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.
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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
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
Nutrition
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.
Kristen says
I made this tonight and loved it. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Made lots of sauce which I love.
Carol says
Hi, Kristen, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed! I like lots of sauce, too–so good with rice. Thanks again!