Easy Korean chicken bulgogi recipe. Learn how to make Korean BBQ chicken at home!
This Korean BBQ Chicken, commonly known as chicken bulgogi or dak bulgogi (닭 불고기), is marinated in tender and flavor inducing soy based marinade.
Not only is this delicious, it’s super easy to make as well. Even better, you should be able to find all the necessary ingredients from your regular grocers. Now let the cooking begin!
What is Chicken Bulgogi
Chicken bulgogi is bulgogi made with chicken.
I explained the terminology – bulgogi before in my bulgogi recipe before but I will briefly explain it again.
Bulgogi means “fire meat” and it is often made with the tender parts of beef, pork or chicken. However, in general terms, unless specified, bulgogi is made with beef.
So since I’m specifying “chicken bulgogi” here, you can easily tell that this recipe is about chicken fire meat.
Some of my readers already have been cooking chicken bulgogi using my beef bulgogi marinade. I even tried that myself during this recipe testing as well.
But I found that the beef bulgogi marinade didn’t quite suit the chicken. I thought the taste was a bit too subtle for the chicken. (Don’t worry, it suits beef, particularly rib eye just fine!)
So I ran many experiments for my chicken bulgogi marinade and I’d like to share it with you today.
Secret Ingredient in Chicken Bulgogi Marinade
Much of the ingredients used in my chicken bulgogi marinades are similar to my beef bulgogi recipe.
However, instead of adding fruit, I added some soft drink called Sprite. I’m sure you probably heard of it.
Anyway, it worked really well to tenderize my chicken (though in general you don’t need to tenderize chicken much) and added a nice sweet flavor.
You can also probably use other carbonated lemon-lime soda brands like 7 Up or similar too.
Some of you might ask me if a coke would work? Well, I tried with that too but the chicken wasn’t as tender as when I used Sprite. Also, I prefer the flavor I got with Sprite.
Additionally, some Koreans might use plum extract; maesil cheong (매실청) as a special flavoring ingredient too.
It resulted in a good outcome. In fact, it was my second favorite choice after Sprite. But it gives a stronger taste note at the beginning and end, so I couldn’t taste the other marinade ingredients as much. So I prefer using lemonade as my top choice.
Cooking the Chicken
If you want tasty char grill flavored BBQ chicken, cook the chicken over a BBQ grill. In particular, direct cooking over a charcoal grill will produce an excellent result.
But if you are after more of a weeknight convenience, stir fry the chicken over a skillet.
Obviously, the texture of the chicken and the taste is slightly different depending on your method of cooking.
Whatever method you choose, you will get the deliciously flavored Korean BBQ chicken!
Serving Suggestions
I think the serving decision could come down to how you cook the chicken.
If I cook it over a BBQ grill, I normally serve it with Korean green salad and maybe some kimchi.
Korean macaroni salad will go well too if you’re after some carbohydrates.
But if I’m cooking it in a skillet, I like to serve it with some steamed rice and have some grilled or steamed vegetables (e.g. broccoli / broccolini / bell peppers). This option is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
You can also create a typical Korean BBQ experience by serving it with lettuce leaves, perilla leaves and ssamjang (korean bbq dipping sauce) too.
But by all means you can serve it with whatever else you crave!
Ingredients for Chicken Bulgogi (Serves 3 to 4)
Main
- 450g / 1 pound chicken thigh (I used boneless skinless thigh, but you can use other chicken cuts of your choice.)
Chicken Bulgogi Marinade
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce, regular
- 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp rice wine
- 1/4 cup Sprite (alternatively , 7 Up or other carbonated lemon-lime soda could be used)
- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ground black pepper
* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
How to Make Chicken Bulgogi
1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. (If grilling, prepare it according to your grill type and your preference.)
2. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. Pour it over the meat. Cover and marinate it for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge to deepen the flavor. You can certainly marinate it for a lot shorter time, but the chicken will be less flavorful.
3. Cook the chicken over a well heated skillet. (If grilling, cook the chicken following your grill manual.) Do not add the leftover marinade. (I use a slotted spoon to minimize the marinade transfer.) Sizzle both sides of chicken over medium high heat then reduce the heat to medium until the chicken is fully cooked.
In the mean time, boil over the leftover marinade in a separate sauce pan for 2-3 mins over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Sieve through any excess fat and undesirable pieces from the sauce. Set the sauce aside.
4. Serve. Glaze the sauce over the chicken.
** If you need more ideas on how to serve this BBQ chicken, go back to the above post. You will find the information under the “Serving Suggestions” in the middle of the post.
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Chicken Bulgogi
Ingredients
MAIN
- 450 g chicken thigh (1 pound), (I used boneless skinless thigh, but you can use other chicken cuts of your choice.)
CHICKEN BULGOGI MARINADE
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce , regular
- 1.5 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp rice wine
- 1/4 cup Sprite (alternatively , 7 Up or other carbonated lemon-lime soda could be used.)
- 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. (If grilling, prepare it according to your grill type and your preference.)
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. Pour it over the meat. Cover and marinate it for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge to deepen the flavor. You can certainly marinate it for a lot shorter time, but the chicken will be less flavorful.
- Cook the chicken over a well heated skillet. (If grilling, cook the chicken following your grill manual.) Do not add the leftover marinade. (I use a slotted spoon to minimize the marinade transfer.) Sizzle both sides of chicken over medium high heat then reduce the heat to medium until the chicken is fully cooked.In the mean time, boil over the leftover marinade in a separate sauce pan for 2-3 mins over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Sieve through any excess fat and undesirable pieces from the sauce. Set the sauce aside.
- Serve. Glaze the sauce over the chicken.
Notes
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250ml
- If you need more ideas on how to serve this BBQ chicken, go back to the above post. You will find the information under the "Serving Suggestions" in the middle of the post.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I used your recipes multiple time already, except I omit rice wine. I am happy with the result. Sometimes I used the chicken as burger’s patty. I didn’t cut it before grilling. Thank you so much for the recipes. 😊
Just made this, had to use gin instead of rice wine and honey for brown sugar. Was delicious, will tweak the recipe for an Irish pallet but really looking forward to trying out some other recipes 😋
Hi Sue, the recipe calls for “rice wine”. I noticed in some of your other recipes you call for “mirin”. Do you consider them the same thing, or do we specifically need rice wine – like sake or Shaoxing (and _not_ mirin) for this recipe?
Thank you.
I don’t consider sake and mirin the same thing because they are different (Mirin is similar to sake, but has more sugar and a lower alcohol content). Though in many English translations, rice wine seems to mean both sake and mirin.
When I call for rice wine in my recipe, I mean mirin or mirim (Korean brand). But in this recipe (& in many Korean marinade recipes), you could use sake or other alternatives as a substitute because there’s enough sweet content from other ingredients (sugar or honey).
Excellent recipe! I failed miserably trying to make the sauce, but otherwise this was delicious. It was my first time using soda as an ingredient. I was skeptical, but it turned out well. Definitely recommend marinating overnight. Will definitely make this again.
Perfect dish for my dieting plan ! Love the portion & the way its cooked Simple yet flavourish ! Thank You Sue ! My fav Korean Homecooked 🙌🏻♥️.
Love from Malaysia 🇲🇾
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I plan to make it tonight. Do you have any tips on how to clean the cast iron afterwards? Do you deglaze it? Thank you!
Perhaps this article might be helpful! https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-a-cast-iron-skillet-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107747 🙂
This was so good! I used sake for the rice wine and a sparkling lemon, apple cider drink for the Sprite. It turned out so tasty! I steamed fresh broccoli, carrots, & red bell pepper and then cooked sticky rice for the side. 100% will make again 😋 Thank you for this recipe.
This recipe is so yummy – it’s a huge hit with my family! Have you ever used verjuice as a substitution for the rice wine?
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed my recipe! As for verjuice, I’ve never heard of it until today. But it sounds promising! I get asked a lot about non-alcoholic substitutes for rice wine. I’ll add it to my next grocery list and try it. 🙂
Today I used verjuice instead of rice wine in one of Korean dish (https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-ground-beef-rice-bowls/) and it worked well. I couldn’t tell the difference. I will have to try more with different dishes, but I’m pleased with the result so far. 🙂
I made this last weekend, everyone loves it including the little ones. Thank you so much!!
Yum!!! Making this tonight…thank you!!
P.S. I really enjoy your site…very informative, makes Korean cuisine approachable!
Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it. 🙂
Thanks i enjoy cooking chicken bulgogi. More power!
Great to hear! 🙂
Hi Sue, may I know if it’s alright to omit the soda water in the Chicken bulgolgi recipe?
If you omit it, it will taste slightly different. It could possibly taste saltier.
thank you sue
You don’t mention if it’s preferable to cut the chicken into chunks prior to marinating. Does it matter on the method of cooking? Obviously if using the bbq grill method, chunks would fall through the grates. The photo looks like small pieces are they cut up prior to serving? Please advise.
I thought I made it clear in the recipe. -> “Step 1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. (If grilling, prepare it according to your grill type and your preference.).” Personally, if grilling, I wouldn’t cut into pieces.
Thank you for a good recipe, and the reminder that it can be made with Chicken!! Cheers!