This easy Korean BBQ Chicken is bright, flavorful, and has a kick of spice. Paired with an irresistibly delicious sauce that can be doubled as a marinade, this recipe is sure to become a staple at your dinner table.
I just love a flavorful, spicy dinner after a long day any night of the week. Korean cuisine is chock full of these such recipes, if you’ve never been acquainted with this style of cooking before than do I ever have a treat for you! Full of heat, dimension, protein, and surprises, Korean food is a must have!
This is an effortless way to cook some chicken drumsticks in the oven. With 5 minute prep time to make this incredible sauce, you can’t go wrong. Not to mention, it’s unbelievably easy.
This Korean BBQ Chicken combines all those perfect flavors with a nice toasty note from sesame oil and some sweetness thanks to honey. I’m talking sticky, sweet, salty, this yummy chicken has it all! This recipe will become your new favorite weeknight meal, I guarantee it. Don’t believe me? Well let’s take it for a spin then.
Ingredients
There might be a few ingredients in this list that you’ll have to go out and buy, but it’ll be worth it. These are all staples in Asian-style cooking, so if you make Asian food often you should already have these! Keep scrolling for the full recipe and ingredient amounts.
- Soy sauce – I like to use low-sodium soy sauce especially since it is the base of the sauce.
- Sriracha – You can also use Korean gochujang if you have it handy! Otherwise, sriracha is very easy to find and works just as well. If you’re using gochujang, feel free to add more to taste.
- Garlic and ginger – I always use fresh. You can also use canned ginger and garlic if that’s what you have.
- Honey – This is what will give your chicken that nice sticky glaze.
- Sesame oil and olive oil – Use toasted sesame oil if you can find it. Sesame oil is very strong so I also used olive oil to make sure the flavors weren’t overpowered.
- Rice wine vinegar – Apple cider vinegar will work in this recipe if you can’t find rice wine vinegar.
- Chicken drumsticks – You can also use breasts or thighs. Keep in mind that different cuts require different cooking times.
- Sesame seeds – Not only will you get great flavor, these are what will really bring your dish together and make it look amazing.
- Cilantro – You can leave the cilantro out completely or use parsley instead if you prefer.
Can I Use Other Types of Meat?
This sauce is nice and simple! You can use it on just about anything. Try it with:
- Steaks
- Porkloin or pork chops
- Salmon
- Shrimp
You can even mix a bit of cornstarch into your sauce and cook it up with ground meats!
How to Make Korean BBQ Chicken
- Make the sauce: Mix the soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, ginger, honey, sesame oil, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl and set aside.
- Bake the chicken: Place the chicken in a large baking dish and pour the sauce over each piece. Flip the pieces to ensure they’re fully covered in sauce. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, brush or baste with the sauce from the pan, then bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the thickest piece registers 165F degrees in the middle.
- Garnish: Sprinkle the chicken generously with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
What to Serve With It
Now some may feel that this isn’t exactly a meal all on its own, which I suppose might be true! If you’d like to create a complete dish with this Korean BBQ chicken as the star, here’s some great accompaniments:
- Fluffy white rice, any kind you happen to have on hand.
- I like to slice up some nice crunchy cucumber whenever I eat any spicy Korean food, it helps cool the tongue and is super refreshing!
- Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Polenta
- Kimchi – the quintessential Korean side dish and condiment!
- Steamed veggies like: corn, peas, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, or bok choy.
Other Cooking Options
SLOW COOKER
Combine the sauce ingredients plus the oil in a bag with the chicken drumsticks and shake to coat evenly. Add the chicken including the sauce to your slow cooker. Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 – 4 hours.
PRESSURE COOKER
Place the sauce ingredients and the drumsticks in a bag or bowl and shake well to ensure the chicken is fully coated, place the chicken in the pressure cooker including the sauce and close the lid according to manufacture guidelines. Cook on manual HIGH for 15 minutes before allowing the steam to release naturally and serve the chicken hot.
Can I Use This Sauce As A Marinade?
Yes you can! I find that allowing your meats to sit in this sauce for at least a few hours really ensures that that flavor penetrates every single bite. Just place it in a freezer bag for at least 4 hours or overnight in the the fridge with your meats and cook from there!
Leftovers
Fridge
Stored in an air tight container properly cooled, this chicken dish will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave or the oven if you’d prefer when ready to eat.
Freezer
Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet and allow to freeze till frozen through, place the drumsticks in a freezer bag or an air tight container after wards and this method will allow them to keep for 4 – 6 months. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge over night when ready to eat. Just reheat in the oven at 350 F degrees till warmed through and enjoy!
Did You Love This Recipe? Try These!
- Korean BBQ Ribs
- Korean Style Pork Chops
- Sweet And Spicy Korean Meatballs
- Bulgogi Pork
- Garlic And Paprika Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Tandoori Chicken
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Korean BBQ Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh, minced
Korean BBQ Chicken
- 4 pound chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F °.
- Make the sauce: Mix the soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, ginger, honey, sesame oil, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl and set aside.
- Bake the chicken:Â Place the chicken in a large baking dish and pour the sauce over each piece. Flip the pieces to ensure they're fully covered in sauce. Bake for 20 minutes, brush or baste the chicken with the sauce from the pan, then bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the thickest piece registers 165F degrees in the middle.
- Garnish: Sprinkle the chicken generously with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Hello Jo,
I have taken your recipe and made it my own. A real favourite. I used more ginger and doubled the Korean chilli paste. Marinade the chicken in the mix for a couple of hours. Put the chicken on a rack in the oven to cook and put the marinade in a saucepan and reduce it by half. Paint the chicken with the reduced marinade a couple of times during the final 20 minutes of the cook. Totally delicious. Thank you.
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
My family enjoyed this very much. I used chicken breast and cooked it until the sauce was thick (I did put in some cornflour) and dark in colour. It was still moist on the inside. Family hit. Will add to the regular meal plan.
The recipe was alright, but the chicken deffo did not come out with the charr look/taste, even after leaving in the oven longer. The sauce was also really watery despite following the instructions exact, so each piece had a light glaze at best, even after additional brushing/spooning over each piece at the flipping point and the end. Still tasty, but kind of lacking otherwise.
Thanks for the update Wick. A little cornstarch could help the sauce thicken so you don’t have the watery issue with it next time. And regarding the charr part, it depends a lot on the ovens and how they cook.
This was amazing yum yum yum thankyou..
So glad you enjoyed it!
The sauce was delicious served over rice & roasted cabbage.
I didn’t get the charr look either. Last 15 min I did increase the oven gave minimal charr appearance. I did turn the chicken & based 2x.
The sauce didn’t thicken up. I did like that I was able to use on rice.
This recipe looks great. Can you make it ahead? I’m using boneless thighs.
Yes you can! You can check out the “freezing” section for full instructions.
Would a GLASS baking dish be okay to use in this recipe? If not, then could a dutch oven be used instead of a baking dish? I am just asking because in the picture it looks as if you used a ceramic baking dish, and I do not have a big enough one for this recipe. Sorry if these are silly questions but I just want to make sure that I do this right. Thank you.
A glass baking dish is fine, as long as it can withstand the heat, it should be fine.
Great flavor in the sauce! I’m not sure if I missed a step though. My chicken didn’t have that charred look and the sauce did not stick well to the chicken at all.
I don’t know, did you follow this step exactly?
If you want that charred look you can always turn the broiler on and leave them under the broiler for a min or two.
Jo, this was an absolute hit when I made it for dinner tonight for my family and I! I want to thank you for the amazing recipe. I’m definitely an amateur in terms of cooking, but this recipe tastes amazing and is quite simple to carry out!
Hi Jo – if i’m using gochujang, how much should I add? I like it spicy but wasn’t sure if i should add both gochujang and sriracha? Also, I only have bone-in chicken thighs (skin on), but I assume that would be ok? Thank you!
I’d use just the gochujang since the consistency is pretty similar. Plus, gochujang just tastes so good! It’s a little bit spicier than sriracha so if you’re worried about heat then add a little less.
Could you BBQ them instead? Summertime is too hot for my oven! Haha
Yes for sure! Keep the sauce handy and brush the chicken a few times to make sure you get a nice glaze.
Jo – could I use thighs or boneless/skinless breasts instead? I don’t much care for drumsticks. TIA.
Yes, absolutely!