Juicy chicken thighs, tossed in a sticky, sweet, spicy gochujang glaze and grilled to perfection. What’s not to love? This is the ultimate shortcut to crispy Korean fried chicken without the deep-frying. Serve it over rice, piled onto flatbreads with a crunchy Asian-style slaw and spicy gochujang aioli (my fave!) or enjoy any way you’d like. A speedy, flavor-packed weeknight dinner you’ll crave on repeat.
If you love the bold, crispy magic that is crispy Korean fried chicken, you’re going to be obsessed with this easier, lighter, weeknight-friendly twist. Instead of deep-frying, the chicken is marinated in a sweet, spicy gochujang glaze and cooked until beautifully caramelized and charred – either in the oven, on the grill, or in the air fryer.
It’s fast, hands-off, and LOADED with flavor. Just toss the chicken in the quick marinade, then while it cooks, throw together a crunchy Asian-style slaw (or whatever sides you love). I like piling everything onto soft two-ingredient dough flatbreads with spicy gochujang aioli, but it’s just as good served over rice (or with air-fryer fried rice) or noodles.
You can thread the chicken onto skewers if you like (I love the char you get this way and it tends to be easier if you’re cooking the chicken on a BBQ or outdoor grill), but it’s totally optional.
“Absolutely amazing! Loved this and loved that it was so so easy. Cannot wait to make this over and over again.” – Nicole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why You’ll Love This Gochujang Chicken
- All the flavor of iconic crispy Korean fried chicken, without the faff of deep-frying.
- Big flavor, minimal effort. The gochujang marinade does all the heavy lifting. Just mix, cook, and enjoy.
- Fast, weeknight-friendly recipe. From marinade to plate in under 30 minutes.
- Super versatile. Stuff it into flatbreads, spoon it over rice or noodles, or pair with a crunchy slaw.
- Naturally high in protein.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs. I’m using boneless and skinless thighs here as they’re super juicy and stand up to the heat needed to get the lovely charring on top. Always use free range. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer.
- Gochujang paste. This is a real staple for me, so I always have some on hand. It’s a Korean fermented chili paste, and it’s a super flavor powerhouse. It’s spicy, sweet, and deeply savory. Larger grocery stores are starting to stock it more, or if you’ve got an Asian store nearby, you’ll find it there. You can also pick it up on Amazon.
- Rice vinegar. The vinegar helps tenderize the meat as it’s marinating, and I love using rice vinegar with these flavors. You can swap it out for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have.
- Honey. Gochujang is strong, savory, and spicy, and so benefits from a little bit of sweetness. The honey will also help the chicken to get that lovely, charred color we’re looking for when it’s grilling. Use maple syrup if you don’t have honey. Sweet chili jam also helps with this and provides a more complex flavor, so I recommend using it if possible
How to Make Gochujang Chicken
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the chicken – the full ingredients list and instructions are in the recipe at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Mix the gochujang marinade, then add the diced chicken. Toss the chicken through the marinade to coat it well.
2. Spread the marinated chicken out onto a single layer on a lined oven tray (or into your air-fryer), then pop into the oven to get lovely and charred.
3. While the chicken is cooking, mix your sesame slaw and get your flatbreads and spicy aioli ready for serving.
4. Once your chicken is looking BEAUTIFULLY charred around the edges, it’s ready to remove from the oven.
5. If you’re serving the chicken as flatbreads, divide the slaw between your flatbreads, then top with the charred gochujang chicken, a good drizzle of spicy aioli and scatter with toasted sesame seeds to serve.
Sticky Gochujang Chicken FAQs
You can prepare everything ahead of time and then just cook the chicken when you’re ready to serve. The spicy gochujang aioli can be made a week in advance, and the slaw with dressing will be fine for 2 days (or prepare the slaw and then just toss with the dressing ingredients when you’re serving).
You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance of cooking it. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken too and then either serve it cold (still delicious!) or pop it in the microwave for a minute to reheat.
The gochujang paste does give this chicken a kick, so if you’re worried about spice, reduce the amount of gochujang in the marinade to ½ a tablespoon, or even ¼ if you’re very worried.
This chicken will be absolutely fine stored in a covered container in the fridge for 5 days. You can either enjoy it cold (I love it tossed through salads) or reheat it in the microwave.
This would also be great with crispy skin on roast potatoes and green goddess salad, used in a grilled chicken poke bowl, stuffed into fluffy steamed bao buns, served with smacked cucumber salad, green goddess soba noodle salad, saucy sesame soba noodle salad, or piled on top of steamed rice.
You sure could! Cooking on a barbecue or grill is my favorite way to cook marinated chicken like this – you just can’t beat the flavor you get from the smoke and fire. Grill them for five minutes on each side until super charred and cooked through (slice into a piece if you’re unsure if it’s cooked – it should be white and juicy).
Not at all! I usually don’t use them, but I do find it’s easier to thread the chicken on skewers if you’re cooking it on a BBQ or an outdoor grill (easier to flip!)
If you use wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 20 to 30 minutes before using them. This will help to stop them from burning or catching fire on the grill. It’s more important if you’re grilling or broiling the chicken; if you’re air-frying them, it’s not really an issue.
Watch how to make it
Like this recipe? Here are more quick ideas you might enjoy
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Sticky Gochujang Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Juicy chicken thighs, tossed in a sticky, sweet, spicy gochujang glaze and grilled to perfection. What’s not to love? This is the ultimate shortcut to crispy Korean fried chicken without the deep-frying. Serve it over rice, piled onto flatbreads with a crunchy Asian-style slaw and spicy gochujang aioli (my fave!) or enjoy any way you’d like. A speedy, flavor-packed weeknight dinner you’ll crave on repeat.
Ingredients
For the gochujang chicken –
- 1 lb (500g) free-range, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili jam
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the slaw –
- 1/2 of a white cabbage
- 1 cucumber
- 2 scallions (spring onions)
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
For the gochujang aioli –
- 1/4 cup garlic aioli (or use mayo, or this egg-free garlic aioli or instant Kewpie mayo)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. If you’re using your oven, preheat it to 425°F (220°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks. Add 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam to a mixing bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss well to coat. If you have time, let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours for more flavor).
- Cook the chicken (oven instructions). Spread the chicken out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, or until it’s cooked through and nicely charred around the edges. If you’re unsure, cut into a piece to check it’s no longer pink in the center.
- Cook the chicken (air fryer instructions). Arrange the chicken in your air fryer basket, then air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes. You’re looking for juicy pieces with dark golden, caramelized edges.
- Cook the chicken (grill or barbecue instructions). Preheat your grill or barbecue to medium-high heat, then thread the chicken onto skewers or place them directly on a well-oiled grill grate. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and nicely charred on both sides.
- Make the slaw. While the chicken cooks, make the slaw. Finely shred the cabbage (use a sharp knife or mandoline). Halve the cucumber lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then dice it finely. Thinly slice the scallions, and roughly chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large mixing bowl with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, ½ tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds. Give everything a good toss, then set it aside.
- Make the gochujang aioli. Add ¼ cup aioli and 1 tablespoon gochujang paste to a small bowl and mix into a creamy, cohesive sauce. Set aside.
- Garnish and serve. Once the chicken is cooked, it’s ready to go! Serve it however you like – spooned over rice, air fryer fried rice, or noodles, piled onto flatbreads or lettuce wraps, or paired with the crunchy slaw for a light, fresh dinner. Drizzle with the gochujang aioli, sprinkle over the extra sesame seeds, and dig in.
Notes
MARINATING TIME: You can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours in advance to get ahead. But don’t stress if you’re short on time. Even a quick toss in the marinade before cooking still delivers gorgeous flavor.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Store any chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Either eat cold (I love it tossed through salads) or reheat thoroughly in the microwave.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar if you like. Likewise, swap out gochujang paste for sriracha or another hot sauce, or reduce the quantity of gochujang if you’re worried about the level of spice.
OVEN VS AIR FRYER VS GRILL: This really comes down to your setup and the occasion – all three methods work brilliantly! Oven: This is best if you’re cooking a larger batch and ideal if you’re feeding a crowd. You’ll still get beautifully charred, caramelized edges if you roast at a high heat. Air fryer: Quick, convenient, and perfect for smaller batches. It gives you super crispy, sticky edges in just 10 minutes. My go-to at the moment! Grill/BBQ: Perfect for summer evenings, entertaining, and large batches. You’ll get that unbeatable smoky char and lovely crispy edges.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: meat
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 639
- Sugar: 14.3g
- Sodium: 1133.4mg
- Fat: 19.1g
- Saturated Fat: 4.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 75.7g
- Fiber: 4.2g
- Protein: 40.1g
- Cholesterol: 126.8mg
Absolutely amazing! Loved this and loved that it was so so easy. Cannot wait to make this over and over again.
This was really delicious. I had some issues and had to tweak a few things, but the overall recipe was fantastic. Great flavors.
Loved this recipe so much ! We put a bit of yogurt in the Gochujang sauce and it was perfect !
Ahhhh I’m so happy to hear this Bethan!! Love the idea of adding yogurt to the sauce too x