Slow Cooker Korean Chicken

Korean Chicken is an easy and healthy crockpot meal that takes just 10 minutes of prep. The end result is the most amazing sweet, savory, and slightly spicy chicken.

One of my favorite recipes is for this  Korean Beef Tacos. They are a bit spicy and a bit sweet a perfect combo in my book. I was craving them this week but didn’t have any beef on hand so decided to give the recipe a try with chicken.

I combined a pound of chicken thighs (for moisture) and a pound of chicken breasts and it came out great. The recipe makes a great base for tacos or burritos, can be served over rice, and also works perfectly for lettuce wraps.

It also gets better over time so plan on using the leftovers for lunches or quick dinners during the week. Use the leftovers to make Korean Bowls, swapping in chicken for beef.

The sauce for this dish is where the magic really happens. The combination of brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar is the perfect blend of sweet and savory.It's similar to the bulgogi sauce used in these bulgogi ground beef recipe.

Then combined with some fresh jalapenos (or Sriracha) to get some subtle heat, and you have a sauce you will want to eat with everything. 

Our favorite way to eat this chicken is as lettuce wraps. I set everything up on the table and let everyone build their own. The spread includes butter lettuce, shredded carrots, edamame, soy sauce, Sriracha, green onions, sesame seeds, shredded jicama, and cilantro. It's also great for parties since you can leave the chicken in the slow cooker and set everything else up on the side.

What is Korean Chicken?

There are all different types of Korean Chicken recipes but most often it refers to some type of sweet and spicy chicken. The sauce is usually made from a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, gojuchang (Korean hot sauce), and brown sugar. This version uses an Asian chili paste instead of the typical Korean gojuchnag since it can be hard to find in most grocery stores. However, if you can find it, feel free to substitute it.

Tips for Making this Slow Cooker Korean Chicken

• I like to make this dish with a combination of chicken breast and chicken thighs. The thighs bring moisture to the dish, while the chicken breast keeps the calories a bit lower. However, you can use all thighs or all breasts depending on what you prefer. You can also shred the chicken instead of cubing it.
• Using whole garlic cloves add a nice garlic flavor to the whole dish that isn't overpowering. However, if you don't want to use that many cloves, you can use 4-6 diced cloves instead.
• For the spice in this dish, I like to use jalapenos. You could use Sriracha or Asian garlic chili paste as well.
• Don't feel like you have to serve this as lettuce wraps. It's delicious served with rice, quinoa, or spaghetti squash. It's also great in tacos or an Asian style burrito or rice bowl.

Side Dish Ideas 

There are so many directions you can go with this chicken but I like to stick to Asian flavors to complement the dish. Here are some of our favorite sides:

• Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts: These sweet and spicy sprouts are super addictive and a huge hit in our house. 
• Sesame Soy Broccoli: This simple broccoli dish was inspired by my nephew who will only eat broccoli with soy sauce. 
• Healthy Fried Rice: It's hard not to love fried rice but this healthier version is packed with veggies and lower in sodium.
• Ten Minute Cabbage Stirfry: For a quick side dish, make this cabbage stirfry and drizzle some of the extra Korean sauce on top.

More healthy Asian slow cooker recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Chicken Breast and Vegetables
• Slow Cooker Pork Lo Mein
• Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki with Vegetables
• Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Beef

Here are some products I used to create this recipe:

• Slow Cooker: There are so many different slow cookers on the market but I personally use this one that allows me to brown, sear, or saute in the same pan. Plus I find the cooking temperature to be really even and consistent.

This recipe was originally posted in 2014 and has been updated with new photos, tips, and tricks,