Instant Pot Korean Chicken with Gochujang

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.

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

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

• 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.

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 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

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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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