⏱ Marinate: 20 min, 2 hrs 🔥Cook: 15 min 👤Serves: 4 🌶Heat: Mild, building
Korean BBQ chicken sandwich takes grilled chicken thighs, marinated in a sticky mix of gochujang, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil, and piles them onto a toasted bun with a crisp, creamy cabbage slaw. No deep frying required here, just a quick marinade and a hot grill or skillet, so it comes together fast enough for a weeknight but tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant. Sweet, spicy, savory, and built for messy bites.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, thighs stay juicier than breast on the grill
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
For the slaw
- 2 cups shredded green and red cabbage, combined
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- ½ cup mayonnaise, full-fat gives the best texture
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
For assembly
- 4 brioche or potato buns
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- Extra gochujang, for serving, optional, for those who want more heat
Step by step
- Marinate the chicken. Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, gochujang, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Add the chicken thighs, turning to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours.
- Make the slaw. Combine the cabbage and carrot in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss with the cabbage and carrot, then chill until ready to serve.
- Cook the chicken. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 6–7 minutes per side, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.Resting briefly before slicing keeps the juices in rather than letting them run out onto the cutting board.
- Toast the buns. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2–3 minutes per side.Toasting the buns creates a barrier that helps keep them from going soggy under the saucy chicken and slaw.
- Assemble. Pile the sliced chicken onto the bottom bun, top with a generous scoop of slaw, and finish with the top bun. Serve with extra gochujang on the side if you like more heat.
The marinade does double duty
Gochujang brings heat and a deep, slightly sweet fermented flavor that soy sauce and honey alone can’t replicate, while the garlic and ginger round it out into something that tastes properly Korean rather than just generically sweet and spicy. Marinating even just 20 minutes makes a difference, but if you have time to go longer, the flavor only gets better.
Make it your own
Claire’s note
For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken for thick portobello mushroom caps marinated the same way and grilled until caramelized. Use tamari instead of soy sauce and gluten-free buns to make the whole thing celiac-friendly. The chicken marinates and freezes well, but skip freezing the mayo-based slaw, it goes watery on thawing, so make that fresh each time.
Serve with
Korean BBQ chicken sandwich pairs well with crispy sweet potato fries, edamame, or a side of kimchi for extra tang. For more from the Korean collection the complete Korean recipes guide has it all.
Add Korean BBQ chicken sandwich to your weekly meal planner, marinate the chicken the night before for a fast weeknight dinner. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
A delicious Korean BBQ chicken sandwich featuring marinated grilled chicken thighs and a creamy cabbage slaw on toasted buns.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cups shredded green and red cabbage, combined
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 brioche or potato buns
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- Extra gochujang, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, gochujang, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Add the chicken thighs, turning to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours.
- Make the slaw. Combine the cabbage and carrot in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with the cabbage and carrot, then chill until ready to serve.
- Cook the chicken. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 6–7 minutes per side, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.
- Toast the buns. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2–3 minutes per side.
- Assemble. Pile the sliced chicken onto the bottom bun, top with a generous scoop of slaw, and finish with the top bun. Serve with extra gochujang on the side if you like more heat.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, substitute chicken with portobello mushrooms and use tamari for gluten-free options. Marinating the chicken enhances the flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
