Korean Chicken Kabobs
An amazing combination of sweet and spicy! And the chicken comes out perfectly tender and juicy with a finger-licking sticky glaze!
Have you tried Korean fried chicken yet?
There’s this place in Koreatown a few miles from home that I always go to – probably once a month. They serve it mild, medium or hot. I always get the mild but my mouth is on fire for days!
Still, it’s the best Korean chicken I’ve ever had.
Now I have tried to recreate this, but not the fire-on-the-mouth situation, in kabob form. Because, hello, we’re still smack dab in the middle of summer. We still need like 27 more kabob recipes to get us through this season.
And hey, it’s way healthier than the fried version. So you’re welcome for that.
Now all we need is a super simple gochujang marinade – it’s perfectly sweet and spicy, and it makes for the perfect sticky glaze you just can’t get enough of.
Gochujang is readily available in most grocery stores in the Asian foods section – and you can make so much with the leftover gochujang like bibimbap and kimchi fried rice!
Korean Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- ¼ cup gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set aside.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine gochujang mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers; brush with canola oil.
- Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Brush skewers with reserved gochujang mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.
Did you make this recipe?
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Is there a gochujang brand you recommend?
This was a big hit! Served it with Trader Joe’s fried rice & sautéed bean sprouts! I marinated for about 5 hours. I think the longer the better.
Easy but *damn* delicious! My family and I love everything we make from Chungah. Thank you for another amazing meal!
Oh my goodness! So incredibly delicious this will be repeated in our meal rotation for sure. Recipe was perfect as is. Thank you once again for bringing us another lovely recipe.
You are so welcome, Becky! This is one of my favorites!
absolutely fabulous recipe ! I have also subbed the chicken for pork with tremendous success – thank you for making this my new bbq favourite
You are so welcome, Shirley!
I love pork also. What cut did you use? I was thinking pork tenderloin. Thanks for info.
These are the best!! Not too hot, not too spicy, perfect amount of each!!
2 days in a row? You betcha!!
These kabobs will knock your socks off!! Not too hot, not too spicy, right amount of each!!
2 days in a row?!! Yep!!
Great recipe! I’ve never used gochujang but my local grocery store carried multiple options and it was easy to find in amid the other Asian condiments. My husband loved this recipe. The chicken had a great flavor and was easy to grill. The only thing I noticed was the chicken, even with the reserved marinade brushed on top at the end, did not look anywhere near the color in your photo. Maybe next time I’ll try brushing straight gochujang on at the end to give it that vibrant look.
This looks great! Question, i need to make this gluten free and I can’t find GF gochujang at my local stores. Is there a substitute?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Can I make these in the oven?
Yes, of course.
Can I marinate the chicken and freeze it to use it later in the week?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Closest thing I’ve ate to actual Korean street kabobs I’ve had! Absolutely amazing! Now only if I could find a legitimate Bulgogi recipe my Korean food fix would be complete! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks! Happy you liked it!
This was absolutely delicious! I did the indoor grilling by searing for a couple minutes on each side and then adding into the oven. Chungah, could you provide a recipe for marinated cucumbers to add to the side?? And also for bulgogi leftovers? I would LOVE to try.
Thank you, Whitney! We will do our best!
My family LOVED this recipe (did not alter it in any way). Will add to the rotation, and thank you for your fresh ideas!
Awesome, Carey! We love hearing that.
I lived in Korea for 7 yrs and people will not believe me when I say they have the best fried chicken ever! Kyochon Chicken was my fav! I wish they had it in Charlotte!
That would be amazing if they did!
Great recipe! We ended up not making them as kabobs but instead shredded the chicken and put it in a wrap with romaine lettuce! SO damn delicious!
Sounds delicious!
Excellent! Made this for dinner tonight & we loved it. Thank you for another great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yum! On the books for next week!! Thanks for sharing
We did boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. Saves a step and really juicy. Brown rice and broccoli on the side. A husband pleaser when I want Korean food.
That’s so great! Thanks for sharing.
My high hopes for this recipe began when I sampled the marinade and wanted to sip it off a spoon…the finished dish was amazing! Thanks for the inspiration…now I need more recipes that use the gochujang!
Awesome!