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Korean

Yangnyeom chicken sauce

Vegetarian

양념치킨 소스 · yangnyeom chikin soseu

Gochujang, ketchup and syrup cooked with garlic and soy into a sticky, sweet-spicy glaze that is tossed with double-fried chicken.

Yangnyeom chicken sauce is a Korean sauce from South Korea, ready in about 10 minutes and made with gochujang and tomato ketchup. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Total
10 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
136

Ingredients

4 servings (enough for about 1 kg chicken)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mince the garlic (opens in a new tab) finely. Mix the gochujang (opens in a new tab), ketchup (opens in a new tab), syrup, sugar (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab), chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) and water in a bowl.

    Garlic being minced with a knife
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Warm the oil in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) or wok over low heat and fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) for 30–60 seconds until fragrant but not coloured.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the sauce mixture and simmer, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until it bubbles all over and turns thick and glossy, leaving a trail when you drag a spoon through it.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Take off the heat. Add hot, freshly fried chicken and toss quickly until every piece is evenly coated, then scatter with crushed peanuts.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
South Korea · Commonly attributedYangnyeom chicken spread through Korea in the 1980s; Yun Jong-gye of Mexicana Chicken in Daegu is often credited with popularising the sauce. Proportions vary widely; this is a typical home version.Also popular in United StatesMore food from South Korea
Dish
Dinner · Snack · Sauces
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sweet & spicy, garlicky, umami
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly
Cook more with
Gochujang · Tomato ketchup · Light corn syrup · Sugar · Soy sauce · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom gochujang, soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom gochujang, soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom gochujang, soy sauce
  • May contain: Mustardfrom tomato ketchup
  • May contain: Celeryfrom tomato ketchup

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

136 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 63 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 76%
  • Fat 19%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy136 kcal218 kcal
Protein2 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate27.7 g44.4 g
Net carbohydrate27 g43.3 g
Sugars23.5 g37.6 g
Added sugars——
Fibre0.7 g1.1 g
Fat3 g4.8 g
Saturated fat0.3 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium759 mg1215 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
97 mg
Calcium
20 mg
Iron
0.4 mg
Magnesium
11 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
4 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
4 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes, roasted peanuts.
  • Gochujang: Miso (FDC 172442) as a stand-in fermented soy paste; gochujang is sweeter (rice syrup) and hotter, so carbohydrate is understated.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving; it softens the crisp crust within 15–20 minutes.

Common mistakes

  • Cooking the sauce on high heat; the sugars burn and turn bitter quickly.

Serve with

  • Yangnyeom chicken with pickled radish (chicken-mu) and beer (chimaek).
  • Glaze for fried tofu, cauliflower or rice cakes.

Storage

  • Refrigerate the sauce (before tossing) for up to 1 week.

Reheating

  • Warm gently in a pan until fluid again.

Variations

  • Honey-garlic (dakgangjeong-style) (South Korea): Less gochujang, more garlic, honey and soy, for a milder glaze.
  • Soy-garlic chicken sauce (South Korea): Soy, garlic, sugar and vinegar without chilli.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 4

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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