Deutsch Air Fryer Gochujang Chicken Thighs are perfect for a quick and wholesome weeknight meal, requiring just 30 minutes of your time.
The chicken thighs are marinated in Gochujang, a Korean chili paste that adds a delightful balance of sweetness and smokiness.
🌶️ Gochujang (고추장)
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a Korean spicy fermented condiment, made by fermenting a mixture of red chili pepper flakes, sticky rice, fermented soybeans, and salt.
How does Gochujang taste?
Gochujang achieves its unique umami taste through the fermented soybeans, reminiscent of ingredients found in Japanese miso.
How long does Gochujang last?
Gochujang has a long shelf life due to beneficial bacteria and high salt content. Though it won’t spoil, its flavor may fade over time. To keep it fresh indefinitely, refrigerate after opening and use until finished.
More Korean Recipes with Gochujang:
❤️ Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy: With just 30 minutes of cooking time, it’s a convenient option that doesn’t sacrifice flavor.
- Korean Flair: Adding a Korean twist to your daily meals can bring excitement and surprise to your family.
- Healthier Option: Using an air fryer allows you to enjoy crispy and satisfying chicken thighs with less oil and fewer calories.
More Easy Asian Recipes with Chicken Thighs:
🍗 Ingredients for Gochujang Marinade Chicken
- Deboned chicken thighs
- Gochujang chili paste
- Soysauce, Korean cooking syrup, sesame oil, and cooking wine.
- Minced garlic and minced ginger.
📝 Gochujang Chicken Thighs with Air Fryer
- Use a fork or knife to puncture the chicken thighs, allowing the marinade to penetrate deeper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients with the chicken. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Before cooking, preheat your air fryer to 180°C (356°F).
- Place the marinated chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer, ensuring they don’t overlap. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches.
- Air fry the chicken thighs upside down at 180°C (356°F) for 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over, generously brush the marinated sauce onto the chicken, coating them with a flavorful glaze.
- Then continue air frying at 200°C (400°F) for an additional 5 minutes or until the thighs are cooked through and the skin is crispy and golden.
🌟 Helpful Tips
- Chicken drumsticks or Chicken wings also work well with this recipe
- If you are not a chilihead, feel free to substitute a half of gochujang in my recipe with ketchup.
- Korean cooking syrup can be replaced with alternative sweeteners such as honey, agave syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, or even sugar.
- To enhance the flavor, you could marinate the chicken in advance. The longer the chicken marinates, the better the taste. However, remember to let the marinated chicken sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before air frying.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can also pan fry or oven-bake the chicken to achieve a similar delicious outcome.
🥢 How to serve
Some ideas for what to serve alongside your Gochujang chicken thighs:
- Steamed Rice: A classic choice to serve with Korean-inspired dishes.
- Sesame Noodles: Toss cooked noodles, such as soba or rice noodles, in a flavorful sesame sauce. The nutty and savory noodles pair well with the gochujang chicken.
- Fresh Salad: Create a light and refreshing salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and a tangy dressing. The salad provides a fresh and vibrant contrast to the bold flavors of the chicken.
- Burgers or Tacos: For a delicious twist on Western dishes, you can incorporate the flavorful Gochujang chicken filling.
If you’ve tried this recipe or any others from my blog, please share your creations with me on Instagram by tagging #savour_thepho or mentioning me in your stories with @savour_thepho . I would be thrilled to see what you’ve made and it would definitely brighten my day! Don’t forget to stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube 🥰.
Air Fryer Gochujang Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) deboned chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp Gochujang chili paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Korean cooking syrup
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
Instructions
- Puncture the chicken thighs with a knife or a fork, allowing the marinade to penetrate deeper into the meat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients with the chicken, ensuring that the thighs are well coated. Then, let the mixture rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (356°F).
- Place the marinated chicken thighs in a single layer inside the air fryer basket, making sure they don't overlap. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches to ensure even cooking.
- Air fry the chicken thighs at 180°C (356°F) for 10 minutes, ensuring they are placed upside down.
- Flip the chicken thighs. Generously brush the marinated sauce onto the chicken.
- Then, continue air frying the chicken at 200°C (400°F) for an additional 5 minutes, or until the thighs are cooked through and the skin is crispy and golden.
