Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

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

1. 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.
2. 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.

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4.91 from 11 votes

Easy Chicken Bulgogi

Chicken Bulgogi that is fabulous on the grill or on a pan. Marinade with just pantry ingredients. Delicious and easy to make. Serve with rice, kimchi and lettuce salad (geotjeori).

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

serves: 2 people

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

US Customary – Metric

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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:

Because chicken thighs and breasts take a long time to cook, you need to cook at medium to medium low heat so as to not burn the outside and have still have uncooked inside. 

If using chicken breasts, add 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil to marinade.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 601kcal (30%)| Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)| Protein: 40g (80%)| Fat: 37g (57%)| Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)| Cholesterol: 222mg (74%)| Sodium: 1686mg (73%)| Potassium: 559mg (16%)| Sugar: 17g (19%)| Vitamin A: 235IU (5%)| Vitamin C: 1.2mg (1%)| Calcium: 24mg (2%)| Iron: 2.3mg (13%)

Author: JinJoo Lee

Course:Chicken

Cuisine:Korean

Keyword:bbq, grill, pantry recipe, simple

KoreanCategory:Gui (구이)

Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!

ENJOY!!

XOXO, ❤

JinJoo