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Home » Instant Pot » Instant Pot Korean Chicken with Gochujang

Instant Pot Korean Chicken with Gochujang

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Published: May 8, 2019 Updated: Aug 16, 2019 by Paint the Kitchen Red | 6 Comments

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Pinterest pin - plate of grilled chicken with fried rice in background - Paint the Kitchen Red

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!

Instant Pot Korean Chicken - plate of grilled chicken with fried rice in background - Paint the Kitchen Red
I have an Instant Pot Korean Beef recipe on the blog and I thought it was time to share another Korean favorite, Instant Pot Korean Chicken. 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.

 

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.

Tips and Substitutions


I prefer to blend the ingredients so that the marinade is smooth. You could also mince the ingredients very finely.


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.


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.


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 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.


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.


Although bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks are preferred, you can substitute boneless chicken thighs. Pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes if you’re not grilling, and 6 minutes if you are grilling.


Since the chicken is first pressure cooked, you’re grilling it just to finish it off and get those grill marks. I usually grill it for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.


Make ahead tip: 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.

If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot  DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Korean Chicken.

Jump to Recipe

 Instant Pot Korean Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Ingredients - chicken, onion, gochujang, soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil, broth, garlic, ginger, sugar, mirin - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Chicken
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Sugar
  • Pepper
  • Sesame oil
  • Gochujang
  • Soy Sauce
  • Mirin
  • Broth

How to Make Instant Pot Korean Chicken Recipe (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Instructions 1 collage - marinade ingredients in blender, blended - Paint the Kitchen Red

Make the Marinade

  • For the marinade: blend together onion, garlic, ginger, Gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper and chicken broth.

 

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Instructions 2 collage - chicken in marinade, transferred to inner pot - Paint the Kitchen Red

Marinate the Chicken

  • Marinate chicken in the sauce for about 2 hours.
  • Transfer chicken and sauce to the Instant Pot inner pot.

 

Instant Pot Duo Manual mode 9 minutes collage - close lid, press manual, press - or +, display shows 9 - Paint the Kitchen Red

Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook

  • Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
  • Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘9′ (9 minutes). *

* If you’re not planning on grilling the chicken, you can increase pressure cook time to 11 or 12 minutes.

 

Instant Pot Ultra pressure cook 9 minutes collage - open lid, select pressure cook and set time to 00:09, display says on - Paint the Kitchen Red

Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook

  • Close the lid.
  • Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 9 minutes (00:09).
  • Press ‘Start’.

 

Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooking collage - display shows On, float valve is down, display shows L0:00 - Paint the Kitchen Red Instant Pot Ultra pressure cooking collage - Ultra display shows On, float valve is up, display shows 00 00 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
  • Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
  • The display will count down from 9 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’  or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.

 

Instant Pot Duo natural release cancel and open collage - float valve is down, arrow pointing to Cancel, lid is open - Paint the Kitchen Red Instant Pot Ultra Natural Release Cancel and Open collage - arrow pointing to float valve down, press cancel button, lid is open and Instant Pot Ultra display shows Off - Paint the Kitchen Red

Release Pressure

  • Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR).  The float valve will be in the down position.  This may take 15 to 30 minutes.
  • Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

 

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Instructions 3 collage - cooked chicken, removed to a plate, reduce the sauce by boiling - Paint the Kitchen Red

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.

Saute Mode Instructions

Instant Pot Ultra Duo Saute Function collage - arrows pointing to Saute in Duo and Ultra - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Instant Pot DUO Saute Mode:  Select the ‘Saute’ function.
  • Instant Pot ULTRA Saute Mode:  Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.

 

Instant Pot Korean Chicken Instructions 4 collage - chicken on grill, baste, grilled - Paint the Kitchen Red

Grill the Chicken

  • Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
  • Grill chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until grill marks form, basting with reserved sauce as needed.
Instant Pot Korean Chicken - plate of grilled chicken with fried rice in background - Paint the Kitchen Red

Instant Pot Korean Chicken with Gochujang

In this crowd-pleasing flavor-packed recipe, bone-in chicken is 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 the chicken and serve the sauce on the side, for dipping!  
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Asian, Korean
Keyword: instant pot korean chicken, instant pot korean marinade
Main Ingredient: chicken
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 255kcal
Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 2 Tbsp garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp ginger minced
  • 1/4 cup Gochujang paste
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar or 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Mirin
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 6 chicken drumsticks

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 and pressure cook for 9 minutes * at high pressure.  Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). 
  • Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken pieces to a plate or bowl and set aside.  
  • Reduce the sauce on 'Saute' mode 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.
  • Serve with Instant Pot fried rice, and sauteed vegetables and reserved sauce on the side.

Notes

  • Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, etc.
  • See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
  • * If you're not planning to grill the chicken you can pressure cook it for 11 to 12 minutes.
  • Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1drumstick | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1297mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g
Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your photos! Tag me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed hashtag #paintthekitchenred

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.

If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!

You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:

 

Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken P1 - Paint the Kitchen Red

 

Instant Pot Korean Beef L1 - Paint the Kitchen Red

 

Instant Pot Fried Rice - bowl of rice with vegetables garnished with green onions in blue bowl on blue napkin with chopsticks

Instant Pot Jamaican Jerk ChickenInstant Pot Korean BeefInstant Pot Fried Rice

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue R

    October 23, 2019 at 10:26 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red

      October 24, 2019 at 7:45 pm

      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.

      Reply
  2. Marnie

    June 26, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red

      July 02, 2019 at 12:32 am

      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 🙂

      Reply
  3. Erin

    June 24, 2019 at 6:20 am

    Hi, enjoyed making this for the family. Even the kids enjoyed.
    Erin

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red

      July 02, 2019 at 12:32 am

      Awesome, Erin! Happy kids make happy mama 🙂

      Reply

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Neena profile thumbnail - Paint the Kitchen RedHi there! I'm Neena and on this blog I share my favorite Instant Pot recipes, with step-by-step instructions and photographs to help you make delicious dishes in your Instant Pot. Read More →

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