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
You got the dates wrong. It was the 6th century when King Beopheung ruled, not the 16th century.
Oh thank you!! I am not sure how the ‘1’ sneaked in there cause 529 is the correct year when it happened. Thank you for letting me know.
This is a great weeknight dinner option. Cooked it on stove top skillet, served with steamed rice and simple salad. Chicken was tasty and moist. Definitely a keeper as husband said much better than teriyaki chicken dish from restaurants.
I am going to try using conventional oven and cook at 375 degrees next time to make it with less clean up.
I’m soo happy to hear that! And yes, you can certainly cook it in the oven. I actually have a Gochujang chicken recipe that you can bake in the oven. You may want to follow the instructions there – https://kimchimari.com/korean-spicy-chicken-gochujang/ Thank you!
Hello! I can’t wait to make this but had a couple questions if you could answer them I would so appreciate it!!
Is using white wine a must? Is there any item I can substitute for white wine? Or can I omit the wine?
Also, can I use fresh ginger instead of ginger powder? If so, how many tsp?
No, white wine is not a must but you will need to either substitute it with some other similar liquid to balance out other flavors. You can use mirin, mirim, cooking sake or if you don’t want to use alcohol, you can use apple juice and water instead. Yes, you can certainly use fresh ginger instead. Good luck. Enjoy!
Can I add just Gochujang on this recipe for spicy flavor?
Yes you can add gochujang but if you do, I would reduce the soy sauce as it may end up being a little too salty. Otherwise, it should be fine. You can also try using my Pork Bulgogi recipe which has gochujang and gochukaru (pepper powder) in it. Good luck!
Highly recommend this recipe, it was an absolute delight to eat and effortlessly prepared, my one year old baby also had some of it too and he was saying mmmm, it was delicious. I will be making it again wrote down the recipe. Thank you
Wow!! That’s soo wonderful to hear!! Thank you so much for the great review – your baby is off to a great start with some good homecooked meals.