Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli

By Kay Chun

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 5(3,082)
Notes: Read community notes

Gochujang, a staple of Korean cooking, is a fermented red chile paste made from spicy Korean chile peppers and glutinous rice. Here, it’s combined with coconut milk, which mellows the spicy gochujang into a creamy sauce. Fresh ginger is the key ingredient, infusing the sauce with brightness and spice that balance the rich coconut. This recipe calls for broccoli as the vegetable accompaniment, but cauliflower or brussels sprouts would also work. The sauce can be made in larger batches and used on grilled pork ribs, chicken wings or even pan-fried tofu.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2tablespoons canola oil
1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about ⅓ cup)
½cup unsweetened coconut milk
3tablespoons turbinado sugar or 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2tablespoons gochujang paste
2tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1pound broccoli florets, cut into 2-inch pieces
Cooked rice, for serving
Sliced scallions or chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 minutes. Add ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
Add coconut milk, sugar, gochujang and soy sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring until gochujang dissolves. Gently simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch broccoli until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain.
Step 4
Divide chicken and broccoli among plates; spoon with sauce. Serve with rice.

Ratings

5 out of 5

3,082 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Alisa4 years ago

If you have trouble finding gochujang, here's an easier-to-find substitute recipe: 1/3 c miso paste 1/3 c red chili powder (preferably Korean fine powder) 1/4 c brown sugar 1/4 c soy sauce (start with a bit less if you aren't using tamari) 1/4 c water, to thin. 1t garlic powder Mix well!

SOW4 years ago

Slightly on the spicy side — which I liked, but if you don’t, maybe dial down the gochujang a bit. Could also cut down the sugar a smidge. I’d add a squeeze of lime to finish the chicken (and broccoli, why not). Yum.

Drew Goins4 years ago

I did my chicken and ginger in two batches so as not to crowd the skillet with quite so much chicken and got more goldenness that I imagine would have come from the pieces steaming each other all at once. Added the first batch back in at Step 2.

velobaby4 years ago

I used siracha and chicken thighs. Tossed in an entire can of coconut milk and added some garlic. Nice kick. Topped with shredded, unsweetened coconut, peanuts, and a squirt of lime. Easy and delicious.

BerkeleyBoy3 years ago

At the end, while seasoning, I added a couple of teaspoons of fish sauce which really brought forward the wonderful flavors of the ingredients.

Emma4 years ago

I made a few changes: - Reduced the chicken and added more stir fry veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini) - Added an extra 1/2tbsp of gochujang sauce as it didn't have much heat - At the end added the juice of half a lime and some crushed cashews over the top (As per other peoples suggestions) It turned out really tasty - would highly recommend!

Colby4 years ago

This sauce is sooooo phenomenal. I made this with firm tofu instead of chicken and it was silky and delicious!

Chris1 year ago

The sauce alone is worth the price of admission. Coconut milk and gochujang, how brilliant! I used full can of CM since I knew leftover would die in fridge, but still used less than half of sugar and was sweet enough. Replaced chicken with tofu, and since I used full can, was able to cook broccoli in sauce without dirtying another pan. Served with vegan egg noodles. Highly recommend!

RDCollins1 year ago

Very good, easy to make. Two comments: 1. The chunks of chicken don’t need to be browned; just sauté them until they’re no longer pink (the cooking is completed in the sauce); 2. Rather than waste half a can of coconut milk, double the sauce (coconut milk, sugar, gochujang and soy sauce). It’s great on the veggies (especially cauliflower) and rice.

MFP4 years ago

Really enjoyed this. Next time I’ll add some cashews for crunch. Thanks Kay!

Hannah2 years ago

Overall a weeknight winner. My partner referred to it as the faster, simpler alternative to chicken tikka masala. We love gochujang's complex flavor, but some recipes dial down the heat with a lot of sugar. It was easy to adjust this recipe to let the spice sing. Lots of flavor without a lot of work. This will be a regular part of our "lazy" cooking rotation.

jtm3 years ago

Loved this dish! I made it with salmon cubes instead of chicken--didn't use any oil in the process because the salmon releases enough oil when cooking. Served it over farro instead of rice. Not a bit leftover!

God is Love1 year ago

Trader Joe's is now selling Gochujang. Which I have bought, but have not used yet. I'll try it on this recipe. They are also selling a very good Kimchi. Both are products made in the "Republic of Korea", so I'm assuming they are authentic.

kHuovila4 years ago

I made this with vegan chicken (quorn) and substituted Gochujang with sambal oelek - it was still very very good. The chicken really absorbed the sauce to I ended up adding larger amounts of the sauce ingredients.

JG4 years ago

I would think so. Tofu and/or Shrimp for sure.

Tammy41 minutes ago

It was solidly good. Like some others, I squeezed lime into it (and microplane the peel) to give it some zap. Otherwise, made as directed and it was good. Not outstanding but solidly good.

QUAASAM4 days ago

Outstanding!!! Easy. Serve with Bok Choy and rice. A winner for dinner. If sauce is too thin for your liking add a bit cornstarch diluted with water to make smoother.

LD4 weeks ago

Delicious! Cooked with chicken thighs instead of breasts and doubled the sauce. Will definitely make again.

agarrison1 month ago

made half recipe. per suggestions, i reduced the amount of sugar and cut the amount of gochujang in half. next time, try 1/3.

Double The Liquid1 month ago

The sauce is the star of the show here so I doubled the coconut milk

jessica1 month ago

Fast, delicious, and easy to tweak to your preferences. Tofu in place of chicken worked great.

Ragnar2 months ago

Only had saamjang (instead of gochujang) and this was still infatuation-level good.

Vicky2 months ago

According to recipe, the chicken is cooked altogether in 10 minutes. Is that time enough to cook chicken? I don’t think so.

Loves_to_cook2 months ago

Used a whole can of coconut milk, sweetened, because it’s what I had and I added a tablespoon of coconut sugar because it’s what I prefer but otherwise did it as written and as usual it came out great. Not browned like the picture but a nice spicy chicken and veggie dish with a hint of sweetness. Oh, and I sprinkled some gochugaru flakes onto the chicken before browning.

Amy2 months ago

Used all the leftover can of coconut milk, cooked broccoli in the sauce not separately. Excellent

Chef Librarian2 months ago

I had already pounded out boneless skinless chicken breasts when I came across this recipe. I doubled the sauce and used it as a marinade after salt & peppering the breasts and I left them whole. Brushed the grill with coconut oil before grilling. I served with Bittman's Kale and Sugar Snap Pea Salad. It was such a fantastic dinner! I plan to put the extra Coconut-Gochujang sauce on roasted veggies, tofu and rice for lunch tomorrow. May even eventually try this recipe as written! ;D

Cooking in Iowa2 months ago

We love the recipe but my younger kid is sensitive to spice. We replace 3/4 of the gochujang with miso paste. Still has the umami, much less spicy. I hope to slowly increase to full strength gochujang, but it’s a years-long project.

SL3 months ago

I’m really shocked that this is a 5 star recipe. It’s good, not great. But maybe the simplicity is what brings it to 5* territory for some. Felt like somethjng was missing. Maybe a bit of spice.

Kevin2 months ago

@SL: Spiciness can vary a lot with gochujang pastes. You might have used a mild one. I buy a medium-spice level gochujang paste and that's plenty of heat for us. The sugar probably diluted your spiciness further. I didn't think the sugar was even needed with this recipe.

good3 months ago

Made with one package tofu. Added garlic, ginger, shallots. Microwaved tofu until firm ish. Good but will salt or season/marinate the tofu next time and a bit less sugar (2T too sweet). Used about half can coconut milk leftovers and green beans mixed in.

EileenC4 months ago

A number have people have noted concerns about wasting leftover coconut milk. Just wanted to share that it freezes really well. I pour leftover coconut milk into ice cube trays. When frozen, I pop out and store in the freezer in a ziploc bag or deli container. Great for adding to soups, sauces or smoothies. Each cube is about 1 ounce of coconut milk.

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