Skip the takeout—this sweet, sticky, and spicy Gochujang Stir Fry is way more delicious! It's made with tender chicken that is kept moist with a simple velveting technique and then cooked until delightfully golden and crispy thanks to a quick coating of cornstarch. Add a 4 ingredient stir fry sauce and whatever veggies you have on hand for a weeknight dinner that your family will be looking forward to all day long!
Read the full post for substitutions, step by step instructions, and our top tips for success. Or explore more one pan dinner recipes for this week's menu!
Once I tried the gochujang sauce for chicken from Little Spice Jar, I knew I needed to make a one-pan version packed with veggies! It's SO good and such a simple way to feed a family.
We also make this Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry on the regular, and this Orange Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry when we want to mix it up!
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Why this recipe is worth it
- It's so good that the whole family will love it, no complaints.
- Chicken breast is an affordable way to feed a family!
- It makes great leftovers for the week.
- It's packed with veggies and protein.
Gochujang chicken stir fry ingredients
This recipe can be made with just 4 Gochujang sauce ingredients, plus a handful of pantry staples and veggies. Quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few suggestions for choosing the best options.
- Baking soda: A tiny bit of this helps make the chicken juicy and tender!
- Sugar: Just a bit to help with the golden brown color.
- Sesame oil: I highly recommend using toasted sesame oil - it's extra flavorful!
- Soy sauce: I use regular soy sauce, not low sodium. If you use low sodium soy sauce, taste and season the sauce with extra salt if needed.
- Chicken: Chicken breasts are the easiest (and cheapest) option for this recipe. Trim any excess fat if needed.
- Cornstarch: This will create a beautiful crust on the outside, but also helps thicken the sauce.
- Veggies: Grab some onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and broccoli. Any color bell pepper will work; we typically choose red or orange.
- Honey: Use your favorite brand! It should not be substituted with sugar.
- Gochujang paste: Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste commonly used in Korean cooking. It's sweet and spicy with umami flavor throughout. You can find it in a bottle or small container at most grocery stores. I really like the one from Trader Joes!
- Rice vinegar: This is the best "light" option, but white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar may work in a pinch.
- Garlic: I buy mine already minced to save time, or you can mince your own.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make gochujang stir fry
Start by knocking out all the cutting at the very beginning. You want the slice the chicken in ½ - ¾ inch pieces, making sure they are even. Then cut the onion in ¾ inch chunks, the bell pepper into 1 inch chunks, the zucchini into half moons, and the broccoli into small florets.
Next, velvet the chicken by combining some water, salt, baking soda, sugar, pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a bowl. Whisk it together until it's dissolved, then toss in the chicken.
This process makes the meat extra tender, juicy, and flavorful. It's worth it!
While the chicken is sitting, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it's hot, add the veggies and saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Avoid over stirring to help the veggies get a little bit of color on them. Once they are tender-crisp, remove and set aside.
While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the gochujang sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
In the now empty skillet, heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, still over medium-high heat. While it is heating, add the cornstarch to the marinated chicken and give it a good stir until every piece is coated.
Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken and cook it for 2-3 minutes without touching. Flip the chicken, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove to a plate.
Add some additional oil and repeat this process with the remaining chicken. It usually sticks together, so I usually use a spatula to flip big sections of it simultaneously to make this part easy.
In the now empty skillet, add a drizzle of oil and reduce the pan to medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the sauce to the garlic and simmer for one minute.
Add everything back to the pan and stir well, allowing the sauce to coat everything thoroughly. The skillet will be very full, so stir carefully.
Serve the crispy chicken immediately over rice and enjoy! Feel free to add sesame seeds or green onions on top just for extra flare!
Storage and reheating instructions
Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Keep every drip of that sauce, it's gold!
Reheating instructions: To restore some of the crisp, start it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, then pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Another option is to use an air fryer at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through. Watch it carefully to avoid burning the sauce.
What to serve with this stir fry
This is a saucy dish best served over fluffy white rice (Jasmine rice is my favorite), brown rice, cauliflower rice, or coconut rice. You can also choose to use udon noodles or other cooked noodles of your choice.
If you want your side ready ahead of time, check out our step by step guide to how to freeze rice and how to reheat rice.
Variations
You can really make this recipe your own with any of the following variation ideas!
- Use chicken thighs for extra tender meat, or try pork tenderloin or steak instead.
- Add a little ground ginger to the sauce.
- Make it spicier with red pepper flakes or sautéed peppers (jalapenos would be a good option).
- Change up the veggies! You can literally use anything you like - snap peas, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, onions, green beans, asparagus, celery, or napa cabbage.
Make ahead and freezer instructions
Prep ahead instructions: Stir the sauce ingredients together, chop the chicken, and slice the veggies. Store everything in the fridge in separate sealed containers for 1-2 days, then cook as directed.
Freezer instructions: Stir the sauce ingredients together and cut the chicken. Place both in freezer-safe containers, then freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw completely at room temperature, then cook as directed.
FAQs
I haven't tasted another Korean chili paste that is truly similar in flavor, but I have seen other home cooks use siracha or chili garlic sauce instead. Your best option truly is to use gochujang, which is easily found at many standard grocery stores!
This sauce has a little kick, but isn't extremely spicy. If you like spicy food, I suggest adding some red pepper flakes to increase the spice level.
Yes, to make this recipe simpler you can skip the velveting step. Instead, just coat the chicken in the cornstarch, salt, and pepper called for. The chicken won't be quite as tender, but it will still be a delicious meal.
I do not recommend freezing a cooked stir fry because the chicken will get very tough and dry. To prep it ahead, please see the section above on freezer steps.
Tips & tricks
- Let the chicken cook undisturbed so that it can get that really pretty brown color!
- If you're serving this with rice, get it started first so that everything is ready at the same time.
- If your skillet isn’t quite big enough to fit everything, you can stir the chicken back into the sauce and just serve the veggies on the side.
More Asian inspired recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Sticky Gochujang Stir Fry with Chicken (One Pan!)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2.5 lbs chicken breast cut into ½ inch or ¾ inch pieces
- 6 tablespoon cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 5-6 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 medium onion ¾ inch chunks
- 1 bell pepper 1 inch chunks
- ½ zucchini ½ inch half moon slices
- 1 head broccoli small florets
- 1 tablespoon garlic
Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup gochujang paste
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Combine the velveting ingredients (excluding the cornstarch) in a medium bowl with a whisk until dissolved. Add the chicken and mix well, then set aside for 10 minutes.2 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon pepper, 4 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2.5 lbs chicken breast
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the veggies and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Once the veggies are tender-crisp, remove and set aside.1 medium onion, 1 bell pepper, ½ zucchini, 1 head broccoli
- While the veggies are cooking, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup honey, ¼ cup gochujang paste, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- In the now empty skillet, heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. While it is heating, add the cornstarch to the marinated chicken and give it a good stir until every piece is coated.Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken and cook it for 2-3 minutes without touching. Flip the chicken, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove to a plate.Add some additional oil and repeat this process with the remaining chicken. It usually sticks together, so I usually use a spatula to flip big sections of it simultaneously to make this part easy.6 tablespoon cornstarch
- In the now empty skillet, add a drizzle of oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the sauce to the garlic and simmer for one minute.1 tablespoon garlic
- Add everything back to the pan and stir well, allowing the sauce to coat everything thoroughly. The skillet will be very full, so stir carefully. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Let the chicken cook undisturbed so that it can get that really pretty brown color!
- If you're serving this with rice, get it started before the stir fry so that everything is ready at the same time.
- If your skillet isn’t quite big enough to fit everything, you can stir the chicken back into the sauce and just serve the veggies on the side.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Danielle says
This recipe is so easy to make and so delicious!