Sticky Garlic Gochujang Chicken

Sweet and Sticky Gochujang Chicken! Crispy chicken pieces tossed in the most delicious sweet, sticky and delicious gochujang sauce! It’s one of our favorite ways to eat chicken and vegetables on weekdays and it’s such an easy recipe!

Sweet, sticky, and crispy?

Sign me right up.

Crispy chicken thighs, tenders or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces, that we velvet with a little baking soda so that the chicken is so tender. Then toss in cornstarch so that the chicken is extra crispy when we fry it up in a pan. Toss it all together with a garlic gochujang honey sauce that will make your mouth sing!

The idea for this Gochujang Chicken recipe comes from a couple different sources. First, the inspiration struck when I downed the best Gochujang wings from our favorite Korean takeout. Sticky, slightly sweet and that glaze was just calling my name. Perfection. They also happen to have a Korean chicken stir fry on the menu with a few different types of vegetables, like carrots, and zucchini. So I did what any food blogger would do – took the best parts of those dishes and combined them. 

CRISPY. STICKY. GOCHUJANG CHICKEN.

It’s no secret that I live for quick weeknight dinners! I mean, my ponzu zucchini chicken, turmeric black pepper chicken, and jalapeno chicken, are often on heavy rotation because 1) they are easy to make and 2) they have so much flavor.

So when it comes to easy weeknight dinner recipes, I love serving quick stir fry’s, like my Gochujang Chicken, with fluffy jasmine rice that I cook on the quick setting in my favorite rice cooker and steam some broccoli as a side.

It’s such a flavorful recipe the whole family will love.

Ingredients for Gochujang Chicken

• Chicken: Feel free to use chicken breast, tenders or thighs for this recipe. We’ll dice the chicken into ¾ inch pieces and then marinade it for a few minutes before tossing it in cornstarch.
• Baking Soda: is an ingredient commonly used in Asian cooking to velvet the chicken. The baking soda raises the pH of the chicken and causes it to become tender and moist.
• Sugar: A pinch of granulated sugar goes into the bowl with the chicken when we’re velveting the protein. 
• White Pepper: I like adding white pepper to this recipe to give it a hint of spice! 
• Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil gives the chicken a deliciously juicy and slightly smoky flavor.
• Soy Sauce: You’ll need low-sodium soy sauce for marinating the chicken and for the gochujang sauce that we’ll toss everything in at the end. I suggest using low sodium as the recipe also contains salt.
• Cornstarch: Tossing the chicken in cornstarch before frying it in a pan with hot oil allows the chicken to seal in all the moisture, leaving you with a crispy exterior and a tender chicken interior!
• Oil: You’ll need a high-heat oil to fry the chicken and then saute the garlic. I like to use avocado oil for this recipe but use any high-heat oil you typically have on hand.
• Honey: provides the sweetness in our Korean chicken sauce. We’ll also use rice vinegar and soy sauce to help balance the flavors.
• Gochujang Paste: or Korean red pepper paste is available in most grocery stores these days in the international aisle. You can also purchase it online here. 
• Rice Vinegar: Adds just a hint of acid to balance the sweetness from the honey in the Korean chili paste mixture.
• Garlic:You’ll need tons of garlic for this recipe. We’ll saute the garlic in the same pan once we’ve fried the chicken before tossing the final dish.
• Sesame seeds or Green onions: These ingredients are just for garnish and are optional.

Making Gochujang Chicken

1. Start by velveting the chicken. In a bowl, combine some a tbsp of water with baking soda, kosher salt, granulated sugar, white pepper, sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. Let the chicken hang out for 5-10 minutes so that the baking soda can do its job.
2. Let’s make sure the chicken is crispy. Once the chicken has had a chance to rest for a few minutes, add in a few tablespoons of cornstarch and toss the chicken.
3. Make the sauce.In a measuring cup, combine the remaining sauce ingredients. Use a whisk to ensure the gochujang and honey dissolve.
4. Fry it up. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and then fry the chicken in 1-2 batches. This will depend on the size of the skillet. I prefer to do this in two batches so that all of the chicken is extra crispy. Remove the chicken to a plate when it’s done.
5. Saute the garlic and make sauce. Add a little more oil to the skillet if need be, lower the heat on the skillet and allow it to cool. Then add the garlic and let it lightly simmer in the oil. Kick the heat up to high and pour the sauce into the skillet. When the sauce starts to bubble and simmer, add the chicken back to the skillet. Toss the chicken to coat it evenly in the sauce.
6. Serve it up. Serve the chicken stir fry topped with green onions and sesame seeds over fluffy rice with your favorite veggies.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad
• Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
• Saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
• Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
• Korean BBQ Bowls with Garlic Rice