Instant Pot Korean Chicken is a flavor-packed recipe with bone-in chicken that’s marinated in a vibrant Korean-spiced sauce made with Gochujang chile paste. Serve the chicken and sauce as part of a rice bowl with sauteed vegetables or grill it to make Korean bbq chicken and serve the sauce on the side, for dipping! [Stovetop version of the recipe also included.]
[This recipe was modified in February 2020 to provide stovetop instructions and new photographs.]
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I have an Instant Pot Korean Beef recipe on the blog and I thought it was time to share another one of my Instant Pot Korean recipes, which is my easy Korean chicken recipe. What I love about both recipes is that you blend the marinade ingredients, marinate the meat and then pressure cook. They’re so easy and are great make-ahead recipes for when you know you’re going to be busy.
Learn more about your Instant Pot…
- Start Cooking Later: If you want to have dinner piping hot, set your Instant Pot to Delay Start.
- Deglaze after Sauteing: Avoid the burn message and keep the Instant Pot clean by deglazing the pot.
- Symbols on Display: What do all those icons and symbols mean on your Instant Pot display panel?
- Elevate Your Food: What is a trivet and why should you use it?
- Cook Two Dishes at Once: The Pot in Pot method allows you to cook multiple dishes at once, make cheesecakes, casseroles, lasagna, and hard boiled eggs in your Instant Pot.
- Quick Soak Beans: If you forget to soak beans ahead of time, this Instant Pot hack allows you to soak dry beans in no time!
I’ve been making this recipe since I found it in Bon Appetit magazine’s “rsvp” section a few years ago, where a reader requested the recipe for Gochujang Braised Chicken from Oiji in New York City.
The recipe uses a Korean spice called Gochujang which is a thick fermented spicy chile paste. The paste can be quite spicy but has a sweet component to it. Some brands are spicier and/or sweeter than others; you can experiment and find one you like the best.
I’ve adapted the recipe for the Instant Pot and am really pleased with the result. I like to serve it with Instant Pot Fried Rice or Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice.
Here are some grilled chicken recipes you might enjoy:
– Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken
– Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Tips and Substitutions
Marinade
I prefer to blend the ingredients in my Vitamix blender so that the marinade is smooth. You could also mince the ingredients very finely.
If you’re short on time and can’t marinate the chicken, it’s fine to pressure cook the chicken in the sauce directly. You’ll lose some flavor, but it’ll still be good.
Chicken Wings
To make Instant Pot Korean chicken wings follow my recipe for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Wings, but substitute this Korean chicken marinade for the teriyaki marinade.
Sweeteners
Granulated sugar can be substituted with brown sugar or honey, to taste. You can also add half an Asian pear or Fuji apple to the marinade ingredients instead of sugar.
Gochujang
Gochujang is an ingredient that you may not have on hand. It’s a sweet and spicy Korean fermented red chili paste. I prefer Chung Jung One Gochujang.
These days gochujang is available in grocery stores. I’ve used different brands that are available at regular grocery stores including Mother in law’s brand which is available at Whole Foods and at Amazon.
Gochujang paste is thick. You can also find gochujang sauces, which are the consistency of ketchup and used straight up as a condiment. Try and get the paste.
Mirin
Mirin is another ingredient that you may not have on hand. It’s a Japanese rice wine that adds a sweet and tangy flavor. Many grocery stores sell ‘Aji Mirin’ which is close to Mirin.
How to Serve
I serve this chicken two ways: it’s really tasty over rice with sauteed vegetables and the sauce drizzled over the top.
It also tastes wonderful as a Korean Barbecue Chicken; grill the chicken and serve the sauce on the side for dipping. You could broil the chicken in the oven if you don’t have access to a grill.
Since the chicken is first pressure cooked, you’re grilling it just to finish it off and get those grill marks and caramelization. I usually grill it for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Boneless Chicken
Although bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks are preferred, you can substitute whole boneless chicken thighs. Pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes if you’re not grilling, and 6 minutes if you are grilling.
To substitute boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces, pressure cook for about 4 minutes.
Make Ahead
To make this recipe ahead of time, pressure cook the chicken and refrigerate chicken and sauce separately. Grill chicken right before you’re ready to serve and heat the sauce to serve on the side.
Burn Message
This recipe was made in a 6 quart Instant Pot Ultra and I have had no sealing issues or burn errors. If your Instant Pot is prone to getting the Burn Message, you can try and add an extra ¼ cup of broth.
[Read More: Instant Pot Burn Message]
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Korean Chicken – Ingredients
- Chicken
- Onion
- Gochujang
- Soy sauce
- Pepper
- Sesame oil
- Broth
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sugar
- Mirin
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Korean Chicken in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Blend the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken.
- Pressure cook.
- Release pressure.
- Thicken the sauce.
- Grill the chicken.
Blend the Marinade
- For the marinade: blend together onion, garlic, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper and chicken broth.
Marinate the Chicken
- Marinate chicken in the sauce for about 2 to 4 hours.
- Transfer chicken and sauce to the Instant Pot inner pot.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 9 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure the steam release handle is in Sealing position.
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 9 (9 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 9 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 9 minutes (00:09).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
Thicken the Sauce
- Remove the chicken from the inner pot using a slotted spoon.
- Reduce the remaining sauce in Saute mode (see below) until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Use a splatter screen if needed.
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Stovetop Directions for Korean Chicken
To make this recipe on the stovetop:
- Marinate chicken.
- Brown the chicken in oil in a heavy-bottomed medium pan.
- Add reserved marinade, more broth, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer.
- Cook until chicken is tender.
- Let the sauce thicken.
- Serve chicken and sauce over rice.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Korean Chicken with Gochujang
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon ginger minced
- ¼ cup gochujang paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar or 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth (add 2 extra cups for stovetop recipe)
- 6 chicken thighs or drumsticks
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- For the marinade, add onion, garlic, ginger, Gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper and chicken broth to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer chicken and marinade to a medium bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
- Transfer chicken and sauce to the Instant Pot inner pot. Close the lid and pressure cook for 9 minutes at High Pressure. Note: If you're not planning on grilling the chicken after pressure cooking, increase the pressure cooking time to 11 or 12 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken pieces to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Select Saute mode and reduce the sauce until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Use a splatter screen if needed. Reserve the sauce.
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Grill chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side (optional).
- Serve with Instant Pot Fried Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, or Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice, and sauteed vegetables and reserved sauce on the side.
Stovetop Instructions
- For the marinade, add onion, garlic, ginger, Gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper and chicken broth to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer chicken and marinade to a medium bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
- Remove chicken pieces and reserve marinade.
- In a heavy-bottomed medium pan over medium-high heat, add oil and when the oil is hot, add the chicken. Brown the chicken, turning once. To avoid over-crowding, saute in batches, if needed.
- Add reserved marinade, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add additional 2 cups broth and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer. Cook until chicken is tender, 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if needed.
- Towards the end, take the cover off and let the sauce thicken. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, etc.
- To double the recipe, double all ingredients except the broth.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
- Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Neena has extensive knowledge and lifelong experience in using pressure cookers. The years of practice have honed her skills in maximizing the potential of a pressure cooker, resulting in consistently delicious and well-cooked meals. Her Instant Pot expertise enables her to provide valuable insights, troubleshooting advice, and innovative recipe ideas, making her a reliable source for all things Instant Pot!
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Deb
This had great flavor, was easy to make, and was a crowd-pleaser! I will definitely make again.
My feedback relates to doubling the recipe. I will omit the chicken broth next time, since doubling the other ingredients and including a cup of broth made the resulting sauce far too diluted. No amount of simmering thickened it.
I don’t see any real reason to grill them – they were tender without, and cooked beautifully with increasing the pressure cook time as suggested. I would recommend putting that note higher up in the recipe instructions, however, as that info got buried, and I almost missed it.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Deb, thank you for sharing your experience – that makes sense. I have incorporated your comments into the recipe card.
Diane Moyer
A very tasty sauce for chicken. My husband and I both enjoyed. So nice to find an instant pot recipe with flavor.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much, Diane! I’m thrilled that you like the recipe and found it flavorful. Gochujang does that for you!
Chris
Delicious! So flavorful with just the perfect amount of heat. Will be making again. Thank you Neena!
Alain Rostain
Hi. I was planning to make this tonight (your recipes are outstanding!), but am confused by the photo. It seems to show sesame seeds sprinkled on the chicken, and cilantro too. Could you clarify? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Alain, you can sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the chicken for some flavor and a more finished look – but not necessary. The cilantro just added color to the photo lol! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Alain Rostain
The recipe and meal were delicious. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Great to hear – thank you, Alain!
Sue R
Totally a 5 star recipe. We licked our bowls! We skipped putting it on the grill as we were happy with it as is over rice all lovely and saucy.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Sue! I’m very happy you tried the recipe out because I am not too happy with the photograph for the dish – need to redo it 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
Marnie
I will confess that I bypassed the pot and put my chicken legs straight on the grill, as I was also cooking plain chicken for my spice resistant little guy. But regardless of cooking method, the marinade is insanely good! Spicy, sweet, salty, incredible! I boiled mine again, and will freeze more chicken with it to toss in the pot on a busy weeknight.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Marnie, most of my recipes are regular recipes that I change up for the Instant Pot. So the only thing might be the spices can be stronger because I do increase the spice quantity due to pressure cooking. I’m so happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Erin
Hi, enjoyed making this for the family. Even the kids enjoyed.
Erin
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome, Erin! Happy kids make happy mama 🙂