A delicious Korean BBQ chicken marinade full of sweet and savory flavors made perfectly on the grill or a pan. This low-carb chicken marinade tastes just like the restaurants and is incredibly versatile.
If you’re a fan of Korean BBQ, you’re going to love this bulgogi chicken that’s so easy to make and gives chicken so much flavor. One of the best Korean BBQ chicken recipes, It’s perfect on top of rice, cauliflower rice, or lettuce wrap.
This version gives you the option of a sugar-free, low-carb, and keto-friendly marinade that meets your individual dietary needs.
What is Korean BBQ Bulgogi Chicken Marinade?
Chicken is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce made from soy sauce, sweetener, onion, garlic, and sesame oil.
This chicken marinaded Korean BBQ dish is made to taste just like the ones you find at the restaurant with the exception that you can use you’re own preferred sweeteners to make it sugar-free.
What does Korean BBQ marinade taste like?
Korean BBQ marinade is sweet, and savory, with flavors of sesame, garlic, and onion. The flavors are further accentuated after being grilled.
What ingredients do I need and how do you make Korean BBQ chicken marinade?
- Chicken Thighs – skinless and Boneless. We recommend chicken thighs for more tender and juicy meat. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast if preferred.
- Green Onion – cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Sesame Seed – toasted and can be found in most Asian supermarkets.
- Neutral Cooking Oil (if pan frying) – only if pan frying your chicken, use high temp neutral cooking oil such as vegetable oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil.
- Onion – about 1/2 an onion. Onions produce so much flavor to Korean BBQ marinades.
- Garlic – can add more or less garlic depending on preference
- Jalapeno (optional) – add a slice or two of jalapeno if you prefer some spice.
- Soy Sauce – low-sodium soy sauce is preferred. For gluten free you can use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Sweetener – use your preferred sweetener, regular cane sugar, honey, or brown sugar,
- Sesame Oil – use toasted sesame oil (dark and rich in color). Check to make sure it is not a sesame oil blend.
- Black Pepper – fresh or pre-ground.
- Ginger – many traditional recipes call for ginger in the marinade so feel free to add some if you prefer.
Add all marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place chicken in a bowl or zip lock bag then pour the marinade and mix to cover the chicken thighs. Pan-fry or grill until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
What goes well with Korean BBQ chicken?
There are so many different ways to enjoy Korean BBQ chicken. Here are some ideas:
- Rice – steamed traditional white rice or brown rice.
- Cauliflower Rice – click here to learn how to prepare cauliflower rice.
- Lettuce Wrap– fresh leaves wrapped around marinated chicken accompanied by kimchi and gochujang a Korean chili paste.
- Seaweed Wrap – wrap inside some Korean style roasted and salted seaweed with vegetables of your choice.
- Rice Paper – you can also wrap in rice paper if you aren’t worried about carbs.
Can I use other kinds of meat using this bulgogi marinade?
This marinade is highly versatile and can be used for beef, pork, chicken, and even fish and vegetables.
What is the nutrition information for this bulgogi chicken recipe?
- 416 Calories
- 4g Carbohydrates
- 1g Fiber
- 18g Protein
- 36g Fat
- 83mg Cholesterol
- 450mg Sodium
- 260mg Potassium
- 23mg Calcium
- 1mg Iron
- 126ui Vitamin A
- 3mg Vitamin C
Looking for other Korean BBQ recipes?
- Korean BBQ Grilled Pork Belly
- Korean BBQ Garlic Marinated Pork Belly
- Korean BBQ Marinated Short Ribs
- Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade
- Korean Spinach Salad
Now, let’s get making this Korean BBQ Marinated Chicken recipe!
- Prepping Time 5M
- Marinating Time 24H
- Cooking Time 5M
- Total Time 24H10M
- Net Carb/Serv ~3g
- Servings 2
Ingredients
Chicken
- 9 oz Chicken Thigh Skinless and Boneless (about 2-3 thighs)
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed
- 1 tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil (if pan frying)
Marinade
- 1/3 Cup Onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 Whole Jalapeno (optional)
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Sweetener (sugar alternative, sugar or preferred sweetener)
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Cut chicken into small bite-size pieces, about 1/2 x 1/2 inch and place into a ziplock bag.
3) Use a blender or food processor to blend ingredients (Soy Sauce, Water, sweetener, Sesame Oil, 1/2 onion, jalapeno, garlic and black pepper) together to form marinade. Transfer marinade into the zip-lock bag.
4) Place zip-lock bag flat in the fridge for 24 hours (we recommend 36 hours for the chicken) flipping over at least once half way through the marinade.
5) After marination is complete, cut green onions into 1 inch sticks and set aside.
6a) If pan frying, add 1 tbsp of Neutral Cooking Oil to a large Teflon fry pan and bring up to temperature on high, should take around 1 minute. Once up to temp, lower heat to medium-low and transfer chicken and chopped green onions. Cook for 4-6 minutes until done. Transfer to serving plate and top with Toasted Sesame Seeds. Best enjoyed with some green vegetables!
6b) If grilling, preheat grill on high until temp reaches ~350F. On a sheet of aluminum foil, add green onions and chicken. Once grill is up to temp, lower heat to medium-low, transfer foil sheet directly on the grill, close lid and cook for 4-6 minutes while occasionally rotating until done. Once cooked, transfer to serving plate and top with Toasted Sesame Seeds. Best enjoyed with some green vegetables!
Hope you enjoy your Korean BBQ Marinated Chicken!
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Korean BBQ Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 9 oz Chicken Thigh skinless and boneless
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed
- 1 tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil if pan frying
Marinade
- 1/3 Cup Onion about 1/2 of a medium onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1/4 Whole Jalapeno optional
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Sweetener sugar alternative, sugar or preferred sweetener
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut chicken into small bite-size pieces, about 1/2 x 1/2 inch and place into a ziplock bag.
- Use a blender or food processor to blend ingredients (Soy Sauce, Water, sweetener, Sesame Oil, 1/2 onion, jalapeno, garlic and black pepper together to form marinade. Transfer marinade to a zip-lock bag.
- Place zip-lock bag flat in the fridge for 24 hours (up to 36 hour flipping over at least once half way through the marinade.
- After marination is complete, cut green onions into 1 inch sticks and set aside.
- If pan frying, add 1 tbsp of Neutral Oil to a large Teflon fry pan and bring up to temperature on high, should take around 1 minute. Once up to temp, lower heat to medium-low and transfer chicken and chopped green onions. Cook for 4-6 minutes until done. Transfer to serving plate and top with Toasted Sesame Seeds. Best enjoyed with some green vegetables! If grilling, preheat grill on high until temp reaches ~350F. On a sheet of aluminum foil, add green onions and chicken. Once grill is up to temp, lower heat to medium-low, transfer foil sheet directly on the grill, close lid and cook for 4-6 minutes while occasionally rotating until done. Once cooked, transfer to serving plate and top with Toasted Sesame Seeds. Best enjoyed with some green vegetables!
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Nutrition
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Can I substitute coconut aminos or tamari for the soy? Also, I’ve noticed your receipts don’t include nutritional information or am I missing it?
Hey Linda! I’ve never tried any of our recipes with coconut aminos or tamari, but others have so I’m sure it would work just fine. Might alter the taste, but shouldn’t dramatically change the profiles.
As for the nutritional information, we don’t pay for the program that does this because they are often inaccurate when calculating up Asian/Japanese ingredients. Hope that helps!