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This Korean Chicken Marinade tastes like your favorite restaurant meal and now it can be made at home! It's the perfect blend of salty, sweet, and savory flavors; the best part is that it's easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients!
Whether you're looking for a new way to spice up your usual chicken dinner or you're looking to make a restaurant-inspired meal at home, this Korean chicken marinade is a great place to start.
What Makes Korean Chicken So Good
Korean chicken is an epic marinade because of its unique blend of spices and flavors that give it its distinctive taste. The most common ingredients used in Korean chicken marinade are used in this recipe!
These ingredients work together to create a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavor that is perfect for any meal. If you love flavorful chicken, be sure to check out my recipe for baked balsamic chicken.
Ingredients
With most of these ingredients in your pantry and fridge, you'll be ready to make this recipe in a matter of minutes. Here is what you'll need:
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos - tenderizes the chicken without the need to add salt to the recipe.
- Brown sugar or Honey – honey is used as a natural sweetener in this recipe to balance out the salty.
- Ground ginger – ginger is another common ingredient in Korean cuisine. It adds a little zing to the flavor profile.
- Sesame oil – sesame oil is used to add a nutty flavor to the dish and also essential for authentic flavors.
- Sriracha sauce – Sriracha sauce is added for spice and heat. The amount in the recipe card is a starting point but feel free to add more if you like!
- Garlic cloves – garlic is a key ingredient in the marinade and an aromatic in Asian-inspired dishes.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - the protein for this dish but can also be swapped for chicken thighs.
How to Marinate Korean Chicken
Grab your ingredients and let's get this party started.
- Make the marinade
In a zip bag or lidded container, combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, Sriracha, garlic, and ginger. - Add the protein
Place the chicken breasts inside the marinade bag, seal, and swish around to combine. - Refrigerate
Place the marinating chicken breasts in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. - Cook
Either bake the chicken in the oven, cook it in a pan, or grill it and watch magic happen. - Discard the Marinade
You don't need it, so toss it!
Watch this quick video to see the marinade magic happen!
If you’re not ready to cook your Korean chicken just yet, you can freeze the marinated chicken to save it for when you’re ready!
How to Cook Korean Chicken
Korean chicken can be cooked in a variety of ways. The most popular method is to grill the chicken, but it can also be baked, pan-fried, or even slow-cooked.
If you’re grilling the chicken, preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through.
If you’re baking the chicken, preheat the oven to 425°F and bake for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
In the slow cooker, place the chicken breasts along with ⅓ cup of the marinade or water and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. In this case it's ok to use some of the marinade since it will be cooked for hours.
However you cook it, it’s the most tasty in my epic Korean Chicken and Rice Bowls!
What to Serve with Korean Marinated Chicken
Now that you have your perfectly cooked Korean chicken, here are a few side dish ideas to round out tonight’s dinner.
Korean Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts, boneless skinless
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce with honey, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, garlic, and ginger. Transfer the mixture to a large zip bag or airtight container and add the chicken breasts. Seal and marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
- Preheat the at 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chicken breasts onto the baking sheet, discard the marinade, and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
Matt says
This korean chicken marinade was really good for my chicken thighs. I grilled them and they had lot of flavor.
Jon R Johnson says
Love ❤️ this recipe! T2D can substitute Brown sugar with brown Swerve, Siracha with Serano Peppers and Sesame Oil with canola oil if needed for Ketogenic diet.
Great flavor! Serve with wild Or cauliflower rice and broccoli Yummy!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoy this recipe! I often use swerve too!