Gochujang Chicken Korean Spicy Sweet (Printable)

Tender chicken glazed in spicy-sweet gochujang sauce with honey, garlic, and sesame. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Marinade & Sauce

02 - 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
03 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
04 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
05 - 2 tbsp honey
06 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
10 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

→ Garnish

11 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
12 - 1 tbsp sesame seeds

# How-to Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and black pepper. Mix well to create a smooth, homogeneous marinade.
02 - Add chicken pieces to the bowl, tossing thoroughly to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours for deeper flavor penetration.
03 - Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until properly heated.
04 - Add marinated chicken, shaking off excess marinade, to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 5–7 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and caramelized at edges.
05 - Pour remaining marinade into the pan, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 2–3 minutes until sauce thickens and evenly coats the chicken pieces.
06 - Transfer chicken to a serving plate. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve hot with steamed rice or sides of choice.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The balance of sweet honey and spicy chili paste creates an addictive glaze that coats every single piece
  • It comes together in under 45 minutes but tastes like something from a restaurant
  • The marinade does double duty as a glossy finishing sauce that caramelizes beautifully
02 -
  • Dont skip the step of shaking excess marinade off the chicken before searing, or youll end up steaming instead of caramelizing
  • The sugar in the glaze can burn quickly, so keep an eye on the heat and reduce it if you see dark spots forming too fast
  • Marinating longer than 2 hours can make the texture mushy due to the enzymes in the ginger and vinegar
03 -
  • Line your sheet pan with foil before cooking if you want to save yourself some serious cleanup time
  • Cut your chicken into uniformly sized pieces so everything cooks at the same rate

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