Crock pot chicken thighs have never tasted so good as when you slow cook them with spicy sweet Korean Gochujang sauce. Tender juicy chicken in the most addictively delicious sauce. Next time you're looking for an easy dinner with fantastic flavors, give this slow cooker chicken thighs recipe a try.
If you've ever cooked chicken thighs in a crock pot you know how amazing they are. The low and slow cooking process results in the most juicy, tender chicken that practically falls off the bone. Add sweet and spicy Korean gochujang sauce and the result is off the charts!
I discovered Gochujang when I made this Korean Chicken Stew and it's since become one of my pantry staples. If you don't already love Korean gochujang sauce, this slow cooker chicken thighs recipe will win you over.
When it comes to complex flavor, there really is nothing quite like gochujang. Made from fermented soybeans and chilies, this sauce has a complex range of sweet, spicy, salty and umami flavors. If you want to know more, here's a great ode to gochujang, written by a blogger.
You can purchase Korean Gochujang online, at Asian markets, and in the Asian section of many grocery stores.
As gochujang is very intense, it's generally used in combination with other ingredients to balance out the flavor. For this recipe gochujang is mixed with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar.
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How To Make These Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
You'll need only 20 minutes to prepare this dish. The slow cooker will do the rest.
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and sear them in a hot skillet, skin-side down, until golden, then transfer them to a slow cooker, skin-side up.
- Roughly chop the ginger and garlic and add to a blender with the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar. Blitz the sauce and pour it over the chicken.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for three hours or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is tender.
Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions and enjoy!
Questions you might have about this recipe
Pan searing adds color, crispness and a layer of flavor to the chicken thighs. If you don't have time or you prefer to skip the this step, this dish will still be delicious but I suggest you remove the skin from the chicken thighs before cooking.
Yes. If you use boneless thighs, when serving you'll probably want to shred the meat into the sauce and serve it over rice.
Yes. If you're not using a machine to puree the sauce ingredients, instead of roughly chopping the garlic and ginger, mince it finely, then combine it with the rest of the sauce ingredients and pour it over the chicken.
I don't find this dish too hot or fiery and I'm sensitive to spicy food - it has a nice kick.
I've tried many different brands of gochujang and they do vary quite a bit in flavor and level of heat. My favorite brand, available on Amazon and in some grocery stores, is Chung Jung One O'Food. If you can only find a large container, no worries. Because it's fermented, gochujang will keep for two years in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
This dish calls out for rice or noodles - something to help soak up all the delicious sauce. I also love serving something tender and green on the side such as sautéed spinach, kale or zucchini. If you want serve this with a salad, our Korean Cumber Salad is the perfect accompaniment.
If you try this slow cooker chicken thighs recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs Korean Style
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 generous main dish servings 1x
Description
Crock pot chicken thighs have never tasted so good as when you slow cook them with sweet spicy Korean gochujang sauce. This recipe is perfect for those busy times when you want a great meal without having to spend hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil*
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup gochujang (Korean chili paste)*
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped ginger root (from a 3-inch piece)
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic (about 6 large cloves)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
- 3 scallions thinly sliced crosswise, to garnish
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Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy cast skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Season chicken with salt and sear 4 thighs skin-side down until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and add to the crock pot, skin side up. Repeat with the 4 remaining thighs.
- In a blender or food processor, add the gochujang paste, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, brown sugar and water. Blitz into a sauce and pour evenly over the chicken. Put the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 3 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and tender.*
- Top with sesame seeds and scallions. I suggest you serve this with white rice and sautéed spinach, kale or zucchini.
Notes
*For high heat sautéing, it's best to use a high smoke point oil such as light olive oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil or canola.
*Slow cookers are supposed to cook at a temperature of 190º-200ºF when set to "low," however they are not always reliable. 3 hours at around 200ºF is the perfect amount of time for this recipe but please check for doneness after 3 hours and, if need be, continue to cook the chicken for up to one hour longer, until done.
My favorite brand of gochujang on Amazon
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow cook
- Cuisine: Korean
Carrie Gray
Iin the beginning of your recipe you say it uses gochichang sauce, but in actual recipe it says paste. Which is it?
Lisa Goldfinger
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Carrie. You're right, I listed the gochujang paste in the ingredients and then incorrectly referred to it as "sauce" in the directions. While I've actually made this recipe successfully using both the paste and the slightly thinner sauce (both work!), the paste is definitely what I intended for this version. I made the correction and updated the recipe. I really appreciate your feedback and hope you enjoy cooking this dish!