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    Home » Recipes » Chicken and Turkey

    By Carol · Published: Mar 18, 2019 · Modified: Jul 14, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    Korean Braised Chicken Thighs

    Jump to Recipe
    4.48 from 61 votes
    1 hour
    Korean Braised Chicken Thighs use the most flavorful and budget-friendly part of the chicken for a dish you'll crave again and again!

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

    Photo of Korean Braised Chicken Thighs in white bowls with rice garnished with scallion and sesame seeds.

    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.

    Photo of browned chicken thighs in cast iron skillet.

    • 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!

    Photo of Korean Braised Chicken Thighs in cast iron skillet.

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

    Photo of Korean Braised Chicken Thighs in cast iron skillet before being garnished.

    • Garnish with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallion…

    Photo of Korean Braised Chicken Thighs in cast iron skillet garnished with scallion and sesame seeds.

    • Serve with brown rice…

    Photo of two servings of Korean Braised Chicken Thighs in white bowls on gray background.

    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 - Overhead shot of dish in cast iron skillet garnished with scallion and sesame seeds

    Korean Braised Chicken Thighs

    4.48 from 61 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!
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE
    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
      

    • 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.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment, star rating or post your photo on Instagram and tag @fromachefskitchen.

    More Chicken and Turkey

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    Categories: Chicken and Turkey

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mike says

      January 13, 2022 at 9:56 am

      Would you double the sauce if doubling the chicken thighs?

      Reply
      • Carol says

        January 13, 2022 at 10:37 am

        Hi, Mike, Thanks so much for your question. It depends on if you want the extra sauce to serve over rice. One reader said there was a lot of sauce; I tend to like things saucier. After combining everything, look at how much you have and see if you think you have enough based on the size of the chicken thighs you have. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    2. PhotoTravelGal says

      December 06, 2021 at 5:51 pm

      Excellent and this works in the pressure cooker as well (reduce the soup to 2/3c and add 1T honey and palm sugar if using boneless skinless smart chicken thighs).

      Reply
      • Carol says

        December 07, 2021 at 6:35 am

        Awesome! Thanks so very much, glad you enjoyed and appreciate the information for my other readers!

        Reply
    3. F. Broccoli says

      October 14, 2021 at 12:13 am

      I made these the other night and they were a big hit. Instead of using the corn starch, I reduced the sauce until I could leave a trail with a spatula, then took it off the heat and stirred in some butter, like a western pan sauce. Maybe not authentic, but delicious.

      This also made a lot of sauce, which I won’t complain about, but one could probably increase the chicken thighs to six or eight, given enough pan space.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        October 14, 2021 at 7:34 am

        Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Appreciate the tip on the sauce; I tend to like things fairly saucy especially if I’ve got rice on the side. Thanks again!

        Reply
    4. Joan O'Dell says

      July 29, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      Hi Carol
      I was looking for seafood stuffed chicken breasts when I came across your website. I used the recipe you had and they were delicious. I was so pleased to find your website because you have some great recipes that I want to try. I make supper for my son, daughter-in-law and grandson every Monday and Friday so I like to have new recipes to try. Tomorrow I am going to make the Korean Braised Chicken Thighs. I live in a small town on Vancouver Island and I have looked at all the grocery stores that are near me but none of them have gochujang. Is there something I can substitute for it? I will keep looking for it or perhaps I will have to order it through Amazon. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        July 30, 2021 at 7:52 am

        Hi, Joan, Thanks so much and I’m so very glad you found me, too! A food blogger friend of mine just happened to post a recipe to make your own: Here it is: Gochujang Sauce. Hope that works for you and can find those ingredients. You can also order it on Amazon. Thanks again and so glad you enjoyed the Crab-Stuffed Chicken Breasts!

        Reply
    5. Curious says

      February 09, 2021 at 12:37 pm

      Do you cover it while it’s simmering? I’m guessing not, to let the sauce reduce? It’ll affect the cooking time so it’s good to know for sure.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        February 10, 2021 at 8:22 am

        Hi, Curious, Thanks so much for your question. I don’t cover it for that reason. You could cover for 10-15 minutes to speed it up but then uncover and let it reduce. Fortunately, chicken thighs can take the heat and don’t dry out as quickly. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    6. Bethany says

      January 09, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      Too spicy for my Mum’, but it didn’t bother me, I loved it and was practically licking the pan when finished. I will say that one piece of chicken per person isn’t enough, but aside from that, AMAZING!

      Reply
    7. Michelle LaRue says

      December 30, 2020 at 9:46 pm

      We made these tonight. They were fabulous. We did marinate the chicken in a combo of soy, canola, sesame oil, Korean pepper flakes, and salt/pepper for a few hours. That was only our variance from the recipe. The entire family including our 15 year picky daughter LOVED them. They will go into rotation from here on out.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        December 31, 2020 at 9:10 am

        Hi, Michelle, Thanks so very much and so glad everyone enjoyed! Love that your picky daughter even enjoyed it!

        Reply
    8. Heather W Torrance says

      August 21, 2020 at 7:13 am

      My husband made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        August 21, 2020 at 7:42 am

        Hi, Heather, Thanks so very much and glad you and he enjoyed it! If you love Korean food, be sure to try my Korean short ribs, too. Thanks again!

        Reply
    9. Lin says

      July 22, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      I made this last night and it was fabulous! My husband hasn’t stopped talking about it. I had steamed some broccoli and added it toward the end just to get it coated with the sauce and that was good too! This sauce would be so good on shrimp too. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        July 22, 2020 at 3:51 pm

        Hi, Lin, Wow! Thank you SOOOO very much! You really made my day! So happy you and your husband enjoyed it! Thanks again!

        Reply
    10. Amanda M. says

      August 11, 2019 at 12:54 am

      I love this recipe and have made it a few times! However, I’ve made a few adjustments. Hope you don’t mind. First, I assume you meant 1/4 cup soy sauce [it just says 1/4 soy sauce above]. I personally use half soy sauce, half ponzu. the ponzu makes the dish slightly brighter. Then, I shred carrots and marinate them in a couple of teaspoons rice vinegar and a tablespoon of sesame oil, salt & pepper and place it on top of the chicken and rice once done. I think the carrots help enormously to counterbalance the richness of the sauce and chicken. I also add a pinch of really hot Indian spice [sorry, not sure what’s in it] to the sauce, because I like it hot! Thank you so much for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        August 11, 2019 at 8:08 am

        Thanks so much, Amanda! So glad this has become a favorite of yours! Also, thanks for pointing out the missing information in the recipe; I’ve corrected it. I’m also happy that you tweaked the recipe to make it your own–recipes are a roadmap but how you get to the final destination is up to you. Thanks again!

        Reply
    11. Anonymous says

      July 01, 2019 at 1:19 am

      5 stars

      Reply
    12. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

      April 03, 2019 at 2:24 pm

      I always have gochujang in the fridge and I can see these chicken thighs making an appearance in our kitchen soon. I’ve pinned.

      Reply
      • Carol says

        April 03, 2019 at 6:23 pm

        Thanks, Karen! Gochujang is something I always have in the fridge now, too! It’s sooo good!

        Reply
    13. Jaime says

      March 27, 2019 at 5:26 pm

      Made these tonight but finished them in the oven! Delicious! I am a new lover of gochujang sauce!!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        March 28, 2019 at 7:12 am

        Thanks so much, Jaime! So glad you enjoyed! I know about the gochujang–it is positively addictive! Thanks again!

        Reply
      • Deb says

        September 08, 2020 at 12:12 pm

        Oven: What temperature and for how long?

        Reply
        • Carol says

          September 08, 2020 at 5:01 pm

          Hi, Deb, Thanks so much for your question. I haven’t made this in the oven but would bake at 375 degrees with the onion in a baking dish for at least 30 minutes or until cooked through. Combine the sauce ingredients along with the cornstarch and bring that to a simmer on the stovetop until thickened. Serve that over the chicken. Chicken thighs tend to render off a lot of liquid in the oven so would really dilute the sauce. Hope this helps and let me know how it goes!

    14. Julie Cicero says

      March 20, 2019 at 4:46 pm

      5 stars
      I made this last night. It was wonderful and so easy to prepare. Keep em coming.

      Reply
    15. Anonymous says

      March 18, 2019 at 12:24 pm

      5 stars

      Reply

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