What happens when you marinate chicken in gochujang (spicy Korean chili paste), honey, ginger and garlic? Deliciousness, that’s what. Sticky Gochujang-Honey Chicken is our newest weeknight favorite: a little sweet, a lot spicy and just plain tasty.
Hey, remember us? Nerds with Knives? The cheeky duo (plus dog) with a pantry full of spice and a devil-may-care attitude to food blogging? It’s been a minute since we’ve had a chance to blog a new recipe but we’re back, and we’re ready to mumble. (I think that’s the correct saying, anyway.)
It may not strictly be the New Year any more, but since this is our first post of 2020, we’re going to pretend that it is. And we wanted to start the year’s posts off with a bang. And when we think “bang”, we think “gochujang”.
If you don’t cook a lot of Korean food, you may be wondering just what gochujang is. It’s a thick, spicy-sweet deep red paste made from chili pepper flakes, glutinous rice (sticky rice), fermented soybeans and salt and it’s a fundamental ingredient in Korean cooking, Along with the spice from the chili and sweetness from the rice, the fermented soybeans also give it a savory, ‘umami’ flavor, similar to miso. It’s absolutely delicious and we always keep a tub of it in our refrigerator to add to anything that might benefit from a spicy-sweet kick (aka everything).
Be aware that different brands of gochujang will vary wildly in terms of spice, from very hot, to quite mild. In our experience, the traditional ones sold in tubs tend to be spicier than the squirt bottles but that’s not a rule. Check the back of the bottle or tub — many brands, including Haechandle, display a “spiciness” indicator from 1 to 5. If you’re not sure of your tolerance, start at level 1 and see how you like it. Note: If you are gluten free, make sure to check the labels because traditional gochujang is made with wheat (Chung Jung One is both gluten free and vegan). You’ll be able to find it in any Asian market, most large grocery stores, or online.
Check out our page on Asian Pantry Basics for more information on gochujang and other tasty ingredients.
The first step in this recipe is to marinate the chicken in a combination of gochujang, garlic, ginger, honey and a little rice vinegar and salt. Just stir all the marinade ingredients together in a big bowl and then add in the chicken and toss it well to make sure that every piece is coated, then cover it with plastic wrap. If you’re in a rush, just it sit on the counter for 30 minutes but if you have the time, marinate it overnight in the refrigerator for even more flavor.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set a rack in the middle. Make the glaze by mixing together a little more gochujang and honey with some sesame oil and set it aside. Place the marinated chicken in an oven-proof skillet (we used a 12-inch cast iron), or on a sheet pan. Whichever you use, make sure to keep a little space between each piece so they have room to roast. Depending on the size of the chicken thighs, they may need 30 to 40 minutes, breasts will cook a little quicker so begin checking them at 25 minutes. You want them to be just fully cooked at this point, about 165ºF on an instant read thermometer (a few degrees under is fine at this point).
Brush the glaze on the chicken and pop the pan under the broiler for just a minute or 2 until the skin browns and the glaze bubbles up a bit (you can also just pop it back in the hot oven for another minute or 2). If you use the broiler, watch it carefully because the honey in the glaze can burn quickly.
Once the chicken is fully cooked and glazed, sprinkle it with some toasted sesame seeds and chopped Chinese chives (or scallions). Serve it with any extra glaze or gochujang on the side, along with some limes for squeezing if you like. Steamed rice, noodles or potatoes are a perfect accompaniment, along with Quick Pickled Cucumbers.
We’d promise to deliver more recipes on time in the next few months but, uh, we’re about to go into a major kitchen renovation, so we’re going to be mostly relying on our friends to feed us. But we will post our renovation progress! Until then, Happy New Year!
Sticky Gochujang-Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup gochujang Korean hot pepper paste
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or any neutral oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken pieces about 6-8 chicken thighs or 4 breasts
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Optional Garnish:
- 2 scallions or Chinese chives thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 lime quartered
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set a rack in the middle.
- Add the gochujang, oil, garlic, ginger, honey, rice vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to a large mixing bowl and stir together until combined. Add the chicken pieces and toss until the chicken is fully coated. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Place the marinated chicken pieces in a large, oven-proof skillet (we used a 12-inch cast iron) or a sheet tray, and roast until the chicken is just cooked through, 23-35 minutes for beasts, 30 to 40 minutes for thighs (165ºF on an instant read thermometer). Brush each piece with the glaze and set the skillet under the broiler until the skin browns and glaze bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes (or just pop the pan back into the oven for another minute or 2).
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chicken with thinly sliced scallions or chives, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing and extra glaze or gochujang on the side.
Glad to see you guys posting again. You have the most gorgeous food photos!
Your recipes are always incredible but sometimes I can’t even read them because I can’t stop staring at your photos.
Good luck with the kitchen renovation!
Bill
Thank you so much, Bill! What a lovely compliment 🙂
We had this tonight and it was delicious! It was a nice, healthier change from our usual gochujang fried chicken.
Hi Ashley, so glad you liked it!
This was an amazing recipe. The chicken turned out great! Can’t wait to make more.
So glad you liked it, Kristin! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
This is my kind of food !!! Can’t wait to cook it tonight.
Glad I ran across you guys. Happy Friday, Doug…
Love this recipe and and am now putting this sauce on almost everything! Glad I ran into you!
So glad you liked it!
I made this when you first posted and loved it. Planning to make again and due to circumstances would like to know if I can marinate thighs more than 24 hrs. or is it better to just remove them after 1 day and put in a covered pan until ready to cook? How do you suggest reheating if need be? Thank you!
Hi Janice, it should be fine to marinate for 2 days. A lot of ginger can sometimes affect the texture of proteins if marinated too long but the amount in this recipe should be fine. To reheat, place them in a baking tray or dish in a 300ºF oven until hot, probably about 15 minutes, depending on their size. Enjoy!
First time making this and it was delicious!
The only thing I did differently was swap out the regular honey for “hot” honey to give it a bit more kick. Yum.
So glad you liked it, Dianne! We’re obsessed with hot honey too. It’s so good 🙂
Have to give this 5-stars blind as I’m drooling just reading it, not to mention looking at. I love your recipes and your beautiful camerawork. So I hope that will stop you banning me for immediately thinking of ways to adapt it to my (currently) fussy diet. I want to cut down on the fat because calories and (sit down for this) chicken skin makes me gag.
So…..halve the oil in the marinade; use skinless, boneless chicken breasts; sous vide; finish with glaze under the grill (broiler). I’m doing this tomorrow with half of the 2 kilos of chicken breasts I was going to souvlakify.
No! Don’t shoot!
That sounds amazing! We often use skinless- boneless as well depending on mood and what we have around. I think that’s an excellent variation! Let us know how it turns out!
Still 5-star It was delicious, but there are a couple of changes I’ll make next time:
1. I only marinated the chicken for two hours, having slashed the thick part, but I was surprised by how much flavour it took on. Nevertheless, I shall give it the full 24 hours next time (I was too impatient to get it in my mouth) for maximum absorption.
2. I cooked it sous vide for an hour at 65ºC, my go-to for chicken breasts, and the final result was as expected: moist and tender. I did scrape off most of the marinade first, which may have been a mistake – just made it easier to vacuum seal. Next time I shall include more of the marinade in the bag and use the displacement method if necessary.
3. I might up the honey content a little. Or marinate one piece without it to see if I can spot the difference – I couldn’t really tell it was there (and I’m not cursed with a sweet tooth, so it wasn’t that I’m accustomed to it)
The glaze still worked well under the grill in spite of the moister surface to which it was applied and developed a pleasing char. It did take longer to do though.
I garnished the chicken with scallions and lemon (no sesame seeds or limes to hand) and served it with … well I won’t horrify you with my Asian/Indian/North African leftovers fusion plus salad, but I did end up with a flavour-packed, substantial meal for around 450 calories.
Thank you for this gem! Winner, winner chicken dinner