Chicken Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Chicken)

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.

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

1. Step 1: Whisk the marinade, then toss in the chicken and onion. Cook right away or marinate 30 minutes up to overnight.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Chicken Bulgogi FAQs