Looking to change up your boring chicken meal prep or an easy weeknight dinner? Try this Korean Chicken Meal Prep! It’s easy to make, packed with flavour, and meal preps wonderfully! The chicken thighs are pan seared 5 minutes per side so you’ll have your meal ready in no time!
This post was originally published February 22, 2018. This post has been updated on March 31, 2021 with new photos and tips. As Asian pear was difficult for some to find, I’ve adapted the recipe to use pear juice in the marinade instead.
Korean Chicken Meal Prep
I’m a little obsessed with bulgogi, a Korean BBQ thinly sliced beef or pork dish. They use this sweet but savoury marinade where they blitz up an Asian pear for it’s sweetness and because it makes the meat tender due to the calpain enzyme. As I was made aware that Asian pear is difficult to come by for some (and seasonal), I retested the Korean inspired recipe with pear juice.
Since we are using chicken thighs instead of beef like you do with bulgogi, I’m not super concerned about marinating the meat for tenderizing purposes and am just focusing on flavour, pear juice is the perfect substitute. I also added gochujang to the marinade (it wasn’t in the original recipe from 2018), to add a little bit of extra heat to the chicken.
What You’ll Need
- chicken thighs — boneless skinless thighs
- pear juice — I get mine in a large bottle from a local Korean grocery store (Galleria) but if you can’t find it locally, it can be purchased online.
- soy sauce — I always recommend low sodium soy sauce.
- garlic powder
- salt
- sesame oil
- gochujang
- brown sugar — I totally forgot to add it to the photo but just pretend it’s there ok?
How to Make These Korean Inspired Chicken Thighs
- In a bowl, combine all pear juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, sesame oil, gochujang, and brown sugar. Add in the chicken thighs and coat evenly.
- Let marinade in the fridge for an hour or overnight if possible.
- On medium heat, heat up your skillet or cast iron and 1 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
Tips For Making The Perfect Korean Chicken Meal Prep
- I cook my chicken in a cast iron pan.
- Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. Use an instant read thermometer to check.
- Avoid moving the chicken when you first place it in. Allow the chicken to sear. The chicken will come off the skillet once it’s ready. If you move it too early, the chicken will stick to the skillet and tear.
- Chicken thighs can be swapped out for chicken breasts but you’ll have to change the cook time to avoid overcooking it.
- Change it up by using the slow cooker (great if you want to double the recipe) and you can even shred the chicken to change up the recipe a little.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: store the cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. I usually like to pack this with some jasmine rice and snap peas!
- Freezer: allow the chicken thighs to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
- How to prep this for the freezer: place the marinade and chicken thighs in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
Korean Chicken Meal Prep
Ingredients
Korean Chicken Marinade
- 8-10 chicken thighs, boneless skinless
- ¼ cup pear juice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt, chopped roughly
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp gochujang
Everything Else:
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bag sugar snap peas, steams or boiled or raw if you'd like to serve
- 4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all pear juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, sesame oil, gochujang, and brown sugar. Add in the chicken thighs and coat evenly.
- Let marinade in the fridge for an hour or overnight if possible.
- On medium heat, heat up your skillet and 1 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
- Portion out the chicken thighs into the meal prep containers with your sides or enjoy immediately.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
More Korean Recipes to Try
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Shop my Amazon faves: https://www.amazon.com/shop/carmyshungry
Leave a Reply