Korean Chicken Skewers

This delightfully simple way to prepare Chicken is guaranteed to be a hit. Our Korean Chicken Skewers Recipe is loaded with flavor, and the cooking technique ensures a beautiful crust and caramelization on those tender pieces of Chicken. This Chicken recipe is so versatile, as you can serve it up in so many ways. They’re great with a big bowl of Steamed Jasmine Rice or used as a filling for Tacos and Bao Buns. Alternatively, just enjoy them straight off the Skewers piping hot out of the grill. However you enjoy them, the spicy sweet flavors are a must try!

How to make Korean Chicken Skewers

This dish is simple to make at home and doesn’t require anything fancy to get that wonderful, charred crust on the Chicken. All you need is an oven with a broiler and this dish can easily be made at home. No need for an outdoor grill to replicate that delicious, charred color and flavor, just the trusty broiler!

To begin we need to make a Marinade for the Chicken to soak up flavor. The marinade consists of classic Asian Ingredients of Soy Sauce and Sesame Paste, aromatics of Garlic and Ginger, and the sweetness of Brown Sugar and Honey (which serve as the main ingredients to help caramelize the Chicken)

Gochujang is the key ingredient

The star ingredient in Korean Chicken Skewers, like so many other amazing Korean recipes, is Gochujang. This brilliant red paste is made from fermented soybeans and Chili, and carries a delicious spicy sweet flavor that is truly synonymous with Korean cuisine

Once the marinade is complete, cut up your Chicken Thighs into bite-sizes pieces and soak them in the marinade. I like to use a Ziploc bag as it’s a great way to seal in as much flavor as possible. They’re also a super-clean way to cook, leaving no mess when your done

The Chicken will need to be marinated for at least 4 hours before cooking. I recommend preparing the marinade the day prior and allowing the Chicken to marinade overnight. This will maximize the flavor and produce the best result

When it’s time to cook, begin to thread the Chicken pieces onto the wooden skewers. Pack them in tightly so there are no gaps between Chicken pieces. Allow at least 1 inch of space on either side of the skewer. Once done, it’s time to start cooking!

Grilling using your ovens broiler

This technique we use is a great way to replace the grilling / BBQ flavor and charring without having to use an outdoor grill. It’s perfect if you don’t own an outdoor grill, or you’re cooking in the middle of the Winter!

What you’ll need is a high sided oven pan / sheet pan that is a rectangular shape. Chances are most large wooden cooking skewers are going to be slightly longer than the width of the pan. If so, this is perfect! What you can do is balance the Chicken Skewers over the rim of the pan so that they are elevated. This technique will allow the Chicken to cook quicker and more evenly, as hot air is able to circulate completely around the Chicken

I recommend lining the pan with aluminum foil, as some of the marinade will drip off the Chicken as it cooks. Given there’s Sugar and Honey in the marinade, you don’t want any of that sticking to your pan!

Then, crank your broiler to its highest heat and adjust the racks in your oven so that the Chicken is going to get close to the broiler elements. Then, carefully place the Chicken directly under the broiler and allow it to cook for about 5 – 6 minutes. At this point, flip the Chicken and broil the other side for the same time

For an even better finish, glaze the Chicken with more Gochujang

At this stage the Chicken is almost completely cooked, but the charring is likely to be minimal. To get a beautiful char and brilliant red finish on your Korean Chicken Skewers, remove them from the oven and brush liberally with Gochujang before returning under the broiler

The addition of the Gochujang is going to start to caramelize and char the outside of the Chicken. You can even watch it as it cooks. After about 2 minutes under the broiler the Chicken Skewers will begin to ramp up their charring and caramelization

Once you begin to see the Chicken blacken in sections, it’s done! Remove the Chicken from the oven and they are now ready to serve! I recommend serving these Korean Chicken Skewers hot and straight out of the oven when they’re at their best. You can garnish them with some finely chopped Scallions and Sesame Seeds after they’ve been plated

The best way to serve Korean Chicken Skewers

This dish is so versatile, there’s no wrong way to enjoy eating it! A classic preparation is to serve the skewers over a bed of freshly cooked Steamed Rice. Try it with a nice refreshing Salad such as our Cucumber Salad. The pairing is great as the freshness of the Salad offsets the richness of the Chicken

For something a little more extravagant you can use the Chicken as a filling for Tacos or Bao Buns. We whipped up some delicious Korean Chicken Bao Buns paired with some Cilantro, freshly chopped Scallions and some Chili Sauce. The result was amazing!

Finally, you can just enjoy them by themselves. The flavors of our Korean Chicken Skewers are perfect for just munching away on them straight off the skewers. However you want to enjoy them, give this recipe a try!

Korean Chicken Skewers Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs. Chicken Thighs
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Honey
• 3 tbsp. Gochujang
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
  
  

Equipment needed: Wooden Skewers

Instructions

1. Cut the Chicken into bite-sized pieces and place into a large bowl or Ziploc bag along with the Garlic, Ginger, Soy Sayce, Sesame Oil, Brown Sugar, Honey, and 2 tbsp. of Gochujang. Mix well to coat and marinade for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight)
2. When ready to cook, thread the Chicken pieces onto skewers, leaving about 1 inch of space on each end
3. Balance the skewers over a sheet pan with the sticks holding them in the air. If you don’t have an appropriately sized sheet pan you can simply place the Chicken on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil
4. Place the Chicken under your ovens broiler / grill set over its highest heat. Grill for 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes total)
5. Remove the Chicken and brush generously with remaining tbsp. of Gochujang then place back under the grill to finish cooking. Once charred with an internal temperature of 160F, remove from Oven
6. Place the Chicken skewers on a plate and garnish with Sesame Seeds and (optional) Scallions and serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Alternatively, try cooking these Chicken Skewers on your outdoor grill for a beautiful flavor
• You can also try brushing the Chicken with Honey instead of Gochujang halfway through its cook to get a lovely char and caramelization
  
  

That’s our amazing recipe for Korean Chicken Skewers. Beautifully caramelized Chicken with a wonderful char that tastes like it’s just come off the outdoor grill, with the ease and comfort of cooking them using your ovens broiler

If you enjoyed this recipe then we recommend you also check out these tasty dishes of ours:

• Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers
• Scallops with Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns
  
  

Happy Cooking!