Chicken Bulgogi Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer or frying pan
Ingredients
Chicken Bulgogi
- 16 oz. chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp white pepper
Optional Garnishes
- Steamed rice
- Sesame seeds
- Scallions
- Fried egg
Instructions
- Place your chicken thighs in a bowl and marinate with gochujang, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper for at least 15 minutes.
- Spray your air fryer with oil and place the chicken inside. Cook at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly caramelized. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a pan over medium heat until fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken and let it rest briefly before slicing into thin strips.
- Serve over a fresh bowl of rice and optionally garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and a fried egg.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Table of Contents
- Chicken Bulgogi Recipe
- Introduction
- Why This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Is So Great For Weeknight Meals
- What Makes This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Stand Out
- Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Chicken Bulgogi
- What to Serve with Chicken Bulgogi
- How to Store Chicken Bulgogi
- Chicken Bulgogi Substitutions
- What to Make Next
Introduction
This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe is a dish that was born to be made in the modern air fryer. I love this little appliance because it’s able to recreate the flavors of grilled Chicken Bulgogi without a huge mess and is much easier than grilling! Additionally, this recipe uses boneless chicken thighs instead of thinly sliced beef, which is much easier to find in regular grocery stores! I’ve made this dish on busy weeknights more times than I can count, and it hasn’t disappointed me at all!
Why This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Is So Great For Weeknight Meals
This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe is great for any weeknight because the flavors fit into almost any situation. The marinade does most of the work, and the air fryer is one of the most convenient ways to cook a meal quickly and without needing to pay attention to every step. One of the best parts is that I’ve engineered this recipe to be relatively forgiving, so the measurements in the marinade do not need to be exact like in other recipes. Whether it’s served like a classic Chicken Bulgogi Recipe with rice or even used as a filling for a wrap, it’s easy to adapt to whatever you’re feeling, which makes those weeknight decisions even easier!
What Makes This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Stand Out
Unlike a lot of other Chicken Bulgogi Recipes that use blended apple pear and onion, this recipe mimics those flavors through a combination of aromatics, like garlic and ginger, with classic Korean marinade ingredients like gochujang, soy sauce, and brown sugar. A lot of the intimidation comes from blending foreign ingredients, and this Chicken Bulgogi Recipe has been engineered to take a lot of those extra steps out but still give you the same result.
Additionally, there’s a few recipes out there that use chicken breast instead of thighs, and while it is a leaner option, you don’t get that caramelization and deep smoky flavor like you would with a leaner cut. This is because the marinade will interact differently with chicken thighs, which not only flavors it, but caramelize with the chicken thigh instead of just burning out the exterior. It’s a simple switch but gives you the closest experience to eating an original bulgogi.
Chicken Bulgogi Recipe Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken thighs – The best cut for this Chicken Bulgogi Recipe. They stay juicy and tender while absorbing the marinade and helping it caramelize.
Soy sauces – The foundation of the marinade. It provides the saltiness and color that every great bulgogi recipe has.
Gochujang – Gives the marinade a little bit of heat and lots of umami flavor!
Brown Sugar – Balances the saltiness and helps create that caramelized exterior while the chicken cooks.
Garlic, ginger, and sesame oil – Adds a strong aromatic base that further emphasizes the flavors of the marinade.
Optional rice – Acts as the perfect base to absorb the sauce and turn this into a complete meal.
How to Make Chicken Bulgogi
Place your chicken thighs in a bowl and marinate with gochujang, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper for at least 15 minutes.
Spray your air fryer with oil and place the chicken inside. Cook at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly caramelized. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a pan over medium heat until fully cooked.
Remove the chicken and let it rest briefly before slicing into thin strips.
Serve over a fresh bowl of rice and optionally garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and a fried egg.
What to Serve with Chicken Bulgogi
This Chicken Bulgogi Recipe is already great by itself, but bulgogi is often served with a bunch of balanced side dishes as well, and here are a few of my favorite side dishes to pair with this:
- Steamed white rice. This is the most traditional way to serve bulgogi. It adds a nice carb to it
- Pickled vegetables. I love to use kimchi or pickled cucumbers to help add another layer of acidity and crunch that helps balance this Chicken Bulgogi.
- Lettuce wraps. If you’re going for a low carb option, this Chicken Bulgogi Recipe works great with lettuce wraps! If eating by itself, I personally love to add ssamjang, which is a fermented soy bean paste that adds another layer of salt and umami flavor.
- Fried egg. Using a fried egg not only adds more protein and healthy fats, but the yolk coats the chicken, which gives an additional layer of richness and flavor to an already flavorful protein!
How to Store Chicken Bulgogi
You can store this Chicken Bulgogi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you would like to marinate the raw chicken ahead of time and place it in the freezer, you can place in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to a month before thawing and cooking per recipe instructions.
Chicken Bulgogi Substitutions
As previously mentioned, this Chicken Bulgogi Recipe is very flexible, and you can use substitute some ingredients like the protein, or which aromatics you use, but it’s up to you! A few of my favorite substitutions are:
- Chicken breast. Even though there won’t be a lot of fat to caramelize the marinade, using chicken breast is a great substitution. However, you need to keep an eye on the cooking time to prevent them from drying out in the air fryer. I would start with 8 minutes in the air fryer and checking periodically as needed.
- Honey. Honey is a great way to sweeten the marinade instead of brown sugar and still provides those caramelization properties. It also has slight floral notes that further build upon the marinade’s aromatic base.
- Veggies. This marinade also works very well with any vegetables! Any grilled summer vegetable like sliced onions, eggplant, asparagus, or bell peppers taste amazing with this recipe.
What to Make Next
Craving more Korean flavors? You’ll love my Korean BBQ Beef!
Want something more indulgent? Try my Soy Braised Pork Belly!
Feeling like noodles instead? Cook my Garlic Beef Noodles!
