Slow Cooker BBQ Korean Chicken

16 June, 2021 Anne Klumpp 0 Comments 1 category

I developed this slow cooker Korean chicken recipe because I discovered a container of gochujang in the back of my refrigerator that needed to be used or thrown out. I originally bought it for a grilled chicken thigh marinade. While I have limited experience with Korean food, I knew that gochujang would bring the chicken to a whole new level packing in some spice and loads of umami.

Now with this Korean gochujang chicken recipe, I’m not just using up the last of the gochujang, I’m keeping a bottle of it in the refrigerator because we like it so much that it’s on our list of regular dinners.

Table of Contents

What is gochujang?

Most of the countries in Southeast Asia have their own form of red chili paste. Thailand has sriracha, Indonesia has sambal oelek, and Korea has gochujang. One thing about gochujang compared to the two others mentioned is that it’s usually used in cooking and rarely used as a condiment on its own. Gochujang provides heat combined with sweetness, and a strong savory (umami) note that is enhanced by fermentation. If you don’t have gochujang, you could use another red chili paste, like Sriracha, in its place.

Chicken thighs v. chicken breasts

I used half of each thighs and breasts because I like the flavor and texture of chicken thighs better than chicken breasts. You don’t have to use a combination for this slow cooker spicy chicken, but by using a combination you get the best of both of them without the worst of them.

If you don’t have a slow cooker

You could make this on the stovetop by putting all of the ingredients in a covered pot, bringing it to a simmer, and lowering the heat to simmer at the lowest temperature you can. If you struggle with this as I do in my motorhome’s kitchen, I highly recommend investing in a heat diffuser for the stovetop. Even with the heat diffuser, the chicken will be done in just a couple of hours.

To turn this recipe into instant pot Korean chicken, follow the recipe’s instructions, add a 1/4 – 1/3 cup of water before sealing, and pressure cooking on manual high for ten minutes. Natural release for an additional ten minutes, release remaining pressure, shred the chicken and serve.

Slow cooking in the Instant Pot

I’m embarrassed to admit how many times I had our Instant Pot going ALL DAY LONG on the slow cooker function only to open it up at the end of the day and find that things weren’t cooked. I had no idea that using the pressure cooking lid that it came with would prevent the machine from functioning properly as a slow cooker. Don’t make the same mistake that I made. Find yourself a lid that will fit your Instant Pot or buy a tempered glass Instant Pot lid that will work with your size model.

Time to get cooking!