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Weeknight style 25 Minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ Chicken with spicy garlic butter corn. The super fast Korean chicken and rice bowl that tastes just like your favorite Korean spot in town but made at home! Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, and spicy Korean style Bulgogi BBQ sauce with spicy garlic butter corn. Serve this chicken over steamed white or brown rice with homemade yum yum sauce on the side. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with ginger and garlic, it’s delicious. Major bonus? This comes together in no time at all (under 30 minutes). Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something a little more exciting, but still quick and DELICIOUS.
Thursday night Korean takeout…made quickly at home?
Yes, yes, yes, it’s my favorite kind of night. You all know how much I love cooking Asian inspired recipes at home. Ever since our family’s trip to South Korea for the Olympics, Korean style cooking will always be my weakness. It’s always so good. Sure, this is not your traditional bowl of Korean style bulgogi, but bulgogi is really all about the sauce…or hot sauce. The actual translation means fire meat. Trust me, this bulgogi (plus homemade yum yum sauce) are spot on and so delicious.
So while the chicken itself is pretty classic, the spicy garlic butter corn is the “wild card” vegetable. As you can probably imagine, it’s a pretty delicious addition. And very seasonal for the time of year we are entering. As we change seasons, I love incorporating seasonal produce into everything I’m cooking. Since I recently stocked up on fresh ears of sweet corn, it was my go-to vegetable of choice for this recipe.
The process…
First up, toss the chicken with a little cornstarch and a touch of oil. Tossing the chicken with cornstarch allows it to get extra crispy and caramelize while cooking. This is KEY.
Now make the sauce. This is a pretty simple mix of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and lots of fresh ginger and garlic. The Gochujang adds all the flavor, so you really don’t need much else. Gochujang makes everything good, it’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and salty.
Pan-fry the chicken in a little oil until it is crisp. Then pour over the sauce and let it simmer down. As the sauce cooks, it slowly thickens and caramelizes the chicken.
As the chicken is cooking, cook up the corn in a little butter and garlic. Yes, corn, butter, and garlic, so delicious. Oh, and add a jalapeño for a spicy kick. As I said, this is not traditional by any means, but it sure is good! Remember, it can be fun to switch things up!
By this time the chicken should be done as well.
Let’s finish this Korean bulgogi up.
First, make a quick homemade version of Asian style yum yum sauce. With my oldest brother in town, the rule is to always double the sauce. So while the chicken is perfectly saucy on its own, the yum yum sauce just adds that extra special touch. Is it needed?
No probably not. But is it good? Yes, definitely.
It’s a simple mix of yogurt (sour cream, or mayo, whichever you prefer, we like yogurt), more Gochujang, and a small squeeze of ketchup. Kind of an odd match-up of flavors, but trust me, this sauce is very delicious and the perfect creamy element to this crispy chicken.
Now, add steamed brown or white rice to a bowl. Then add that buttery corn and spoon the Korean chicken over it all. Finish with fresh green onions, cilantro, and toasty sesame seeds.
Enjoy…immediately.
Yes, this is that simple and that quick-cooking of a meal. Honestly, this will take you no more than thirty minutes to make. And aside from the corn, this uses a good amount of pantry staples too.
A couple of helpful notes…
What is Gochujang? If you’re not familiar with Gochujang it’s Korean chili paste. It’s spicy with a little sweetness, and it’s extremely flavorful. It’s traditional in a lot of Korean based sauces and is often used in Korean fried chicken or simply as a dipping sauce. Over here, we love Gochujang. I use it for so much more than just Korean food. It’s good when paired with pretty much anything that you’d enjoy with a touch of hot sauce.
You can buy Gochujang in most grocery stores. I know Whole Foods and Trader Joes carry it. I highly recommend this brand Gochujang. It certainly makes for the best truly Korean food.
Tip? If you love a lot of sauce (we do!), then I would recommend doubling the Gochujang sauce so that you can have extra for serving…yes, in addition to the creamy yum yum sauce. Never enough sauce, you know?
Lastly, while I love the corn with this dish, you can really use whatever vegetable you have on hand. Bell peppers would be my top pick, then broccoli, but you could also use asparagus, cauliflower, bok choy. Really, use whatever you’ve got.
And you guys…that’s it. This takes less than 30 minutes to make and it’s not only delicious but fun too. I know we’re not doing much eating out these days, so this is a fun way to do a “dinner out”, at home!
Looking for other homemade takeout style recipes? Some favorites of mine include…
Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower
Weeknight Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs
Better Than Takeout Sesame Ginger Chicken Fried Rice
Lastly, if you make this 25 minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
25 Minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ Chicken with Spicy Garlic Butter Corn
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 811 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 3 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 ears corn, kernels, removed from cob
- 2 medium shallots, sliced or chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded (if desired) and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 cups steamed white or brown rice
- yum yum sauce and sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon oil.2. In a glass jar, combine the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons Gochujang, ketchup, ginger, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 cup water.3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and brown all over until it becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Gochujang sauce mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, then remove from the heat.4. Meanwhile, make the corn. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, corn, shallots, remaining 2-3 cloves garlic, the jalapeño, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until the corn is golden. Stir in the cilantro. Remove from the heat.5. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and top with chicken and corn. Serve with additional green onions, cilantro, and yum yum sauce (recipe below). Enjoy!
Notes
Yum Yum Sauce: Combine 2 tablespoons of Gochujang, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and either 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or olive oil mayo. Season with salt. Sauce keeps for 1 week in the fridge.
Super yummy! I used a coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to cut the sodium.
Hi Sarah,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Way too salty! We were not able to finish the meal.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am sorry it was so salty! Was there anything you may have adjusted? Did you use low sodium soy sauce? Let me know how I can help! xT
Ummm omg. I’m a big HBH fan, but this was a big miss for me. The consistency is definitely similar to a butter chicken — lots of thick sauce that doesn’t cook down. Since the sauce is primarily soy sauce + gochujang, it is SO spicy and salty. And I’m not a wimp about spiciness!! I made and ate this two hours ago and my stomach still hurts. I doubled the recipe and I’m sad that I have all this inedible food now 🙁
Hi Mari,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Doubling recipes can be tricky so that might have been the issue here! xTieghan
This has become a household must for my family! The first time I made it I forgot to add the oil to the cornstarch so it was a bit time consuming , but the second time I added the oil to the cornstarch and it made the process much easier. I also squeezed fresh lime juice into the corn , ahhhhmazzzing !! If you love spicy this is a must try!
Hi Tiffany,
Perfect!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out!! Have the best Monday:) xx
My chicken does not look like what’s in the photo, it came out to be more like a butter chicken/curry chicken creamy sort of look, but it’s still delicious! I wouldn’t mind trying this recipe again. What a fantastic fusion of flavors. It was not too salty at all in my opinion.
Hey Leah,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
This was delicious! I know some reviews said it was salty, but if you eat it all together it really isn’t too salty. I did add a tiny bit of honey. I followed everything exactly, but my chicken didn’t get crispy. Maybe because I used a non-stick skillet? Your pictures always look different than how mine turns out in terms of color. I don’t want to overcook the chicken and make it dry. But it was really good. I added peppers and broccoli with the corn, but that corn with the garlic and shallots and jalapeño was to die for. I love your recipes!!!
Hey Christine,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! I really do think my cast iron helps to give an extra boost of crispiness and color:) xxT
A+! This is the only recipe that I’ve ever made that *everyone* loves! It was a little too spicy for me, so I cut back on the heat and it’s still great. I’m very salt sensitive so I used the tamari lite in place or regular soy and didn’t find it to be salty at all. I served it over ramen noodles (plain, no flavor packet) and added pickled red onions. Everyone is in awe of the tenderness of the chicken and the great flavors. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Hey Katie,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Oh my goodness… I don’t usually comment, but I had to speak up about this recipe.
Firstly, I adore salt and put probably more of it than I should on my dishes. However, this dish was inedible–it was so incredibly salty it made my mouth pucker any time I took a bite. I’m guessing the culprit is the soy sauce (all other Bulgogi recipes I’ve looked at call for 1 tbsp compared to the 1/2 cup in this recipe).
I’m sure this would have been fine with less salt, but I’m so put off I won’t be giving this another try.
Hey Klim,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you found it to be salty! xTieghan
Great combination of flavours. I have to admit not quite at the first attempt. I found the sauce so salty and overpowering that I ended up rinsing most of it off and flashfrying the chicken again. But I liked the flavours enough to try another night using just 1 scant tbsp gochujang and 1 tbsp soy. I never have ketchup so I used some tomatopuree with a little sugar instead. Stuck to the rest as described and it was lovely tasty. Really liked the combination of juicy chicken with crunchy corn. The jalapeno also works really well. I am sure I will make this again when I need a speedy no fuss dinner. Thank you!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxT
25 minutes? No… but worth a try. It’s good, but very salty and added sriracha. Worth a try on the weekend.
Thanks for trying the recipe Elizabeth, sorry it took longer than expected! xTieghan
A little longer prep than a quick weeknight meal but delicious enough to be worth the extra trouble mincing and grating on the weekends. So much flavor, better than going to a restaurant!
Hey Allison,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Excellent flavor and texture. Used thighs as the recipe suggested. I should have doubled (big men eaters in my home.) Cooking time was accurate but there are a tom of ingredients in this recipe, so be prepared but worth it. This one’s going into the books, thanks T. May try with breasts next time.
June
Hey June,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This recipe was easy and super delicious! I didn’t make the yum yum sauce…although I will next time! I also thought about adding some edamame to it as well to veg it up a bit.
Hey Elissa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Made this tonight – very delicious but take it easy on the gochujang if your spice tolerance is mild-medium! We did 1 tbsp instead and it was great – a nice kick with all the flavour. Love the sweetness of the corn with it!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Love this recipe! It’s quick and easy plus has a kick of heat.
Hi Natalie,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
We quite liked it but would skip the corn next time.
Hi Sonya,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. xxTieghan