Crispy chicken coated in a spicy, sweet, smoky sauce packed with gochujang flavor! This easy spicy gochujang chicken recipe is ready in 30-minutes with simple ingredients! Delicious as a main dish with rice and veggies or for meal prep on busy weeknights.
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This quick chicken stir-fry recipe is inspired by my love for Korean fried chicken but my version is shallow-fried and less labor intensive (woo hoo!) so you're going to love it!
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a delicious Korean red chili paste that tastes spicy, smoky, sweet and savory. The texture of this paste is thick and sticky. It also has different spice levels ranging from mild to very hot, so pick wisely!
What is gochujang sauce made of?
Gochujang is a red paste made of Korean chili flakes, sticky rice (or glutinous rice), salt and soybeans that have been through a fermentation process.
Where do I find gochujang?
Korean grocery stores will carry gochujang paste in the sauce aisle and it comes in a red rectangle tub, with the spice level indicated. Once you open the package, store it in the fridge and it'll last several months or before expiry.
Ingredient & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: I prefer using skinless boneless chicken thighs for that tender dark meat and to make the preparation process easier. But feel free to substitute with chicken breast for a leaner alternative. If you do, please reduce the cooking time.
- Onion or red onion
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch to make our chicken crispy and golden. Avoid using rice flour or tapioca starch as these will make the chicken stick together in the pan.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
- Green onion or spring onions: optional but recommended for color and flavor
- Toasted sesame seeds: optional so feel free to omit if you're allergic
Gochujang Stir-Fry Sauce
- Garlic cloves
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with honey, maple syrup or brown sugar. The sugar is necessary for that sweet flavor.
- Gochujang paste: a Korean red chili paste that offers a spicy, sweet and smoky flavor. The Korean market will carry this ingredient.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Toasted sesame seeds: omit if allergic as this is optional
- Toasted sesame oil: to add a nutty flavor. If you're allergic, omit altogether.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch. This helps thicken the sauce.
- Room temperature water
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
Follow these helpful tips for success:
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time as the cooking process is fast.
- Do not pat dry the chicken! You need some moisture on the chicken so the starch can adhere to it.
- Evenly dice the chicken so they fry consistently.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan if possible as this maintains the oil temperature.
- Make sure oil is hot enough before frying, around 325-350 degrees F. To check if oil is hot, use a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles. If you see bubbles, the oil is hot.
- Fry in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan because this reduces the oil temperature leading to less crispy chicken or possibly undercooked chicken.
- Spread chicken apart after tossing into pan. This allows for each piece to develop a crust.
- Avoid stir frying the chicken. This prevents it from getting crispy.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil which leads to soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make this gochujang chicken:
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces. Place chicken in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- Into your large bowl of diced chicken, add cornstarch. Toss until chicken is evenly coated in starch.
- In a large pan on medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Fry coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove and transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- On medium-high heat, fry onions until translucent, about 30-45 seconds.
- Pour in sauce to simmer to thicken.
- Once the sauce has thickened, reduce to medium heat. Toss in fried chicken to coat evenly. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Gochujang chicken can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Gochujang chicken serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans, stir fried snow pea leaves, or zucchini, mushrooms, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or bell peppers.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Gochujang Chicken, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes! To air fry, follow these instructions:
Line the air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper or lightly spray the basket with neutral oil.
Place coated chicken in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Do not overlap. You may need to air fry in small batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Lightly spray the coated chicken with neutral oil.
Air fry at 400 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
There are different ways to use this versatile red chili paste in Korean cooking as it's key ingredient in Korean cuisine. You can use it in spicy sauces, in Korean BBQ to marinate meats like in Dak Galbi or Jeyuk Bokkeum, Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew), noodles like Bibim Guksu, Korean rice cakes or tteokbokki, Kimchi Fried Rice and more!
Other recipes you may enjoy
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Gochujang Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or skinless boneless chicken breast
- ½ onion diced
- ⅓ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 green onion finely chopped (optional garnish)
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds toasted (optional garnish)
Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar or sub with honey or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Gochujang
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil toasted
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 cup water cold or room temperature
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces. Place chicken in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- Into your large bowl of diced chicken, add cornstarch. Toss until chicken is evenly coated in starch.
- In a large pan on medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Fry coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove and transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- On medium-high heat, fry onions until translucent, about 30-45 seconds.
- Pour in sauce to simmer to thicken.
- Once the sauce has thickened, reduce to medium heat. Toss in fried chicken to coat evenly. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Jane France
My first encounter with Gochujang and probably the best recipe I’ve ever made! SO tasty it really should be harder to make. I trawled loads of recipes before deciding this was the one to go for and I couldn’t be more delighted. Thanks Christie. x
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making it and for the kind review! Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
tony
This was great! Could i replace the water with coconut milk?
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I don't recommend that since this recipe hasn't been tested with coconut milk and I'm afraid it could make the sauce too thick.
JP
My lovely (and fussy!!!!) partner absolutely LOVED this recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s good - but if he’s saying it’s good…. IT’S GOOD!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review! So glad you and your partner loved it 🙂
Luther
Definitely a keeper. I used a stainless steel skillet to cook the chicken which made for a flavorful fond to scrape up into the sauce. Next time I may add some pineapple for a “sweet heat”.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your kind and positive review with me! Pineapples would be such a great addition!
Jd
Yes I wish I'll enjoy all your recipes
Nancy
This sauce was delicious. We could have added even more spice.
Andrea
So good! My second gochujang recipe, it was a hit! We will make again - quickish and easy.
Alterations: I added a cup of green beans and a bit of ginger to the onion mix because I had them on hand. It turned out great.
Christie Lai
Amazing! Thank you so much for making my recipe and sharing your positive review here on my blog, Andrea! So glad it worked well with the alterations!
Renda
Bought Gochujang sauce for the first time ever today. I had all the ingredients for your recipe. I just fried the chicken without the cornstarch and added the sauce in the pan when done and continued to cook it for a few minutes. Turned out great! Super easy! My husband loved it served over rice! This will be one of my regular dishes now! Thank you!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Renda! So glad you and your husband both enjoyed it 🙂
Xeladj
Yup...It so yummy and perfect. Thanks
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing this kind positive review!
Jd Dumlao
Yes, I do enjoy your recipez
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for leaving a positive review and for making my recipes!
Tara
Great recipe as I had all of the ingredients. So easy and came together perfectly. Thanks 😊
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Tara! So thrilled to hear that you found it to be easy and it came together perfectly 🙂
Bálint
I did twice , very easy and delicious, thank you very much 🤗
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe! So glad you liked it 🙂
Faith
I cooked this today for my family of 6 and it was delicious! I had to substitute some ingredients because my Mum can't have onions or garlic and I left some plain chicken for my brother because he can't have tomato (there's tomato in Gochujang). I used a courgette instead of an onion for bulk and I used asafoetida instead of garlic and it was still super flavourful! I loved that the fried chicken still stays chewy in the sauce and I will definitely be making this again!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Faith! So glad it worked out well with the substitutes. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Sinéad
Made this tonight and it was devoured 😀 so very moreish! Thanks for the fantastic recipe ❤️
Christie Lai
I am so thrilled to read this! Thank you so much for the kind review and happy you enjoyed it 🙂 Have a great day!
Maria
This was so simple and fantastic! Couldn't stop eating it... thank you! 💜 My sister approved and can't wait to make it for hubs and friends.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Maria! So glad you that you and your sister enjoyed it 🙂
James McCloskey
Tried this for the first time, looked delicious and tasted fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, James! So happy you enjoyed it!
Dana Carter
Good flavor, not overpowering heat!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Dana! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Alex
I made this delicious recipe tonight.. wonderful! My mum and I loved it. I used chicken breast but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Served with steamed rice and roasted broccolini. Will definitely be making again - this is a great recipe that is so simple to prepare. Thank you!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for your kind review, Alex! I am so glad you and your mum enjoyed it so much with chicken breast. Have a lovely day!