Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken. Crispy chicken bites smothered in a glossy spicy sweet sauce with a gochujang base. The perfect main to steamed rice and leafy greens. This is a winner-winner chicken dinner or lunch! Also great for meal prep too! Ready in just 30 minutes.
This spicy gochujang sauce chicken is so amazing and addictive that you may need to make double the portion if you have a family of 4 or more because it’ll be gone in seconds. It is spicy but you can reduce the spiciness to mild by cutting the gochujang amount in half. If you have kids that aren’t used to spice, I would only suggest adding about ½ tablespoon of the gochujang.
If you really can’t handle spicy at all, this recipe is not for you and I would actually recommend my Mongolian chicken which is very similar in texture and is sweet as well. It’s my most popular chicken recipe on the blog!
Easy sweet and spicy gochujang chicken
My sweet and spicy gochujang chicken is super easy to make! There is also no deep frying involved either. You are simply coating the chicken in cornstarch, shallow frying it until crispy and golden.
Then removing it from the pan and frying your onions with the sauce ingredients until thick and reduced. Finally adding back in your chicken ensuring each piece is coated in the gochujang stir fry sauce and that’s it!
Super simple and ready in just 30 minutes.
Tips
- Use chicken thighs for a delicious juicy tender dish. I would not recommend using chicken breast unless you only opt to cook the chicken until cooked in the center and no more. If you cook the breast until golden crispy, it’ll dry out the meat.
- For that crispy chicken thigh texture, fry the chicken thigh bites until crispy brown. Because you’re using chicken thighs, it's a very forgiving cut of meat so it will remain tender and juicy unlike chicken breast. This will give you that crispier texture when it’s coated in the sauce.
- Fry the onions until aromatic to really bring out that flavour before adding in your sauce ingredients.
- Cook the sauce on high to reduce the sauce by about half so it’s thick and it sticks to the chicken. If you prefer a runnier sauce, cook it less until your desired thickness.
- After you have mixed the chicken in the spicy gochujang chicken stir fry sauce, remove from heat immediately to prevent overcooking the chicken.
FAQ
Is gochujang chicken spicy?
Yes, gochujang chicken is spicy thanks to the gochujang paste however if you’d like to tone it down, use ½ - 1 tablespoon of the paste.
Where can I purchase gochujang?
Gochujang can be purchased at any Korean or Asian grocer in the sauce aisle. It comes in a variety of spice levels from mild to hot. I usually opt for mild.
Which cut of chicken should I use for this spicy gochujang chicken stir fry recipe?
I would recommend using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
Other Chicken recipes you may like!
- CHINESE FIVE SPICE HONEY CHICKEN
- OYSTER SAUCE BRAISED CHICKEN WINGS
- HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
- SESAME CHICKEN
- KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
- CHICKEN ADOBO
- SOY HOISIN CHICKEN THIGHS
- TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN
- SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my gochujang chicken thighs:
- 6 chicken thighs, diced (skinless boneless)
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup avocado oil
Sauce:
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang
- ¾ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
Cornstarch slurry:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup water
Optional garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 stalk green onion, sliced
How to make Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken
- In a small bowl, whisk together your cornstarch slurry ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add your diced chicken thighs followed by cornstarch and mix until each piece is coated in cornstarch. Tip: Ensure your chicken thighs are a bit wet or moist so the cornstarch can stick. If they’re dry for any reason, rinse the thighs under cold water and strain before dicing.
- Then in a large pan or wok set over medium high heat, add your avocado oil. Once the oil is hot and glistening, carefully lower your coated chicken and fry until golden, crispy brown. About 10 minutes depending on how high your heat is. You may need to adjust your heat.
- Remove the fried chicken and transfer to a plate. Increase the heat to high. With the residual oil in the pan, add onion and fry for 1 minutes until aromatic.
- Next add your remaining sauce ingredients, leaving the soy sauce last to add. Mix well breaking apart the gochujang. Finally add the cornstarch slurry and mix. Reduce and simmer the sauce until thick and glossy.
- Finally add your fried chicken back in and cover in the sauce. Once all the chicken is covered in the sauce, remove and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions (optional). Enjoy!
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my spicy Korean chicken thighs in gochujang sauce, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
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Made this recipe and loved it?
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Take care,
Christie
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Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken (30-min. Recipe)
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs diced (skinless boneless)
- ½ red onion chopped
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup avocado oil
Sauce:
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang
- ¾ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce not light or dark!
Cornstarch slurry:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup water
Optional garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 stalk green onion sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together your cornstarch slurry ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add your diced chicken thighs followed by cornstarch and mix until each piece is coated in cornstarch. Tip: Ensure your chicken thighs are a bit wet or moist so the cornstarch can stick. If they’re dry for any reason, rinse the thighs under cold water and strain before dicing.
- Then in a large pan or wok set over medium high heat, add your avocado oil. Once the oil is hot and glistening, carefully lower your coated chicken and fry until golden, crispy brown. About 10 minutes depending on how high your heat is. You may need to adjust your heat.
- Remove the fried chicken and transfer to a plate. Increase the heat to high. With the residual oil in the pan, add onion and fry for 1 minutes until aromatic.
- Next add your remaining sauce ingredients, leaving the soy sauce last to add. Mix well breaking apart the gochujang. Finally add the cornstarch slurry and mix. Reduce and simmer the sauce until thick and glossy.
- Finally add your fried chicken back in and cover in the sauce. Once all the chicken is covered in the sauce, remove and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions (optional). Enjoy!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
I love the sweet and spicy in this dish. The chicken is just perfectly crisp too, definitely a winner at my house!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I always love your homemade sauces and that was a great tip for using chicken thighs... bring on the flavor!
Charmaine
Made this recently with a few changes (substituted gochuchang for another chinese spicy paste) and it was delicious. Thank you!! 🙂
christieathome
I am so glad you enjoyed it Charmaine! Thanks for making my recipe!
mavee125
I love the sweetness and spiciness of this Gochujang chicken recipe! It is so good, so delicious, and very flavorful! My new fave dish! Glad Karman Foods has got the gochujang paste that I really want. It was the best dish! Will surely make another one for the weekend.
christieathome
I am truly so happy to read this wonderful comment! Thank you so much for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it 🙂
WWhite
Looks like a great recipe. If I use chicken breasts, which aren't as flavorful as thighs, are there any changes you would recommend in the ingredient amounts?
christieathome
Thank you so much! I've had a few people sub with chicken breast and it worked out well for them. I would only advise not to fry the meat for too long since breast dries out faster than thigh. Hope this helps! - Christie
Christine Johnston
Made this a couple of times now....just gorgeous!! I had some pomegranate seeds leftover and added them to our brown rice...I added store bought kimchi to the meal. Also added teaspoon of chipotle dried flakes.. . Fabulous meal.......my guess is it cost about no more than around £3.00 per portion😍
christieathome
Amazing! I love the addition of pomegranate seeds to your brown rice! What an incredible sounding feast! Thank you for making my recipe and sharing these kind words with me! 🙂
Erin
I finally found gochujang at a local grocery here in northern Alberta after searching for it for another recipe. I had lots leftover and was glad to find this recipe, too! It was delicious and presented beautifully. We served over rice with thin-sliced carrots and peppers. Was a hit with everyone!
christieathome
Thank you so much for these kind words and for making my recipe, Erin! I'm so glad you enjoyed the dish 🙂 Have a lovely day!
K Beitel
Easy and super delicious, will definitely be making this again. I used chicken breasts and added a chopped carrot. I stir-fried the carrot in the wok as a first step before the chicken, transferred it to a plate, then added it back I transferred fried chicken to the sauce. Thank you for this recipe!
christieathome
So thrilled to read this! Thank you so much for making my recipe and really happy you enjoyed it with chicken breast and carrots 🙂
Sharon H
I tried this for lunch today, knowing I would have great leftovers! I'm going to take some to my daughter and share it with her for lunch tomorrow. I like spicy with a little heat, but not burning hot so I was cautious when adding the Gochujang. I started with 1/2 tbsp and tasted it after it was all mixed together in the skillet. I added about another scant tsp, and it's pleasantly spicy but not hot. I will make this again and keep increasing the Gochujang until I know I can still handle it! LOL I put mine over brown rice but I don't have any green onions. I will get some though!
christieathome
Awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed my recipe! It's always great to start with a little spice to see if it's tolerable and work your way up. Thanks for making my recipe!
Emily
Delish. All of these recipes are so easy to follow and turn out how you expect! Thank you for giving us such a great resource for asian dishes
christieathome
I am so happy to read this Emily, thank you for leaving such a kind review! Have a wonderful day!
Alex D.
Thanks so much for this recipe. It was easy and delicious, as promised! My picky 14 year old devoured it.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Alex! Very happy to read this comment and glad your child enjoyed it!
W
SOOO good and simple! I thought it was lacking something, so I sprinkled on a little ground ginger. Wonderful. I'm making it again tomorrow but loading it with veggies.
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, W 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it with some grounded ginger.
Valerie
Perfection! The chicken was tender, the sauce wasn’t extremely spicy, but the flavor was amazing!
christieathome
This is music to my ears, Valerie! Thank you so much for making my recipe! I am really glad it turned out well and the flavor was amazing!