This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Love this recipe! I substituted brown sugar for honey and added sesame oil, fresh red chillies and spring onions into the marinade, was insane!
Substitute brown sugar for honey and mirin/mirim, and add a small amount of sesame oil to the marinade. Delicious
So glad you loved it!
A family favourite!!!
So glad you love it!
Put it on a charcoal grill. It’s bussin. You’re welcome.
Delicious and easy! My sons loved it and told me that was a good one I should make again. Thanks for this recipe. I served it with stir fry veggies and rice. So good!!
So glad you all enjoyed it!
Love this recipe! I have made this so many times and it is so easy to make and flavorful. Is there a problem if instead of throwing out the marinade, you boil the marinade for 10 minutes and use it to glaze the chicken! I know that using marinade that has had raw chicken is dangerous but if you boil it, I wonder if it would be ok?
It’s totally fine if boiled for 5 minutes! Kills the bacteria of the chicken that would be harmful
We loved this. So simple to make and so delicious. Served with jasmine rice and steamed veggies. A keeper.
My hubby went crazy over this! It has a wonderful taste. Thanks!
I made this with bone-in, skin-on thighs and marinated overnight. It was super tasty. Thanks!
So glad you loved them!
Hi, can i make this with chicken thighs that have a skin on?
Thank you
Hi, I think that would be fine! Keep in mind if they are bone in they will probably have a longer cooking time.
Thank you so much for replying back ☺️
Hi, I wondered if this chicken could be frozen in the marinade?
Thanks!
Hi Aimee – I haven’t tried it but I think it would be fine!
That was delicious!!! Going to be a staple in our household. We had some kimchi with it too which really added to the dish. Definitely going to be doing again and again.
I’m so happy to hear that!
I just happened upon your site when looking for something to do with the chicken thighs in my freezer and the gochujang in my pantry. This was simple and delicious. I will definitely be back for other recipes.
I am so happy to hear that!
This was delicious! I marinated the chicken thighs for about six hours and grilled them! I will use this recipe again!
Absolutely fantastic. I was so thrilled with the flavor and ease of this recipe, I forwarded it immediately to my two kids in college who love to impress their friends with a home-cooked meal from time to time, and my sister who feeds a house of 8 every day! I will be happy to make this recipe again and again. Yummmmm.
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks so much for sharing it as well!
Absolutely delicious.
So glad to hear that!
This was delicious – the whole family loved it!
So glad to hear that!
Holy moly! This was absolutely delicious. My wife said it was the nicest chicken dish I have ever made. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that!
How spicy is this recipe? I have a 4 year old who doesn’t eat spicy food, so I’m wondering if I could cut the amount of gochujang by 3/4 and it would still come out ok?
Hi Joyce – It isn’t very spicy but you can reduce the gochujang if you want!
What is the correct baking temp, in your description above the recipe you state 425° but in the actual recipe instructions you state 375°..
Hi Carin – thanks for catching that, it is 375 degrees F.
This is an excellent recipe! I’ve found that I enjoy anything Korean and recently bought a bottle of gochujang sauce having never used it before. This took no time to put together, and the flavors and cook times are spot-on. Thanks Meghan! I need to make note of this recipe!
So glad you loved it Jean!