Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken

I fell in love with Korean BBQ because of my Dad. Whenever he visits me in Colorado he wants to check out one of the restaurants he has seen on the popular television show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. And that is how he and I ended up at Dae Gee Korean BBQ in Westminster, Colorado, during one of his recent visits.

It was my first time experiencing the traditional Korean food BBQ technique, where we cooked small individual pieces of marinated chicken, meat, and veggies at a grill right at our table. The sweet-savory ginger glazed chicken I had that day was some of the best I’ve ever tasted and I couldn’t wait to make some on my grill at home.

Standout Ingredients

This is not the full list of ingredients, but just some notes I wanted to highlight about some of the key ingredients in this healthy Korean style chicken: 

• Chicken – I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because I think they provide the best flavor for this recipe. However, boneless skinless chicken breast meat will also work. Not sure which chicken is the right one to buy? Check out this post about reading poultry labels.   
• Coconut aminos – this condiment is similar to soy sauce but comes from the sap of the young flowers of a coconut tree. Coconut aminos have a slightly sweeter flavor and much less sodium than soy sauce does, which is why I knew it would be a good marinade ingredient for my healthy version of this recipe. There are several good brands of coconut aminos, and the one I buy the most is Nutiva Coconut Secret. 
• Sriracha – I always keep a bottle of this condiment in my fridge for topping breakfast sandwiches, eggs muffins, and much more. It is a popular type of Thai chili sauce that’s made from chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar or brown sugar, and salt. It has a tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet flavor. My favorite brand is the Huy Fong sriracha, which was created by a Vietnamese immigrant in the 1980s and is still made in Los Angeles today. May sub any favorite Sriracha, hot sauce, Thai chili paste, or gochujang sauce. 
• Chinese 5-spice powder – this flavorful spice is popular in Asian dishes, like egg roll in a bowl. True to its name, this spice blend is made from five spices: ground cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns (or black pepper or white pepper). I find that it gives foods a mildly sweet and slightly earthy flavor with a hint of warm spice. 
• Cornstarch – in this recipe, the marinade also doubles as the glaze that gets brushed over the grilled chicken. After bringing the leftover marinade to a boil, I thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (a mixture of cornstarch and water) which creates a perfect Korean BBQ sauce glaze that gets caramelized onto the chicken pieces as they cook on the grill. Arrowroot powder can be used as a substitute.  

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Necessary Kitchen Tools And Equipment

• Grill – I make this recipe on my outdoor gas grill, but it can also be made on a charcoal grill, smoker grill, or grill pan on the stovetop. 
• Metal skewers – it’s helpful to have a set of metal skewers for cooking the chicken pieces on the grill. I bought this set of metal skewers a few years ago and I use them often. Wooden skewers that have been soaked in a bowl of water will also work. 
• Saucepan – after the chicken has marinated (for a minimum of 30 minutes), the chicken gets thread onto skewers. But don’t discard the marinade, because the remainder gets cooked down into a glaze to brush over the chicken pieces on the grill. A small saucepan is necessary to bring the marinade to a boil and thicken the glaze. 
• Silicone brush – I use a silicone brush to generously spread the glaze over top of the chicken skewers while they are on the grill. 

Time To Fire Up The Grill

Once you make this recipe one time, I’m certain it will become a favorite. The key to really good Korean BBQ chicken is to make small pieces of chicken that each get marinated and coated with sauce so every bite provides ultimate access to all the flavor. Here are the basic steps: 

1. Marinate the chicken: Stir together the simple marinade ingredients and add the chopped chicken pieces to it. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
2. Grill the chicken: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grill them for 6 to 8 minutes per side.
3. Make the glaze: Meanwhile, pour the leftover marinade from the bowl into a small saucepan. Bring it to a rapid boil on the stovetop and then turn off the heat. Stir in a cornstarch slurry (mix of cornstarch and water) and return the mixture to a simmer, stirring often. Watch it carefully as it will thicken really quickly into a nice thick glaze. Brush the glaze over the chicken skewers on the grill.
4. Assemble the bowls: Arrange cooked rice in bowls and add the cooked chicken pieces over top. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve while hot.

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Serving Options 

Most often, I serve this recipe bowl style. I remove the grilled BBQ chicken pieces from the skewers and pile them into bowls overtop of cooked jasmine rice. I garnish the bowls with a sprinkle of sliced green onions (scallions), sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes for a slightly spicy Korean flavor. With the saucy dark chicken atop the white rice and with a side of bright green sautéed broccolini, this makes a beautiful presentation that always delivers the Wow factor. 

The skewers can also be served as kebabs along with a side dish of cooked veggies and cooked brown rice or quinoa. And the leftovers taste delicious inside a wrap with fresh greens or coleslaw. 

Best Way To Store And Reheat

I store leftovers of the cooked rice and grilled chicken pieces in separate airtight containers. My favorites ones are the Caraway containers that I mention in this post. They have air release technology, which – I swear – makes food stay fresh for longer. When stored in a good airtight container, the cooked chicken will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. 

To reheat, simply reheat the chicken pieces in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. It may be helpful to add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help loosen the sauce a bit. The chicken can also be reheated in the microwave or even eaten cold. Any leftover cooked Korean BBQ chicken can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I do not recommend freezing leftovers, since the texture and sauce flavor will be compromised. 

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Casey Colodny of The Mindful Hapa.

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