Spicy Chicken Bulgogi Recipe

Bored of bland chicken breasts? This Spicy Chicken Bulgogi recipe is made to impress that special someone - yes, that includes you! Self-care in the form of perfectly marinated chicken that does all the hard work?? Yes plz!

Watch How to Make This Spicy Chicken Bulgogi Recipe

🥘 What is Bulgogi Chicken Made of?

The key ingredients for this easy chicken bulgogi, or dak bulgogi, are chicken thighs marinated in a soy sauce-based marinade made of soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar,  gochujang for extra sweetness and spiciness, and a tenderizer like Asian pear, apple, pineapple, or kiwi.

• Chicken: We’re using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this spicy chicken bulgogi recipe because they cook quickly and have more fat than chicken breast. That means they’re much more forgiving when cooking on high heat and won’t easily dry out. Not in the mood for chicken? Swap it out for Beef Bulgogi or Spicy Pork Bulgogi!
• Gochujang: This Korean chili paste is optional for some recipes but I HIGHLY recommend adding it to your bulgogi marinade. It adds an extra sweetness and flavor, AND if you’re a fellow spicy lover, there’s also a spicy gochujang variety for an extra kick!
• Soy Sauce: Go for regular (not low-sodium/light) soy sauce. This is the base of the chicken bulgogi marinade and where the saltiness is going to come from.
• Kiwi: Traditionally, Asian or nashi pear is used as a tenderizer but it’s not always in stock even as Asian markets, so easy substitutes are apple, pineapple (yep, even canned), or kiwi (the golden kind is my FAVE, but the green one is good too). Keep in mind pineapple & kiwi are SUPER acidic though, so ½ kiwi is good for up to 3 pounds of meat. Also, they’re SO good at tenderizing, you shouldn’t marinate longer than overnight, otherwise, they’ll continue to break down the proteins and turn your meat mushy - blehh.

See recipe card for quantities.

🔪 How to Make Chicken Bulgogi

Step 1: Prep & Marinate Chicken 

Prep your chicken thighs by using a mallet, rolling pin, or the back of your knife to pound the chicken so the thickest parts are flattened for even cooking time. This is also perfect for stressful days you need to let out some steam - use your frustration to make a delicious dinner to treat yo’ self! 

This also helps tenderize the meat so it’s a double win 😉

In a Ziplock bag, combine bulgogi marinade ingredients, add the chicken. Give it a little spa treatment by massaging them,  then push out as much air as possible before sealing. I prefer marinating in Ziplock bag so all the meat is fully submerged in the marinade, but you could also use a bowl or airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly against the meat.

Marinate the bulgogi chicken for at least 1 hour in the fridge, up to overnight but no longer.

Step 2: Cook Chicken Bulgogi

Preheat oven to 425 F.

On a foil-lined baking sheet with a wire rack, add chicken thighs flat side down. Bake in oven 5-6 inches from top broiler (that’s the second from the top rack slot in my oven). Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven & fire up the oven to broil or 500 F if you don’t have the broil setting. Flip chicken & cook for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is charred & cooked through. While broiling don’t walk away! Evey oven works differently, especially the broil setting, so watch your chicken with hawk eyes so your dinner doesn’t burn to a crisp.

You’ll know the chicken is done when you stick a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken and read an internal temperature of 165 F. If you don’t have a termometer (still highly recommend you get one bc it’s SO helpful!), you can make a small slice in the chicken and the juices should run clear. 

Remove chicken from oven, allow to rest for at 5-10 minutes before cutting it to keep it juicy. Do you smell that?? Dinner is done… are you drooling yet?

👩🏽‍🍳 Key Tips

• Grill or Stovetop Alternatives: If you don’t want to heat up your house, cook your chicken bulgogi on the grill or stovetop. For the stove, heat your largest pan on medium-high heat with a little oil. Add your chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding, otherwise, they’ll steam instead of caramelize and char.
• Swap for Thinly Sliced Chicken for Faster Cooking: You can buy pre-sliced chicken at Asian markets or easily thinly slice it yourself while it’s still partially frozen. Just pop your chicken in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then cut away (carefully ofc)! Marinate the chicken the cook on stovetop as noted above.

🥗 How to Serve Korean Chicken Bulgogi

Serve your Korean chicken bulgogi with hot steamy rice or Kimchi Fried Rice, kimchi, and banchan like Korean Cucumber Salad or gooey melty Corn Cheese. You can also wrap the chicken bulgogi in lettuce wraps, radish wraps, and/or perilla leaves - trust, it’s SO good! The freshness from the veggies pair SO well with the sweet caramelized and smoky charred flavors. 

Got leftovers? *gasp!* Repurpose them in bulgogi nachos or quesadillas! If you’re craving more chicken, try my crunchy Korean Fried Chicken or my Chicken Recipes or Easy Korean Recipes to fill up your plate!