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These Sweet and Spicy Baked Korean Chicken Thighs use gochujang chili paste for a spicy kick. Make this easy baked chicken thigh recipe for dinner tonight!
I have been on a Korean inspired recipe kick lately. I started with my Korean Ground Beef Bowls and then followed with my Korean Meatballs. Both of those recipes have been popular with you lovely readers, so I wanted to give you a Korean inspired recipe using chicken thighs. Introducing: Baked Korean Chicken Thighs!
Chicken thighs are a weekly dinner staple around our house, so I am always looking for new and interesting ways to cook chicken thighs. Here we make a sweet and spicy gochujang marinade for the chicken. You can marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or longer – even overnight!
The marinade gives the chicken tons of flavor, but we don’t stop there – I also use the gochujang in a glaze that really takes the flavor over the top.
WHAT IS GOCHUJANG?
Gochujang is a Korean chili paste made from chili powder, fermented soy beans, glutenous rice, and salt. It can be very spicy or more mild depending on the brand. It adds a unique flavor that is different from other chili pastes.
WHERE CAN I BUY GOCHUJANG?
I was able to find gochujang at my usual grocery store. You can also buy it on Amazon.
WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR GOCHUJANG?
The flavor of Gochujang is not something that can be replicated, it has a different flavor than other types of chili paste. However, in a pinch you can substitute sriracha or Thai chili paste. Keep in mind that you won’t get quite the same effect if you substitute.
What ingredients are used for Korean Chicken Thighs?
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this Korean Chicken recipe. I like them because they are convenient, quick cooking and more flavorful than chicken breasts.
For the Korean chicken marinade, we use soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and gochujang.
For the glaze, we use soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and gochujang.
How do you make Korean Chicken Thighs?
This is a Baked Chicken Thighs recipe, because that is the easiest way to make chicken in my opinion. It requires minimal babysitting and is easy to clean up.
To make this Baked Korean Chicken, first whisk together the ingredients for the marinade. Toss the chicken to completely coat in the marinade, than let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better of course, you can even leave it in the marinade over night.
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with foil. The foil is optional, but it makes cleanup easy. Because this marinade has some sugar in it, it can burn onto the pan a bit. I would advise at least using some parchment paper if you don’t want to use foil.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Discard the leftover marinade.
Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and gochujang. Whisk over medium heat until combined and starting to thicken, about five minutes.
In the last few minutes of baking the chicken, brush some of the glaze over the chicken. After chicken is finished cooking, brush more glaze over the chicken again. Serve the extra glaze as a condiment alongside the chicken if you want.
Korean Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
marinade
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 4 garlic minced
glaze
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together ingredients for marinade. Add chicken to marinade and turn until all the chicken is completely coated in the sauce. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- When ready to cook the chicken, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
- Arrange chicken on baking sheet, discard excess marinade. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
- While chicken is baking, whisk together ingredients for glaze in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Do not allow sauce to boil.
- In the last few minutes of cooking chicken, brush with the glaze. After chicken is done, remove from oven and brush with another coat of the glaze before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a fantastic recipe. So easy and flavorful. It’s now one of my go-to recipes.
So happy you love it!
Can you make this with boneless skinless chicken breast?
I’m think that would be fine but the cooking time will be slightly shorter.
A new staple in our dinner lineup. It’s become a favorite even for my somewhat picky kids.
I make this all the time but instead of making the glaze I just reduce the marinade in a pan while the chicken is grilling and it makes an awesome sticky sauce!
So glad you love it!
This recipe is so easy to make and it’s delicious. It is now a staple in our dinner rotation and even my kids love it. I double the sauce to drizzle over the rice.
So happy to hear that!