Korean BBQ Chicken
On September 24, 2025
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This incredibly tender and charred Korean BBQ Chicken with a sticky, glossy glaze and crispy edges helps you bring restaurant-quality flavors home. With this easy recipe, you’ll turn your backyard into your favorite Korean BBQ spot!
Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken
This Grilled Korean BBQ Chicken brings all the sweet, savory, and gloriously sticky flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ joint straight to your backyard. With this recipe, you’ll create perfectly charred, caramelized chicken bursting with umami goodness. A killer marinade does double duty as a baste, creating layer upon layer of that glossy, finger-licking glaze that makes Korean BBQ so irresistible. Whether you’re a Korean food fanatic or just looking to shake up your grill menu, this recipe brings the flavor in a big way.
Ingredients for Korean BBQ Chicken
With just 9 ingredients and your grill, you can turn your backyard into your new favorite Korean BBQ spot. Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken
The beauty of this recipe is that it works for any cut of chicken. I’m doing mine with thighs, but you can also use chicken breasts or chicken wings. I love thighs because the dark meat stays incredibly juicy and packs extra flavor. Plus, chicken thighs are practically impossible to dry out. But this marinade will make any chicken cut taste absolutely amazing.
Marinade
The marinade is what sets this recipe apart from other grilled chicken and gives you that Korean BBQ flair. Here’s what you’ll need so you can create that sweet-savory magic:
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup mirin (rice wine)
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons gochujang paste (chili paste)
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (grated)
I’ve got a post for this Korean BBQ Marinade if you want to learn more about all the ways you can use it (including turning it into a tangy Korean BBQ Sauce).
How to Make the Baste
The marinade here works double-duty, because for this recipe, you’ll also use it as a baste. Once you finish marinating, remove the chicken, then save the remaining marinade. Add the marinade to a pan, then bring it to a boil over medium heat. This turns the marinade into a food-safe baste to add even more of that sticky, caramelized Korean BBQ flavor to your chicken. Each brush of this glaze builds up incredible layers of sweet and garlicky goodness.
How Long to Grill Korean BBQ Chicken
You’ll be grilling your chicken in 2 stages for this recipe. To achieve this, set your grill up for 2-zone grilling with an overall temperature around 375 degrees F. This means that one side of the grill is hot (burner set to high, or charcoal stacked to one side), while the other side is cool (burners off or no charcoal). If you need a refresher on setting your grill up for two-zone heat, check out this post.
Once you’ve got your heat zones set, place the chicken over indirect heat. Cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes per side so all the fat renders for tender, succulent goodness in every bite. Once your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F, move it to the direct heat side of the grill for 2-3 minutes per side. This finishes cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, and helps it develop those beautiful, crispy edges and caramelized charring that make Korean BBQ so addictive.
Keep in mind, cooking times are always an estimate because every cut of meat and grill are a little different. You should always use a reliable instant-read meat thermometer to ensure food safety.
How to Make Korean BBQ Chicken
With just a few simple steps, you’ll turn common chicken thighs into amazing Korean BBQ right in your own backyard:
- Marinate the chicken. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl or gallon-size zip-top bag. Place the chicken in the marinade, then cover or seal. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You can go overnight if you have the time, but don’t go any longer than 24 hours or your meat can become grainy.
- Preheat the grill. Set your grill up for two-zone grilling with an overall temperature around 375 degrees F. While your grill is heating, remove the chicken from the marinade and remove any excess marinade with a paper towel. This is also when you should turn your marinade into a baste.
- Grill the chicken. Place the chicken thighs on the indirect heat side of the grill for 10-12 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
- Baste the chicken. Move the chicken to the direct heat side of the grill, then use a basting brush to add some of the cooked marinade. Give the chicken 2-3 minutes per side to develop some charring, while continuing to baste occasionally. Once your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175-180 degrees F and has that gorgeous sticky glaze, it’s ready to rest.
- Rest, serve, and enjoy. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, then let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This allows all the juices to redistribute so you get tender, juicy perfection in every bite. After that, garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, serve with rice, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
I like to garnish mine with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions for that authentic Korean BBQ presentation. Serve it over white rice to soak up all that incredible garlicky, sweet-savory sauce. You can even add a side of kimchi for the full experience. Trust me, once you taste this smoky, caramelized chicken, it’ll become a regular in your grilling rotation.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers are unlikely with chicken this delicious, but if you somehow have any remaining, store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm gently on your grill (or in the oven) with medium heat until warmed through, or give it a quick sear in a hot skillet to crisp up those edges again. The flavors actually get even better the next day, so this chicken is perfect for meal prepping.
More Korean BBQ Recipes
After you get a taste of delicious Korean BBQ Chicken you made in your own backyard, you’ll be craving it all the time. Here are a few more recipes to help you scratch that Korean BBQ itch:
You can also find all these recipes, plus make meal plans and shopping lists right from your phone when you use the Hey Grill Hey App.
Korean Grilled BBQ Chicken Recipe
Follow the recipe card below so you can make this juicy, flavorful Korean BBQ Chicken like a total pro. After you try it, make sure to come back and give it a 5-star review and leave a comment telling me how yours turned out. I love hearing about your BBQ wins!
If you snap some mouthwatering photos, make sure to share them to my Instagram and Facebook pages by tagging @heygrillhey. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel for how-to videos, tips, and tricks to help you become a Backyard BBQ Hero!
Korean BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Korean BBQ Marinade
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup mirin rice wine
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons gochujang paste chili paste
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl or gallon-size zip-top bag. Place the chicken in the marinade, then cover or seal. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You can go overnight if you have the time, but don’t go any longer than 24 hours or your meat can become grainy.1 cup soy sauce, ½ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons gochujang paste, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, 4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Preheat the grill. Set your grill up for two-zone grilling with an overall temperature around 375 degrees F. This means that one side of the grill is hot (burner set to high, or charcoal stacked to one side), while the other side is cool (burners off or no charcoal).
- Make the baste. Remove the chicken from the marinade and remove any excess marinade with a paper towel. Transfer the remaining marinade to a pan, then bring to a boil over medium heat. This makes the marinade food-safe to use as a baste later.
- Grill the chicken. Place the marinated chicken thighs on the indirect heat side of the grill for 10-12 minutes per side. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat using a reliable meat thermometer, it’s ready for direct heat.
- Baste the chicken. Move the chicken to the direct heat side of the grill, then use a basting brush to add some of the cooked marinade. Give the chicken 2-3 minutes per side to develop some charring, while continuing to baste occasionally. Your chicken is done grilling when it reaches an internal temperature of 175-180 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
- Rest, serve, and enjoy. Once your chicken reaches a food-safe internal temperature, transfer it to a cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices can redistribute. After that, garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, serve with rice, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
