Crispy chicken coated in a spicy, sweet, smoky sauce packed with gochujang flavor! This easy Korean-inspired gochujang chicken recipe is ready in just 30 minutes in one pan with simple ingredients. A better-than-takeout main perfect for busy weeknights or meal preparation.
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Gochujang chicken features crispy fried chicken tossed in a delicious, sweet and spicy sauce. This Korean chicken hits the spot, and I know many of you enjoy it too!
My recipe was inspired by Korean fried chicken, specifically Yangnyeom chicken, which is heavily battered, then deep-fried in oil, and coated with a similar sauce.
What makes my recipe different is that it skips the messy wet batter, uses a small amount of oil for shallow frying, so there is less waste, easier cleanup, and fewer calories!
I love serving this fried chicken with steamed white rice and vegetables to make it a complete meal!
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a sweet, spicy, and savory Korean red chili paste made of fermented gochugaru, glutinous rice, salt, and soybeans. It's thick, sticky and ranges from mild to very hot.
This paste is commonly used in Korean cuisine, to make popular dishes, like dak galbi to tteokbokki and it's available at the Korean market in a red tub. It also can last for months in the fridge, after opening.
I also share many ways on how to use gochujang - see the FAQ section below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Or substitute with chicken breast, adjusting the cooking time so it doesn't overcook.
- Onion: Or substitute with red onion or shallots.
- Cornstarch: Or substitute with potato starch. Avoid using tapioca starch or rice flour, or it can cause the chicken to stick together.
- Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke-point oil.
- Green Onions
- Sesame Seeds (optional)
Sauce
- Gochujang Paste: a fermented, sweet, spicy and savory Korean red chili paste available at the Korean market, ranging from mild to hot.
- Garlic Cloves
- White Granulated Sugar: Or substitute with cane sugar or honey.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Or substitute with low-sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari sauce.
- Sesame Seeds (optional)
- Sesame Oil: Or substitute with peanut oil if you're allergic to sesame.
- Cornstarch: Or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch.
- Water: Cold or room temperature.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online.
Expert Tips
- Do not pat dry the chicken thighs, as some moisture is needed for the cornstarch to adhere.
- Evenly dice the chicken, so it can fry consistently.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan if possible to maintain the oil temperature.
- Heat the oil to 325-350°F before frying - using a digital instant read cooking thermometer to check the temperature. If you don't own one, insert a wooden chopstick into the hot oil and look for rapid bubbles.
- Fry the coated chicken in small batches for a crispy texture! Avoid overcrowding the pan or it can cause uncooked soggy chicken.
- Avoid moving the chicken as it fries until you're ready to flip, so it can develop a golden crispy crust.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil, preventing soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make gochujang chicken:
- Cube the chicken: Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above. Mix well and set aside.
- Coat chicken in starch: Add the cornstarch to the bowl of diced chicken and toss until evenly coated.
- Fry coated chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat until it appears shimmery. Fry coated chicken in small batches until golden and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Thicken the sauce: Then cook onions until translucent, about 30-45 seconds. Pour in the sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Toss chicken in sauce: Reduce to medium heat, add the fried chicken, and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Gochujang chicken can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Gochujang chicken can be frozen for up to 2-3 months in a freezer-safe bag once cooled. To enjoy, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Gochujang chicken pairs well with:
- Steamed white rice, brown rice, or fried rice.
- Appetizers: Pajeon, Kimchijeon, Haemul Pajeon, or Kimchi Fries.
- Korean Side Dishes: Kimchi, Potato Salad, Korean Cucumber Salad, Beansprout Salad, Zucchini Fritters, Braised Tofu, Gamja Jorim, Korean Spinach, or Korean Corn Cheese.
- Noodle Dishes: Jajangmyeon, Ganjang Guksu (soy sauce noodles), Perilla Oil Noodles or Japchae.
- Rice Dishes: Spam Kimbap, Spicy Tuna Kimbap, or Kimchi Fried Rice.
FAQ
Gochujang chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
The fried chicken can be made in the air fryer: First evenly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil. Then place the coated chicken into the basket, in a single layer, giving each piece enough space. Evenly spray oil over the chicken. Air fry at 400°F for 10-14 minutes until cooked, golden, and crispy, without flipping.
Gochujang can be used in many ways, such as: mixed into sauces, meat marinades for Jeyuk Bokkeum, Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew), in noodles like Bibim Guksu, Korean rice cakes, Kimchi fried rice and more!
More like this
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Gochujang Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
- ½ small onion diced
- ⅓ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar / honey
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- 1 cup water cold or room temperature
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above. Mix well and set aside.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl of diced chicken and toss until evenly coated.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat until it appears shimmery. Fry coated chicken in small batches until golden and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Then cook onions until translucent, about 30-45 seconds. Pour in the sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Reduce to medium heat, add the fried chicken, and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
L B
I made this for dinner, it was really good. My wife and I both thought it needed a little boost. I added a heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves. It really set it off.
Thanks
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it with the extra boost!
Cassie
This was the first recipe with Gochujang that I tried and it is so delicious! Perfect balance of savoury, salty and sweet. I’ve made it with both chicken and tofu and both are great. Will definitely be adding this to my regular meal rotation!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Cassie! Glad you found it to have a perfect balance of all those falvors.
Rita
Tried this with the leftover random gotchujang paste in the fridge to get rid of it. Very pleasantly surprised. I didn’t measure anything so it was a tad sweet but it was my fault. Added shredded carrot, beetroot and a bunch of broccolini. On diet so didn’t fry the chicken. I marinaded in the sauce and then just added it to the pan. Served with garlic butter rice. Divine. Saved this recipe for next time. Thanks so much for getting me to try something I’ve never tasted with an ingredient I’ve never used.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and glad you found it divine with the additions!
Ciara
Hi! How many grams is the serving size?
Christie Lai
Hello! Roughly 151 grams of chicken per serving.
Larry Wilhite
I've never done something like this before, but was able to make this dish successfully. Good recipe! It took me longer than the time stated in the recipe, but that has more to do with my inexperience than anything else. : )
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Larry! Happy it worked out well for you.
KJ
I love this gochujang chicken so much!! And it’s gluten free even betterrr.
I’m finding it hard to get the sauce to thicken though. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not leaving it long enough to simmer? I’ve not made a sauce like this before so please help because it’s delicious!
Do I need to leave it for a specific time? I don’t add the onion to mine because my little brother doesn’t like it haha, could it be that?
Thank you! 🙂
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for the kind review! Glad you enjoyed it.
For your case, this could be due to the removal of onions which is causes for your sauce to not thicken as quickly. So I recommend to add another 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch into the sauce mixture. This will help to thicken it. Hope this helps!
Joanne
Absolutely the best recipe. I use the base sauce and as well as the chicken and onions, I also add diced carrots, peas, tender stem broccoli (or any other veg you can stir fry). It's my family's favourite recipe! I always have leftovers which they fight over the next day. Whoever gets there first wins🤣
Christie Lai
Haha! Omgosh I loved reading this! Thank YOU so much for making my recipe and sharing this kind review. So happy this is a family favorite. I hope you all continue to enjoy this recipe, Joanne!
Maryanna
Wow! This was a wonderful find! I used rice vinegar and added carrot spirals and sweet peppers to the onion mix. My family loves it!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for leaving such a positive review and glad your family loved it! I hope you consider leaving a 5-star review for it 🙂
Barry
Really delicious! All my family loved it.
Christie Lai
So thrilled to read this, Barry! Thank you for making my recipe!
Geoff Adair
Nice...added some bell pepper and a chili to the onion.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for the positive feedback and for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
Archemma
Absolutely delicious. Super quick and easy.
Found this recipe after discovering I had gochujang in my cupboard and no idea what to do with it.
I used cornflour instead of cornstarch. Red onion instead of white and didn’t have sesame oil so used truffle oil (randomly in my cupboard). I love peas so added some frozen ones when I added the onion. Served with savoury rice. 5*****
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing all your substitutes with us so others may find it helpful! So glad you enjoyed it!
R
Excellent! Easy to make and quick to prepare! Full of flavor and the whole family loved it ❤️
Christie Lai
Happy to hear that the whole family loved it, thank you for making it!
Sara
This recipe was so easy to make. I adjusted the quantities as I made a larger batch. I added a bit of rice vinegar to just give it that slightly tangy kick, and some peppers. Came out lovely.
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making it! Glad you enjoyed it!
Chris
Echo this suggestion about adding Rice Vinegar! Really gave an already great recipe a nice zing ☺️
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and appreciate the echo on the rice vinegar!