Kind of spicy, kind of sweet and a whole lot of sticky in all the best ways are what these Instant Pot Korean Gochujang Sticky Chicken Breasts are all about! This is absolutely perfect for weekly meal prep as it’s so versatile!
Quick and Easy Instant Pot Gochujang Chicken
If you’re like me, you get bored with the same 5 chicken recipes. This recipe I developed years ago when I first fell in love with Gochujang. What I love about this recipe, even more than taste is how versatile the chicken is. It’s one of my go-to meal prep dishes that we all love!
This recipe only takes minute to put together and is done in under 15 minutes in the Instant Pot *once it reaches pressure. Let me show you how easy this recipe really is!
Gochujan Chicken Recipe Ingredients
If you’re into Asian flavors, these ingredients should be something you already have in your pantry and fridge:
- Chicken Breasts
- Liquids – soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and gochujang
- Spices
- Veggies – garlic, ginger and green onions
What is Gochujang
Gochujang is a savory, sweet, and spicy condiment made from red hot chile peppers, glutinous rice (sticky rice), fermented soybeans, salt, and more. It’s this super thick, crimson paste. It’s spicy but not set-your-mouth-on-fire hot. It’s not like hot sauce so you can breathe easy on that.
It adds this umami flavor that you just can’t get from say Sriracha or hot sauce. Forget what umami is? Read this article as I go into detail about it in my one recipe.
Now the great thing about this paste is that because it’s made with sticky rice it adds a touch of sweetness to the paste. the chilis add the heat and the fermented soybeans act almost like a miso-type ingredient which brings the whole umami flavor into one cohesive, well-rounded flavor.
How to Make Honey Gochujang Chicken
The whole process is pretty straight forward. I would strongly advise to not skip marinating your chicken. That’s the key to amazing flavor throughout the chicken!
- In a large bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili flakes, Gochujang, honey, garlic, and ginger. Place your breasts in the bowl and gently toss/stir to coat all of the chicken. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the lid on and pressure cook on high for 11 minutes. For larger/frozen breasts, set it to 12 minutes.
- When the time is up, do a quick release (safely) and check the internal temperature of the chicken. You are aiming for 165F.
- When done, remove the chicken and place it on a lined rimmed baking pan.
- Make the sauce by setting the Instant Pot to saute and reduce until it’s thick ~10-25 minutes. Stir constantly and do not burn.
- Baste the chicken and place the pan in the oven and broil to “set the sauce”. Flip, baste and broil for another minute.
Gochujang Chicken Recipe Serving Ideas
There are so many ways to serve this:
- Bowl – add steamed rice or cauliflower rice, some sauteed sugar snap peas with green onions, chopped chicken, extra sauce, and sesame seeds
- Wrap
- Pizza Topping
- Egg Rolls
Storing Leftover Gochujan Chicken
To store this, once cooled, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s recommended to eat cooked chicken within 3-5 days.
PrintInstant Pot Korean Gochujang Chicken
Kind of spicy, kind of sweet and a whole lot of sticky in all the best ways are what these Instant Pot Korean Gochujang Sticky Chicken Breasts are all about! This is absolutely perfect for weekly meal prep as it’s so versatile!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: ~6-8 breasts
- Category: chicken, asian chicken, intstant pot chicken, meal prep
- Method: Instant pot
- Cuisine: chicken, asian chicken, intstant pot chicken, meal prep
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts thawed
- 3/4 cup light soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 4–5 tablespoon Gochujang (red chili paste) *go with 3 if you don’t like spicy
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2–3 large cloves)
- One -1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- Minced green onions
- White sesame seeds
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack inside; set aside. Place your oven rack to the upper third tray.
- In a large bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili flakes, Gochujang, honey, garlic, and ginger. Place your breasts in the bowl and gently toss/stir to coat all of the chicken. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Close the lid on your IP, set the cooking time to 11 minutes/High pressure. If your breasts are frozen or really big set it to 12 minutes/High pressure. When the time is up, carefully do a quick release.
- With tongs, remove the breasts to the rimmed baking sheet and set the IP to sauté or brown function as you’ll need to thicken up the sauce. Depending on how watery your breasts were your sauce can take 10-25 minutes to get to a thickened state. Just stir often to not burn. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Once it gets to that state, remove it from the pot and place in a container to use for basting.
- Slather the bottom side of the breasts with the thickened sauce and broil just for a minute as you want to slightly char the sauce but not burn it. Remove from the oven, flip, baste and return to the broiler for another minute.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Store the remaining sauce in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Can you use boneless thighs and drumsticks. For bone-in thighs and breasts, add another minute or two to the cooking time.
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