Korean Braised Chicken Thighs
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Korean Braised Chicken Thighs use the most flavorful and budget-friendly part of the chicken for a dish you’ll crave again and again! Perfect with Gochujang Eggplant on the side!
“This was FABULOUS!!!! Going to make it again very soon. … The sauce is soooooo good.”
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?
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. 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 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
For more great bone-in chicken thigh recipes, check out: 30 Best Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes.
Korean Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 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 (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, if needed
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Thinly sliced scallion, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together the garlic, ginger, chicken broth, soy sauce, gochujang, mirin, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat the canola oil in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.
- Place the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side. Transfer to a plate. Reserve the oil/fat in the pan.
- Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
- Return the chicken thighs to the skillet and pour the gochujang sauce around them. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, turning the chicken 2 or 3 times so it cooks evenly. Cook until the chicken is tender and registers at least 165°F in the thickest part without touching the bone.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, transfer 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a small bowl. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch until smooth, then stir the mixture back into the skillet. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Serve with brown rice, garnished with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions.
Notes
- You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts (which cook quickly) or chicken leg quarters. Increase the cooking time for larger chicken cuts.
- When mixing up the cornstarch slurry, use the bowl you used to combine the sauce.
- With only 1 cup broth plus the other sauce ingredients, you may find that natural reduction gives you a better, more intensely flavored sauce than thickening it.
- Reheat covered in a 350-degree oven until 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat covered in a 350-degree oven until the thickest part reaches 165 degrees.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
First off, loved this recipe and it came out great! I would love to add broccoli. How would you recommend incorporating broccoli into this recipe (if you would). Thanks so much!
Scott
Hi, Scott, Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! You can certainly incorporate some veggies–in particular, broccoli–into this recipe. I would suggest cutting the broccoli into bite-sized pieces (perhaps no more than 1 1/2 inches in size. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, blanch the broccoli, then drop it into an ice bath to set the color. Drain and pat it dry. Then, depending upon how soft you want the broccoli, add it earlier in the process or later to just heat it through. You can also just add it raw and simmer it in the sauce, but it may not turn out the prettiest color. Thanks again so much and hope this works out the way you want it to.
Taste-wise, this was very good. However it took a long time to cook and made such a mess. I wouldn’t make it again.
Hi, Kathy, Thanks for your feedback. Perhaps your chicken thighs were larger than normal? Can’t speak to the mess part.
I made triple the amount of this meal tonight and it was absolutely delicious, I made some adjustments to cut down the calories. I used boneless-skinless thighs, frying oil was 6 tablespoons, I only used 1 tablespoon and cornflour was 3 tablespoons but I used 2.
Hi, Eleni! Thanks so much and so happy you enjoyed! Quite often, when doubling or tripling recipes, it is entirely possible to cut back on some things so good call. Thanks again and I appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
My family loved this chicken. We are new to Gochujang so I used mild. I had 12 thighs and only doubled the sauce cooking everything in 2 pans. Served it with brown jasmine rice and steamed snow peas. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi, JD, Thanks so very much and so happy you all enjoyed!! I appreciate your taking the time to let me know. Thanks again!!
I made this tonight and it was very good! My husband loved it! I cooked 9 thighs and it had a good amount of sauce. Thank you for a great recipe! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hi, Carolyn, Thanks so very much and happy you all enjoyed!
Can I use chicken wings for this recipe?
Hi, Shabba, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, I don’t see why you can’t. You would want to get the sauced reduced well, so the wings aren’t too “wet.” Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
I made this tonight and loved it. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Made lots of sauce which I love.
Hi, Kristen, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed! I like lots of sauce, too–so good with rice. Thanks again!
Would you double the sauce if doubling the chicken thighs?
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!
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).
Awesome! Thanks so very much, glad you enjoyed and appreciate the information for my other readers!
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.
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!