Chicken Bulgogi is simple to prepare, delicious and not spicy. Try this for your next BBQ or just cook it in your pan.
Chicken Bulgogi is often made with a spicy marinade which means gochujang is involved. The flavors of this type of spicy chicken bulgogi are pretty similar to Pork Bulgogi. But, recently, I was asked to develop a non-spicy version for a client and although it took a few tries, it came out so yummy and easy, I had to share that with you all here.
For this recipe, you do NOT need any fresh ingredients except for the chicken. This Chicken Bulgogi marinade can totally be made from pantry items so it would be a great recipe to have for days when you are low on fresh grocery items like fresh garlic, onions, etc. The recipe may not seem like much but believe me when I say it comes out totally and absolutely delicious!
Here I served the bulgogi with some rice and beautiful chrysanthemum tea which is my most favorite to have with Korean food.
So I know many people associate Bulgogi with just beef. And even among Koreans, if you just say ‘Bulgogi’, that means beef bulgogi by default. Although the world bulgogi just means “fire meat” and there’s nothing in there that says beef but it’s one of those things where it has just taken on a certain meaning based on how people use the word. Here’s my Beef Bulgogi recipe if you need it.
History of Bulgogi
The history of Korean Bulgogi goes back to Goguryeo dynasty (37 BC – 668 AD). According to history records, people of Goguyreo 고구려 marinated meats in soy sauce, skewered them and grilled them on open fire. That was the beginnings of what we all know and love today as Bulgogi.
Now, would you believe that Bulgogi almost completely disappeared from Korean cuisine for a time around the Silla dynasty?? Silla’s King Beopheung was a devout Buddhist and in 529, he made a proclamation that prohibited killing of animals for food following the Buddhist philosophy of respecting the life of all living beings.
Remember how in my last post, I talked about Buddhism and Korean culture? Well, as you can see, Buddhism affected Korean food even back from the 16th century.
Anyway, I hope you try making this delicious Chicken Bulgogi soon. It will be great on the grill but you can also cook it indoors on your frying pan and it will come out just as tasty.
Chicken Bulgogi Recipe
Servings: 2 Prep Time: 2hrs Cooking Time: 15 min Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Thighs (boneless and skinless)
- Marinade for Chicken – see Recipe Card below
- 1 fresh green onions, chopped (optional)
- Vegetable oil
- Remove excess fat from chicken thighs with scissors or knife. Flatten each piece out as much as you can by cutting/splitting open some of the thickest parts with a knife. Whether you cook thighs or breasts, I like to split things open to have even thickness so that every part cooks evenly and quicker.
- Add garlic and ginger powder to white wine for it to rehydrate. Like so –
Try my Oven Baked Spicy Gochujang Chicken
If you want a oven baked and spicy version of Chicken Bulgogi, you can try my Oven Baked Spicy Gochujang Chicken recipe HERE.
Easy Chicken Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Thighs (Boneless and Skinless)
Marinade for Chicken
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (Jin Ganjang)
- 2 Tbsp white wine (Chardonnay)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 fresh green onions (chopped) (optional)
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Remove excess fat from chicken thighs with scissors or knife. Flatten each piece out as much as you can by cutting/splitting open some of the thickest parts with a knife. Whether you cook thighs or breasts, I like to split things open to have even thickness so that every part cooks evenly and quicker.
- Add garlic and ginger powder to white wine for it to rehydrate. Like so –
- Add remaining sauce ingredients of 3 Tbs soy sauce, 2 Tbs wine, 2 Tbs sugar and 1 1/2 tsp honey. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, add chicken and marinade for at least 2 hrs or overnight.
- Heat frying pan on medium heat. Drizzle lightly with vegetable oil.
- Take thighs out of the marinade and cook in the heated pan. Use a splatter screen if you have one cause they will be splatterin’!! Also see how my thigh pieces are all spread out after splitting them up a little bit.
- Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes AT LEAST (most likely a little longer) until they are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve with rice and garnish with some fresh chopped green onions.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
ENJOY!!
XOXO, ❤
JinJoo
I love this recipe!! It’s in my meal prep rotation forever now. The marinade is incredibly tasty, a nice sweet flavor that goes super well with roasted veggies! Thank you so much.
Aww thank you so much for the comment. Enjoy!
Hi!
What would be a good substitute for white wine?
Is it because you can’t drink alcohol? Then you can use apple juice or water + little vinegar instead. If you just don’t have white wine you can use sherry or even beer.
Are the thighs skinless and deboned?
Yes they are. Sorry It wasn’t clear. Thank you for asking!
Thanks so much for responding so quickly. I have some good quality chicken thighs I need to cook. I prepared your beef Bulgogi recently, using rib eyes, and it was fantastic.
Awesome!! Thank you for sharing that and hope you enjoy the chicken one. I also have a baked Gochujang chicken that you may like – https://kimchimari.com/korean-spicy-chicken-gochujang/. Cheers!
Great thanks.
This IS a great dish. This will be a frequent with my family. I used an Air Fryer to cook mine instead of a skillet. 350 degrees for 16 minutes flipping half way through. I also heated the juice from the marinade to pour over the rice.
아주 맛있다.
Thank you for letting me know! I saw your comment on FB too.. so I will def. try this in the air fryer as soon as I buy one… lol.
Random question but what kind of pan do you use? Looks like stainless steel? Does it not stick? I’m trying to find a good replacement for nonstick pans…I was afraid of stainless steel because I thought it would stick too much…
I use all-clad stainless steel pan. If you are using good quality stainless steel pan like all-clad or others and use proper cooking techniques, it will not stick. You need to be careful about 3 things – 1. always heat the pan sufficiently before putting on food, 2. use enough oil or food must have enough fat 3. you have to let the food cook sufficiently on one side and caramelize before you attempt to turn it over. most people tend to want to turn it over too quickly. But for low fat cooking, stainless steel may not always work very well. Hope this helps. good luck!