Korean Braised Chicken Thighs

Korean Braised Chicken Thighs use the most flavorful and budget-friendly part of the chicken for a dish you'll crave again and again!

I am crazy in love with Korean flavors ever since I published my Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe.  Those short ribs have the amazing flavors of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and gochujang.

What is gochujang?

Wait.  You haven't heard about gochujang yet?  This ingredient is referred to as the “new” Sriracha.  I call it umami in a jar!  It's a savory, spicy, slightly sweet, fermented Korean condiment made from red chiles, rice, soybeans and salt.  When gochujang first hit the scene, I had a difficult time finding it.  Now I see it almost everywhere including the international aisle at my local grocery store.

How to make Korean Braised Chicken Thighs:

The best thing about Korean Braised Chicken Thighs is you get a ton of flavor in less time than from braising beef short ribs.  Yay!

And, if you keep a well-stocked Asian pantry full of ingredients such as soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, you'll be able to create any Asian-inspired dish on the fly rather than doing take-out.

• Start with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
• Brown in oil in a cast-iron skillet until the skin is nicely browned then move it off to the side onto a plate.

• Cook some onion...
• Add the chicken thighs back to the pan...
• Then add the amazing sauce combination of chicken broth, soy sauce, gochujang, sesame oil, mirin, ginger, garlic....
• Simmer, turning a few times until thoroughly cooked through then....
• Mmmwaahhhh!

• There's some amazing sauce happening around these Korean Braised Chicken Thighs!

• Garnish with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallion...

• Serve with brown rice...

Tender, intensely flavorful Korean Braised Chicken Thighs!  Meet your new favorite dinner!  You'll never crave take-out again!

Love Korean food?  Be sure to try my:

• Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs
• Vegan Korean Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Gochujang Sauce and Spicy Slaw
• Tuna Kimchi Cakes with Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce
• Homemade Kimchi

Korean Braised Chicken Thighs

4.49 from 72 votes

By: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Korean Braised Chicken Thighs use the most flavorful and budget-friendly part of the chicken for a dish you'll crave again and again!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Chicken and Turkey

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4

Calories 514 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Glass Mixing Bowls
• ▢
  Wusthof Chef Knife
• ▢
  Cutting Board
• ▢
  Tongs

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 cloves garlic - minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup gochujang
• ▢ 2 tablespoons mirin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons canola - oil or as needed
• ▢ 4 chicken thighs - on the bone with the skin
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 medium onion - finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ Sesame seeds - for garnish
• ▢ Thinly sliced scallion - for garnish

Instructions

 

• Whisk together first 7 ingredients: Garlic, ginger, chicken broth, soy sauce, gochujang, mirin and sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron or other heavy skillet until shimmering. Season chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.
• Place chicken thighs in skillet, skin side down and cook 4-5 minutes or until skin is nicely browned. Transfer to a plate.
• Refresh oil if needed. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5-6 minutes or until onion is beginning to soften.
• Return chicken thighs to skillet along with sauce combination. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken thighs are thoroughly cooked through and tender.
• Using a ladle, transfer some of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch. Pour into the skillet and continue simmering 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve, garnished with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallion and cooked brown rice.

Notes

LABOR-SAVING TIP: Transfer the sauce mixture to the same bowl you used to mix up the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 1484mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g

These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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