This page may contain affiliate links. So I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about the flavor bomb food called Korean Baked Chicken!
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If you are like me, then you like FLAVOR PACKED FOODS. No bland food please! LOL
Korean Baked Chicken checks those boxes! This Korean style, spicy baked chicken recipe also couldn't be simpler to make. Bake some crispy chicken, and then baste with a yummy spicy gochujang based sauce and you're in for a delicious treat!
Ingredients
My easy recipe for baked Korean chicken uses chicken drumsticks. I just love getting my hands messy with these, and you will too!
You will need the following ingredients for this Korean baked chicken recipe:
- Chicken drumsticks (can sub other chicken pieces such as chicken wings)
- Aluminum free baking powder (I used Rumford)
- Salt
- Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- Rice wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Honey
- Soy sauce (I used Kikkoman)
- Roasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Green onions (sliced) for garnish
- Olive oil (for oiling the wire rack so the chicken doesn't stick)
Major grocers should carry most of these ingredients. If you can't find gochujang there, check your local Asian market. I have also linked to Amazon for some of these items for convenience sake.
How To Get Crispy Chicken When Baking
I have read that the secret to crispy baked chicken skin is...guess what? Baking powder! I won't go into the science here, but basically the baking powder helps to dry out the skin which results in a crispy skin.
Please note I used Rumford Baking Powder. This baking powder is aluminum free. I recommend using an aluminum free baking powder because I have read that you may experience a funny taste if using a baking powder which contains aluminum.
Instructions
To make this chicken recipe, begin by patting the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as you can. Then toss the chicken drumsticks in a mixture of baking powder and salt in a sealable plastic bag. Try to ensure evening coating as much as possible.
Then put the chicken pieces on a wire rack and and for best results, oil the rack a bit with some olive oil so that the chicken doesn't stick. Place the wire rack over a roasting tin or large baking dish lined with aluminum foil to catch any drips.
Now bake the drumsticks in a 425F oven for around an hour or so. The time to cook your chicken may be a little more or less than one hour depending on the size of your drumsticks. You can use a meat thermometer, such as Meater, to ensure that your meat is cooked safely to an internal temperature of 165F.
The chicken skin turned out pretty crispy don't you think? 😃
The last step and the finishing touch is the gochujang based sauce. It's super easy to make and once you try this you'll want to put it on EVERYTHING!
This hot sauce is a combination of gochujang, rice vinegar, garlic, honey, and soy sauce. No bland here!
Once your chicken is baked, you simply baste this spicy sauce over your crispy chicken or toss the sauce and chicken together in a large bowl (tossing by hand is easier). The sauce should coat all of the chicken so that it is completely covered with the sauce.
Ta da! Your Korean oven baked chicken is now ready to enjoy!
Time To Get Your Hands Messy!!
Now you will have a true challenge...to try to keep from eating the entire batch of baked chicken! Honestly, I ate a few drumsticks at dinner, and then snuck back to the chicken (I mean kitchen!) to have just one more. Three more consumed and there wasn't much left of the 5 lbs of drumsticks that I had cooked! A little embarrassing, but I want to be honest here to give you a head's up. 😃
How To Serve Korean Baked Chicken
I recommend that you serve delicious Korean Baked Chicken garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. You can enjoy with some white rice, and how about some pickled daikon radish and cold beer, just as the Koreans do?
A great side dish to accompany would be some quick and easy cucumber kimchi!
I hope you will enjoy some Korean Baked Chicken soon! Feel free to use the sauce on chicken wings instead of drumsticks if you like. And oh yeah...you'll be licking your fingers with these I promise!! 😃
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Korean Fried Chicken - similar to this but FRIED!
Quick and Easy Cucumber Kimchi
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Cheers!
Grace
Korean Baked Chicken
Equipment
- Wire rack to place chicken on
Ingredients
- 5 lb Chicken drumsticks with skin on can sub chicken wings
- 4 tablespoon baking powder I used Rumford baking powder (split)
- 2 ts salt split
- olive oil use a little for oiling the wire rack so the chicken doesn't stick
Sauce Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon gochujang
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce I used Kikkoman
Garnishes
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds for garnish
- 2 green onions sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F. While preheating remove the chicken to rest at room temp around 30 minutes. Pat dry the chicken drumsticks with paper towels. Try to remove as much moisture as you can.
- REPEAT THIS STEP TWICE, USING HALF OF THE DRUMSTICKS, BAKING POWDER, AND SALT EACH TIME. Mix 2 tablespoon baking powder and 1 ts salt in a large ziplock bag. Coat the drumsticks with this mixture. Try to ensure even coating as much as possible. Shake off excess baking powder and salt.
- Place the chicken on a wire rack. I placed my wire rack on top of a roasting tin that was lined with aluminum foil. You can also place it over a large baking dish to catch the drips.
- Roast the chicken for approximately 1 hr in your 425F oven. I recommend turning the chicken every 20 minutes or so. Check a few times to ensure no burning, etc.
- Meanwhile, create your sauce! Mix the sauce ingredients: gochujang, rice wine vinegar, garlic, honey, and sauce sauce in a small bowl. Leave aside until the chicken has finished baking.
- Once the chicken is finished baking SMOTHER it with the sauce! You can either baste the chicken with a baster, or toss everything together in a large bowl until the chicken is well coated. Tossing by hand is the easiest and best way! Best to wear some food gloves if you have them!
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