Korean Chicken (An Easy Chicken Marinade)
Korean chicken bulgogi aka dak bulgogi is one easy recipe and full of flavor. It can be grilled, baked or cooked on the stove-top. Perfect for busy weeknights. Serve it with cucumber and carrot salad, or as lettuce wraps. Here’s how I make it!
Bulgogi Chicken: A Korean-Based Dish You Will Love
I’m back with another simple Asian recipe. Lately, since everyone is home, I’ve been making quick and easy recipes that I know my whole family can enjoy. I seriously love making flavorful skinless chicken thighs, especially this Korean bulgogi chicken. My pan of choice is my cast iron skillet. It’s sears the chicken wonderfully, it makes and it retains heat very well.
This recipe may sound fancy but it’s absolutely not! It’s one of the most easiest chicken recipes you’ll probably every make. It’s basically a chicken marinade. You can use the marinade on beef as well. If you like a little heat, you can easily customize this recipe to make it spicy.
After you make the marinade and bake or grill the chicken, you’ll be able to taste the most delicious chicken. It goes wonderfully with carrot cucumber salad shown right below. While the marinade does take quite a few ingredients, you likely already have many or all of them on-hand.
What You Need to Make This
If you are ready to try out this bulgogi recipe, it is time to get the ingredients around. These ingredients include the following:
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Chili paste
- Honey
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions
- Red onions
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- And, of course, the chicken thighs
Once you have all the ingredients gathered up, you can make your marinade and marinate the chicken thighs for a few hours.
Bulgogi Chicken – What’s to Love?
There really is no reason not to try this chicken recipe. There is so much to love about this tasty dish. Some of the many reasons that you should make it include the following:
- Easy-to-find ingredients (maybe you have them already)
- Easy-to-make
- A flavor bomb
- Tender, juicy, and delicious
- The chicken will cook quickly making it a great recipe for busy weeknights
- Customizable options – You can grill, bake, or broil the chicken
- The marinade can be used on chicken or beef
- Easy and quick to prep
If these aren’t enough reasons to add bulgogi chicken to your menu this week, I don’t know what is. Give it a try. You will be so thankful that you did.
How To Make it
To make the bulgogi marinade here are some easy-to-understand instructions for you.
- Clean and trim the excess fat off the chicken.
- Dry the chicken with a paper towel
- In a bowl or Ziploc bag, mix all the ingredients for your marinade
- Mix them up well and add in the chicken
- If you have used a Ziploc bag, be sure to release all the air in the bag before marinating it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. Ignore step 3 below. You can either use a ziploc or a bowl.
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature
To bake this, you’ll need to:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- When the oven has heated up, Place the skillet into the oven for about 5-7 minutes.
- Place the chicken in the skillet and bake for 25-30 minutes basting every 5 minutes.
- Baste the chicken with the liquids in the skillet every 5 minutes
- The chicken is done when it has reached an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F. (Using a thermometer is recommended.
- You can also broil the chicken for a few minutes (broiling is optional but if you do this be sure to keep a close eye on it as it can burn quickly).
For the grill, you’ll need to:
- Heat the grill to high heat
- Take the chicken out of the marinade. Pat it dry with paper towels
- Put the chicken flat onto the grill
- After the bottom is seared well, flip the chicken over
- Cook the other side for a few minutes until cooked all the way
- Total Time for Grilling – Less than 5 minutes
- While you are grilling, you can use extra marinade to baste the chicken
To make it on the stovetop you will need to:
- Place chicken into a large skillet that is lightly oiled after the marinating process is finished
- Use about 1/4 cup of the marinade for basting.
- Sear both sides of the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side.
Cook Tips to Make This Recipe Successfully
If you would like to make Korean bulgogi chicken successfully, it is important to know about the following tips:
- Use chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or any cut of meat you prefer.
- You can grill, broil, bake, or cook the meat on the stovetop.
- Don’t let it over-marinate, or it may become too salty.
- Remove the air from the marinade bag before closing it.
- Be sure to use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry (if you don’t, the chicken will steam as it cooks unless that’s what you want).
- Broiling is not required.
- Bake the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to Serve with Bulgogi Chicken
Traditionally, Korean bulgogi chicken is used when making lettuce wraps. However, this recipe also goes amazing with kimchi, any type of cabbage, salad, or rice. Cucumber carrot salad is always a great choice. You could also serve bulgogi chicken with steamed vegetables (broccoli is delicious too).
Korean Bulgogi Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3/4 cups green onions sliced
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl or zip-top bag, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, sugar, chili paste, garlic, and ginger.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a skillet in the oven to heat for 5 minutes.
- Carefully add the chicken to the hot skillet and bake for 25–30 minutes, basting with pan juices every 5–10 minutes
- Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Broil for 2–3 minutes for extra caramelization, if desired.
Notes
- Use your preferred cooking method. This recipe works on the grill, stovetop, oven, or under the broiler.
- Don’t over-marinate. Marinate for 3–4 hours for the best flavor—longer can make it too salty.
- Remove excess air. If using a zip-top bag, press out the air before sealing to help the marinade coat the chicken evenly.
- Pat the chicken dry. This helps it sear properly instead of steaming.
- Cook to temperature. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Broil for extra color. Broiling is optional, but adds nice caramelization—just watch closely to avoid burning.
- Adjust the heat. Add more chili paste or crushed red pepper if you like it spicier.
Nutrition
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