Chicken bulgogi is one of the best chicken dishes of all time, just marinate and cook. Sweet, salty, garlicky, with those sticky caramelized edges everyone fights over. They are so incredibly delicious and versatile. I love making a large batch for the week.
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This chicken bulgogi recipe is bite-size chicken thighs tossed in a soy, brown sugar, mirin and sesame marinade, then cooked in a hot skillet in 15 minutes or in the air fryer in for 25 minutes. No long marinating required. Add gochujang if you want heat, skip it if you don't.
Growing up in Vancovuer, there were so much good Korean food. Bulgogi chicken was a staple in Korean restaurants and we loved it as kids. I love making it at home, now as a mom, because it is so easy and my kids absolutely goes bonkers for it.
I've tested this recipe in the skillet and the air fryer, and both work really well. You can grill it too, but I would use whole chicken thighs and not cut it up into pieces.
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How to make (VIDEO)
Why You'll Love This Chicken Bulgogi
- No marinating needed. Mix everything and cook. Marinate longer if you have time, but you don't have to.
- Two ways to cook it. Skillet for speed, air fryer for hands-off. Both get you that sticky glaze.
- Mild or spicy, one recipe. Gochujang is optional. The kids get theirs plain, you get yours with a kick.
- Pantry ingredients. Soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. That's the whole flavor.
- Freezer friendly. Bag it raw in the marinade and you've got dinner ready for a night you can't be bothered.
Make it for a weeknight dinner over rice, meal prep Sunday, or a Korean BBQ night at home with lettuce wraps and all the sides.
Air Fryer or Skillet? Both Work.
Air fryer: 385°F for 25 minutes with the rack out.
Skillet: about 12 minutes over medium-high heat.
Substitutions
- Soy sauce → tamari. Keeps it gluten-free.
- Brown sugar → honey, white sugar, agave or maple syrup. Any sweetener works here.
- Mirin → rice vinegar. You lose a little sweetness, so taste and add a pinch more sugar if you want.
- Chicken thighs → chicken breast, bone-in thighs, wings, pork or beef. This marinade goes with any meat.
- Want it classic? → add half a grated Asian pear to the marinade. No Asian pear? Use kiwi.
- Gochujang → a pinch of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) for heat, or skip it completely.
See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
How to Make Chicken Bulgogi
- Step 1: Whisk the marinade, then toss in the chicken and onion. Cook right away or marinate 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Step 2 (skillet): Stir-fry over medium-high heat for about 12 minutes, until the sauce turns sticky and the chicken hits 165°F inside.
- Step 3 (air fryer): Take the rack out, add the chicken and all the marinade, and air fry at 385°F for 25 minutes, tossing a couple of times.
- Step 4: Top with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over rice or in lettuce wraps with kimchi.
Grill method: Whole chicken thighs over medium-high heat, 5 to 6 minutes per side, to 165°F.
What to Serve With Chicken Bulgogi
- Steamed white rice. Non-negotiable.
- Asian Coleslaw for crunch
- Sesame Cucumber Salad to cool things down
- Mayak Eggs for the full Korean table
- Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice when plain rice isn't enough
- Lettuce leaves and kimchi for wraps
How to Meal Prep Chicken Bulgogi
This is one of the easiest things to meal prep on the whole site. Double the batch every time. It costs you about five extra minutes of chopping.
Freeze it raw. Split the marinated chicken into freezer bags, press out the air and freeze flat for up to 3 months. The chicken marinates as it thaws in the fridge overnight, so it's ready to cook the next day.
Cook once, eat all week. The chicken is already bite-size, so there's nothing to slice. Store it with every bit of the glaze. That's what keeps it juicy when you reheat it.
Ways to use it across the week:
- Monday: bulgogi rice bowls with kimchi, cucumber salad and a fried egg
- Tuesday: lettuce wraps with rice and a drizzle of gochujang
- Wednesday: Korean-style tacos in warm tortillas with Asian coleslaw
- Thursday: toss it into fried rice with leftover rice and frozen peas
Cooked chicken bulgogi keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, so plan the last bowl by day three.
Related
Love Korean flavors? Try my Korean popcorn chicken, honey gochujang chicken and KBBQ chicken next. More ideas below:
Don't miss out!
Chicken Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Chicken)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients in with the chicken.8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 onion, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp avocado oil, ½ inch ginger, 1 tbsp gochujang paste, 1 garlic clove
- In a large skillet or wok, pan-fry the chicken on medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked. Stir fry until the sauce is caramelized and the chicken is fully cooked. Around 12 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer at 385 degrees on air fry mode
- Place the chicken and the marinade in the air fryer basket.
- Cook the chicken for 25 minutes flipping a couple of times to get a good caramelized crust.
Notes
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces if pan frying
- Marinate for 30 minutes or longer, but not necessary.
- Fridge: up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Video
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @eatwithcarmen in all social platformsChicken Bulgogi FAQs
No, you can cook chicken bulgogi right after mixing it with the marinade. Thirty minutes deepens the flavor, and overnight in the fridge gives you the best result if you plan ahead.
The marinade is basically the same, but the meat changes everything. Beef bulgogi uses paper-thin ribeye that cooks in minutes. Chicken bulgogi uses thighs, which are cheaper, stay juicier and are much harder to overcook.
No, classic chicken bulgogi is sweet and savory, not spicy. The heat in this recipe comes only from the optional tablespoon of gochujang, so you control it completely.
Yes, chicken breast works, but it dries out faster than thighs. Cut it into even bite-size pieces and pull it as soon as it hits 165°F inside.
Air fry chicken bulgogi at 385°F for 25 minutes with the rack removed. Toss it a couple of times so every piece gets coated in the reducing glaze, and start checking at 20 minutes since air fryers vary.
Yes, you can bake it and broil it for the last 5 minutes to caramelize the top. [CARMEN: add oven temperature and bake time]
Yes, raw chicken bulgogi freezes really well in the marinade for up to 3 months. Freeze it flat in a zip-top bag, then thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as usual.
Dak bulgogi is marinated chicken cooked until caramelized, sweet and savory first. Dak galbi is a spicy stir-fry built on a gochujang sauce, usually cooked with vegetables like cabbage.
Lynne says
We loved it. Cooked it in our air fryer. Cranked up the heat for the last two minutes to get a nice char on the chicken. Chicken still nice and moist. Will definitely cook again. Thanks for the recipe.
Carmen Spillette says
You are most welcome!!!
Cynthia says
What if I can't get that kind of pear?
Carmen Spillette says
Hi Cynthia, use kiwi.
Patti says
3 tablespoons cup of soy sauce?! What?!
Carmen Spillette says
Typo - it is supposed to be 3 tablespoons. Sorry about that.
Diane says
When you pan fry the chicken, do you marinate it also?
Carmen Spillette says
Yes. I like to marinate it. It will splatter because of the marinade - be careful. I like to bake it and broil at the last 5 minutes to get a crispy crust.
Lily says
Tried it with or without gochujang , both are still delicious 👍
Gissel says
'what can be used instead of the Korean pear?
Jerry Rutherford says
The author says you can substitute kiwi for the Korean pear
Bet says
Well you can try asian pear or any pear variety
hmm, i think apple can do so
George says
Asian pear is the same as Korean pear.
Zoey says
Easy lunch for my kids. Their classmate love it haha
Sophia says
Thanks Carmen! Never thought Korean recipes could be this easy.
Carmen Spillette says
YESSS! I love Korean food too.