Gochujang Chicken
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What makes this Gochujang Chicken recipe so delicious? It’s all in the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, made with gochujang paste, honey and soy sauce. This tasty Korean chicken dish is easy to make on the stovetop in 20 minutes, perfect for a simple weeknight meal!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Gochujang is a fermented red curry paste from Korea that’s both sweet and spicy. The spice in the paste comes from gochu-garu, a red chili powder, and the sweetness comes from the starch of gultinous rice. Gochujang has been a popular Korean condiment for decades but only recently became mainstream in the US.
As soon as I saw it at Trader Joe’s, I knew that gochujang was widely available enough to start incorporating it into recipes on the blog. I try to keep things simple around here, giving you recipes with ingredients that you can actually buy!
And I’m so excited that gochujang is now one of those ingredients. Over the last few years I perfected my homemade gochujang sauce, and I can’t wait for you to try it in this recipe! These are the reasons we love it, and I know you will too.
- The sauce! Gochujang, as a paste, can be stirred into soups, stews or marinades for meats. But when you combine it with other ingredients like honey, soy sauce and rice vinegar, it turns into a sticky sweet sauce, that’s so delicious!
- It’s easy! I modeled this recipe off of these popular recipes for Chinese Honey Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken. Both dishes have been blog favorites for over 10 years. They’re easy to make on the stove in 20 minutes, and so is this gochujang chicken recipe!
- It’s versatile! You can make it with chicken breasts, or chicken thighs. It’s easily made gluten free just by swapping out the soy sauce. And you can pair it with a variety of sides to make a tasty meal any night of the week!
Ingredients
In this section, I explain the best ingredients for this gochujang chicken recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Gochujang paste – you can now find gochujang paste at Trader Joe’s and other major grocery stores, near the other Asian specialty products. If you can’t find it in a store near you, there are lots of options to order Gochujang paste on Amazon. At the time of writing this post, the brand linked here had the most 5 star reviews.
- Honey – to sweeten the sauce and make it sticky, so that it adheres nicely to the chicken.
- Soy sauce – to make this recipe gluten free, use tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce. All other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
- Rice vinegar – this ingredient adds acidity to the sauce, that balances out the sweet and spicy flavors from the gochujang and honey.
- Canola oil – we’ll use the oil in the sauce and to cook the chicken. You can replace canola oil with vegetable oil or avocado oil, if you prefer.
- Toasted sesame oil – you want to be sure to use toasted sesame oil, rather than regular sesame oil. It has a stronger, nutty taste that adds wonderful flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh crushed cloves for the best flavor in the sauce. In a pinch, you can substitute in 1 teaspoon garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) – if you want a leaner option, go with the chicken breasts. If you’d like a richer flavor, go with the chicken thighs. With either one, you want to make sure they’re boneless and skinless, so you can easily slice them into bite size pieces.
- Cornstarch – to coat the chicken. This will give it a nice crust on the outside, and help the sauce adhere to the pieces of chicken. You could also use tapioca starch or rice flour.
- Salt and pepper – to season the cornstarch, before breading the chicken.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine gochujang paste with honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, toasted sesame oil and crushed garlic cloves.
- Prep the chicken. In a medium bowl, or large zipper bag, toss 3/4 inch pieces of chicken with cornstarch, salt and pepper.
The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cook the chicken. Heat canola oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cornstarch coated chicken and cook for 5 minutes, flipping throughout the cooking time so that the chicken is cooked on all sides.
- Add the sauce. Pour the prepared gochujang sauce over the chicken in the skillet. Toss to coat all of the pieces of chicken in the sauce. Cook for 4 minutes, allowing the sauce to cook down, thicken, and become a glaze on the outside of the chicken. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Optionally garnish with sesame seeds and diced green onions.
What to serve with it
I like to serve the gochujang chicken with rice and veggies. Try pairing it with any of these easy side dish recipes.
- White rice (Instant Pot, rice cooker or stove)
- Brown rice (Instant Pot, rice cooker or stove)
- Instant Pot sushi rice
- Steamed broccoli
- Stir fry vegetables
- Roasted Asian vegetables
- Lettuce wraps – for a light meal or appetizer, wrap the gochujang chicken in lettuce wraps.
If you’re preparing rice or vegetables to serve with the chicken, be sure to prepare them before you start making the gochujang chicken. Once the chicken is pan fried, you want to serve it immediately, so it’s hot and fresh!
Storage and reheating
Store gochujang chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I like to reheat it in the air fryer. If this is available to you, I recommend lining the air fryer first with parchment paper. The sauce on the chicken is so sticky, you’ll thank me when you’re cleaning up later! Reheat the chicken for 4-5 minutes in the air fryer at 400°F.
If you don’t have an air fryer, I recommend reheating the chicken in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
More Asian recipes
If you love this gochujang chicken, I know you’ll love these other easy Asian-inspired recipes, made in 30 minutes or less!
Gochujang Chicken
Ingredients
Gochujang Sauce
- 4 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic cloves, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts , sliced into ¾ inch pieces (you could also use chicken thighs, if you prefer)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the gochujang sauce. Set it aside.
- Toss the ¾ pieces of chicken with the cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl, or large zipper bag.
- Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, so that the chicken is cooked on all sides.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the skillet and cook for 4 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and becomes a glaze on the chicken.
- Remove from the heat and optionally garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free, use tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce. All other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
- The gochujang sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- If you’re preparing rice or vegetables to serve with the chicken, be sure to prepare them before you start making the gochujang chicken. Once the chicken is pan fried, you want to serve it immediately, so it’s hot and fresh!
Nutrition Facts
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