Korean Spicy Chicken Recipe (Healthy, Gluten-Free)

This Korean spicy chicken recipe is incredibly delicious and packed with flavour. Tender, juicy chicken pieces are pan-fried and coated in a mouthwatering spicy, sweet, and savoury Korean sauce. This recipe is inspired by the popular KFC (Korean fried chicken) and is a healthier version, gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

Korean Spicy Chicken (Healthy Version)

This dish is a total winner and will please both chicken and chilli lovers. It’s inspired by the ever-so-popular Korean Fried Chicken (a different kind of KFC), which is crispy deep-fried chicken smothered in a spicy sauce made with gochujang paste (more on this one later).

My recipe is a healthier version of the Korean spicy chicken.

• I’m not deep-frying the chicken in unhealthy vegetable oils.
• My chilli sauce is made with much cleaner ingredients and less sugar.

The taste is still A-mazing, and although a little spicy, it won’t make you break out in a sweat. It’s a mild and warm kind of spicy, very flavourful and on par with the original Korean-style chicken recipe.

If you love healthier versions of popular Asian recipes, make sure to check out my Bang Bang chicken with spicy almond sauce, easy chicken broccoli stir-fry or my clean Mongolian chicken.

Spicy Korean Chili Sauce

The star of the show is the spicy Korean sauce. Traditionally, gochujang paste is used as a base. It’s a savoury, spicy, and pungent fermented condiment made from Korean red pepper – also known as gochugaru – plus glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. 

It’s actually pretty healthy, especially as it uses fermented soy, but the problem is that many commercial brands of this paste also contain MSG and other added flavours and colours.

I am using Korean red pepper instead of the paste and adding other ingredients to recreate the flavour. You can find Korean red pepper in most Asian grocery stores and online on Amazon here.

This Korean chili sauce has smoky, fruity-sweet notes, with a hot kick but it’s not too spicy in my opinion. For chilli lovers, the heat is similar to New Mexico or Poblano peppers, and Indian Kashmiri red pepper is also quite similar.

P.S. Korean red pepper is a great addition to your pantry as it can be used to make kimchi or can be added to stir-fries and stews. You can use regular chilli powder as well but make sure to adjust the amount depending on how hot your powder is. Korean red chilli powder is mild.

Other Ingredients For Korean Chicken

The rest of the ingredients are pretty accessible and once you have everything you need, the recipe is very easy. If you’re shopping on Amazon, I like this brand of fish sauce and this Tamari sauce.

I used chicken thigh meat as it’s more affordable but you can easily make this recipe with chicken wings or drumsticks (you could bake the meat in the oven first and then toss it through the sauce), or you can make kebabs with chicken breast meat, grilled on the BBQ and brushed over with the sauce.

Grilled prawns or pork chops will also go well with this spicy Korean sauce. Basically, it’s super versatile and you can always make a bigger batch to store in the fridge.

How To Make Korean Spicy Chicken

Find the full recipe card with ingredient amounts, instructions, and nutritional info below. Here is a handy step-by-step video and photos.

Step 4. Cook the chicken pieces over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Step 5. In the meantime, transfer the Korean chili sauce to a pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. This will thicken the sauce and cook some of the ingredients such as onion, garlic and ginger, making those flavours more subtle.

Step 6. Once the chicken has cooked on each side, add the sauce over the top and stir through. Cook together for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. The sauce will caramelize and get even stickier.

Finally, sprinkle with some of the sesame seeds and stir through. Then top with green onion and the rest of the sesame seeds.

Serve Korean chicken with cauliflower rice or white rice and some greens. A nice crisp salad is also a good addition.

More Healthy Asian Chicken Recipes

Full Recipe 

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.