This Sticky Korean Chicken recipe owes it delicious taste to a flavorful marinade bursting with sweet, sour and savory notes. If you try one new recipe this month, try this Sticky Asian Chicken!
Bold delicious flavors and the ease of preparation will surely win you and your family over.
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Hello friends, this is Julia from Vikalinka popping over to Natasha’s Kitchen to share a recipe and some cooking tips.
I don’t know where you are but we are experiencing an uncharacteristically glorious summer in England this year, so everything I’ve wanted to cook lately mirrored our hot and sticky days. This sticky Korean chicken is no exception.
Sticky Korean Chicken
Korean food has been in the spotlight recently due to its unique but easy to love flavors. However, as much as I would be the first person to order Korean chicken in a restaurant, I felt intimidated to approach it at home for ages until I found the recipe I loved aka easy Korean chicken recipe.
If you are feeling the same, fear not! I will guide you through the process, which turns out to be an easy one.
What is the secret to delicious Korean Chicken?
- First and foremost…the Korean chicken marinade. Letting your chicken bathe in strong and aromatic flavors for at least two hours or better yet overnight, will ensure maximum flavor.
- Secondly, sticking to appropriate cooking times and oven temperature or using a meat thermometer will yield tender and juicy chicken. In other words, it will prevent overcooking the chicken.
- And lastly, don’t forget to baste your Korean chicken half way through the cooking time to impart that delicious flavor.
Can I cook this easy Korean chicken on the grill?
Great question, my friends and I would love to say ‘yes’. Sadly, due to honey being one of the ingredients in the marinade, this Korean chicken tends to catch fire while on the barbecue and burn the skin before the chicken is cooked through.
So unless an extremely charred chicken is your thing, I would stick to the oven.
If you are absolutely set on grilling your chicken, why not try:
- Summer Party Mojito Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Spatchcock Chicken in Spicy Yogurt Sauce
- Juicy Grilled Chicken Breast
- Grilled Garlic Chicken Skewers
Print-Friendly Asian Chicken Recipe:
Sticky Korean Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
For the Korean Chicken
- 3 lbs chicken legs and/or thighs, (bone-in, skin-on)
- 4 green onions
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, oil and red chilli flakes.
- Then add chicken pieces, making sure chicken is fully submerged in the marinade. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375F/200C. Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and place them on parchment lined shallow baking pan. Reserve the marinade.
- Cook the chicken in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear and the skin is dark and slightly blistered. (Internal temperature 180F/82C) Baste with the marinade half way through the cooking for deeper flavour.
- Take the chicken out of the oven and remove to a serving plate, sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds before serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
I was at the end of my 21 days-Daniel fast and had a craving for some Korean chicken . I tried this recipe and it was excellent ! Thank you for this recipe! My guest and I loved it !
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Olga! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Made this for the second time and I always regret making so little :p Sooooo good, my favorite chicken recipe of all time.
I love this! Thank you for sharing that with me Liz!
I made this on the BBQ using the indirect heat method. No flare ups and the chicken was amazing! Thanks for another great recipe.
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with us Scott!
Just made this Korean chicken…..it is scrumptious. The flavor is authentic and the meat is tender. I ended up marinating it for two days and while basting realized it didn’t have the skin on – it was still succulent and due to the extra marinating, fall apart tender. Thank you Natasha for introducing me to Vikalinka – I’ve found another gem!
It is my pleasure!
Such a great review! Thank you so much, Inga!
HI , JULIA…I HAVE A QUESTION…I HAVE ,YOU KNOW A STOVE WITH IT OVEN , BUT I DON’T WANT TO USE IT BECAUSE ,YOU KNOW IS TO BIG JUST TO COOK ONLY MAYBE 6 PIECES…I HAVE A COUNTER OVEN , BUT WHEN YOU SAY THAT WE HAVE TO PUT THEM TO 350 HAS TO BE BROIL, BAKE OR CONVENTIONAL BAKE ?…IN MY COUNTER OVEN I HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE OF THAT IN ORDER TO MAKE SOMETHING…
¿ WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT ?
THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU CAN ANSWER THIS ONE….HUGS FROM MIAMI..
Hi Mercedes, the conventional setting is the best one for it. Using a small counter oven is such a good idea in this heat!
Me and my husband couldn’t stop eatingthid chicken. The recipe is SO SO good!
Thank you for the great review, Oksana!
Hi girls! It’s very unusual that both of you can read And answer 🙂 my question is, why doesn’t my chicken look sticky? I did a a big batch so I doubled the marinade, it looks beautiful but not sticky. Any ideas why? 🙂
Hi Lyuda, the stickyness might’ve dried out in the oven if your temperature was too high or the chicken spent longer in the oven, which caused the sugar to caramelise. If you want it stickier you can boil the leftover marinade and brush the chicken with it after you take it out of the oven.
Will try this tomorrow! Thank you Natasha! Could you teach us how to make an easy Pad Thai? Thanks!
Thank you Zhanna! Enjoy!
Do I have to cover with the foil while baking?
Hi Tanya, we did not cover it with aluminum foil when baking. 🙂
Hi! Would it be okay to marinate it in one those big freezer bags?
Hi Mary, I don’t see why not! 🙂 I hope you love the recipe!
Thanks Natasha! Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it! 😊
You’re so welcome!
Thanks for the recipe, ladies! Great flavor! I just turned them over 5 min after basting and busted again…
I’m happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for following our blog!
With just two of us, we normally have to cook things that store and reheat well. Would this be good reheated for leftovers, and, if so, what would be the best way to do that and retain the flavor?
Hi Britt, you have two options here. You can half the recipe, so you don’t make as much or you can easily reheat this chicken in the microwave. If you prefer using an oven, you can preheat at 400F for 10-15 minutes. This way the chicken skin stays crispy!
is boneless chicken breast ok?
Hi Irina, you would have to modify the recipe since boneless chicken breast cooks faster and keep an eye on it since it can easily overcook and is not as forgiving. I would suggesting chicken thighs instead.
I’m sorry I mdidn’t ant boneless chicken thighs. Those are ok?
Boneless chicken thighs are absolutely fine, Irina. I would reduce the cooking time by 5-10 minutes as they cook a bit faster.
Would this work with chicken wings and drummies?
Hi Kevin, one of our readers reported great results basting drumsticks with this. I hope that helps & we look forward to your feedback if you experiment.
Hi, looks really yummy. Im going to try this now 😋 may i ask if i can use sesame oil or olive oil instead vegetable oil? Thankyou 💖
Hi Liezel, that should be fine, but I would suggest a light olive oil which has a higher smoke point. Most higher heat cooking oils will work.
This looks so tasty, and I love the photos. Great job, Julia! So exciting to see one of your recipes on here. 🙂
Thank you Natasha!
Thanks so much, Natasha!
thanx for the weight exchange rate calculator. im sorry i havent taken much notice of the weights of ingredients atm coz it does my brain in to try to figure them out if im not cooking the particular meal. this is such a great idea & il know how much stuff il need before i make the particular food. thanx thanx thanx.
You’re so welcome Vera!
Hi, Natasha, This recipe it’s very tempting. Honestly, I enjoy all of your recipes ! However, what temperature do you use while cooking this meal ? Aurelia Gabor
Hi Aurelia, We cooked this at 375F for 25-40 minutes or until juices run clear.
Surely you are not basting the chicken in the same solution you used to marinade the raw chicken.
Hi, since the chicken is still baked for 20 minutes after basting, there is no harm in doing so. It is the same marinade that the chicken starts roasting with so it is just a way to get more marinade to stick to the chicken mid-way through baking. You can skip that step and maybe turn the chicken in the oven rather than re-basting if you prefer.
I would love to make this but trying not to use the oven in our 90 degree summer days. Wish there was another way … instant pot perhaps?
Hi Hedy, It might work to wrap them in heavy duty foil and then place them on the grill. I’m not sure about the instant pot – it might be worth experimenting and if you test it out that way, let me know how it goes 🙂
BBQ Griddle is the answer and very useful for veggies and potato slices.
https://www.amazon.com/GrillPro-91212-Cast-Universal-Griddle/dp/B000SORYO8
Hi Natasha,
I am planning on making this today and would like to know, is the ginger raw grated ginger or powder ginger? And does it matter?
Thanks!
Hi Nat, it is raw grated ginger – that gives the best flavor 🙂
Ended up making this yesterday. Soaked the chicken in the marinade for 3.5 hours, however, the flavor was really only on the exterior of the chicken. Perphaps soaking overnight would yield a better result. Otherwise, the flavor was good.
Thank you for sharing that with us Nat.
Can I make this recipe without the chilli flakes my husband cannot eat chillies.
Hi Joan, yes you can omit those or put in less based on your preference. Hope you both like it!
What a surprise to find you, Julia, over on Natasha’s website! lol. Looks and sounds delicious! I’ll be trying this one soon!
Leslie
I’m so excited to have Julia guest post. She is such a talented cook and the sweetest lady. 🙂 I hope you love the chicken!
Hi Leslie, it’s so fun to write for another blog and especially an audience as great as Natasha’s! 🙂
This recipe for Sticky Korean Chicken is amazing! It was definitely sticky , the skin crisped well and the flavor is WOW . I saved the marinade and heated it on the stove to put over the rice I served it on and the family loved it . Without doubt I will make this again and again . Outstanding !
Super! Thank you for your great feedback, Greg.