make it a lot.
Yes, it’s for both. 🙂
All I could find in a pinch was go chu jang sauce. Can that be used in place of the paste or paste is better?
I haven’t tried the sauce but I suspect that it wouldn’t have quite as much flavor and will be a little thinner. It should work, but it might not coat the chicken quite as well. If it’s quite thin, you may want to try boiling it for a few minutes to thicken it up before using it. 🙂
go chu jang sauce is the sauce made of go chu jang, vinegar, sugar and some other ingredients. As I am Korean, in my opinion, you shouldn’t use go chu jang sauce as the substitute of go chu jang. I am quite sure the taste and flavor would turn out quite differently.
These are AMAZING! So glad I found this recipe. That sauce is magical. I Meade a double batch…I may just make an extra batch of the sauce and use it for a dipping sauce. Yum!
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!