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The super fast Korean chicken and rice bowl that tastes just like your favorite Korean spot in town but made at home! Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, and spicy Korean style Bulgogi BBQ sauce with spicy garlic butter corn. Serve this chicken over steamed white or brown rice with homemade yum yum sauce on the side. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with ginger and garlic, it’s delicious. Major bonus? This comes together in no time at all (under 30 minutes). Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something a little more exciting, but still quick and DELICIOUS.
Thursday night Korean takeout…made quickly at home?
Yes, yes, yes, it’s my favorite kind of night. You all know how much I love cooking Asian inspired recipes at home. Ever since our family’s trip to South Korea for the Olympics, Korean style cooking will always be my weakness. It’s always so good. Sure, this is not your traditional bowl of Korean style bulgogi, but bulgogi is really all about the sauce…or hot sauce. The actual translation means fire meat. Trust me, this bulgogi (plus homemade yum yum sauce) are spot on and so delicious.
So while the chicken itself is pretty classic, the spicy garlic butter corn is the “wild card” vegetable. As you can probably imagine, it’s a pretty delicious addition. And very seasonal for the time of year we are entering. As we change seasons, I love incorporating seasonal produce into everything I’m cooking. Since I recently stocked up on fresh ears of sweet corn, it was my go-to vegetable of choice for this recipe.
The process…
First up, toss the chicken with a little cornstarch and a touch of oil. Tossing the chicken with cornstarch allows it to get extra crispy and caramelize while cooking. This is KEY.
Now make the sauce. This is a pretty simple mix of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and lots of fresh ginger and garlic. The Gochujang adds all the flavor, so you really don’t need much else. Gochujang makes everything good, it’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and salty.
Pan-fry the chicken in a little oil until it is crisp. Then pour over the sauce and let it simmer down. As the sauce cooks, it slowly thickens and caramelizes the chicken.
As the chicken is cooking, cook up the corn in a little butter and garlic. Yes, corn, butter, and garlic, so delicious. Oh, and add a jalapeño for a spicy kick. As I said, this is not traditional by any means, but it sure is good! Remember, it can be fun to switch things up!
By this time the chicken should be done as well.
Let’s finish this Korean bulgogi up.
First, make a quick homemade version of Asian style yum yum sauce. With my oldest brother in town, the rule is to always double the sauce. So while the chicken is perfectly saucy on its own, the yum yum sauce just adds that extra special touch. Is it needed?
No probably not. But is it good? Yes, definitely.
It’s a simple mix of yogurt (sour cream, or mayo, whichever you prefer, we like yogurt), more Gochujang, and a small squeeze of ketchup. Kind of an odd match-up of flavors, but trust me, this sauce is very delicious and the perfect creamy element to this crispy chicken.
Now, add steamed brown or white rice to a bowl. Then add that buttery corn and spoon the Korean chicken over it all. Finish with fresh green onions, cilantro, and toasty sesame seeds.
Enjoy…immediately.
Yes, this is that simple and that quick-cooking of a meal. Honestly, this will take you no more than thirty minutes to make. And aside from the corn, this uses a good amount of pantry staples too.
A couple of helpful notes…
What is Gochujang? If you’re not familiar with Gochujang it’s Korean chili paste. It’s spicy with a little sweetness, and it’s extremely flavorful. It’s traditional in a lot of Korean based sauces and is often used in Korean fried chicken or simply as a dipping sauce. Over here, we love Gochujang. I use it for so much more than just Korean food. It’s good when paired with pretty much anything that you’d enjoy with a touch of hot sauce.
You can buy Gochujang in most grocery stores. I know Whole Foods and Trader Joes carry it. I highly recommend this brand Gochujang. It certainly makes for the best truly Korean food.
Tip? If you love a lot of sauce (we do!), then I would recommend doubling the Gochujang sauce so that you can have extra for serving…yes, in addition to the creamy yum yum sauce. Never enough sauce, you know?
Lastly, while I love the corn with this dish, you can really use whatever vegetable you have on hand. Bell peppers would be my top pick, then broccoli, but you could also use asparagus, cauliflower, bok choy. Really, use whatever you’ve got.
And you guys…that’s it. This takes less than 30 minutes to make and it’s not only delicious but fun too. I know we’re not doing much eating out these days, so this is a fun way to do a “dinner out”, at home!
Looking for other homemade takeout style recipes? Some favorites of mine include…
Better Than Takeout Kung Pao Cauliflower
Weeknight Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs
Better Than Takeout Sesame Ginger Chicken Fried Rice
Lastly, if you make this 25 minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
25 Minute Korean Bulgogi BBQ Chicken with Spicy Garlic Butter Corn
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 811 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 3 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 ears corn, kernels, removed from cob
- 2 medium shallots, sliced or chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded (if desired) and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 cups steamed white or brown rice
- yum yum sauce and sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon oil.2. In a glass jar, combine the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons Gochujang, ketchup, ginger, 2 cloves garlic, and 1/4 cup water.3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and brown all over until it becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Gochujang sauce mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, then remove from the heat.4. Meanwhile, make the corn. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, corn, shallots, remaining 2-3 cloves garlic, the jalapeño, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until the corn is golden. Stir in the cilantro. Remove from the heat.5. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and top with chicken and corn. Serve with additional green onions, cilantro, and yum yum sauce (recipe below). Enjoy!
Notes
Yum Yum Sauce: Combine 2 tablespoons of Gochujang, 1 tablespoon ketchup, and either 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or olive oil mayo. Season with salt. Sauce keeps for 1 week in the fridge.
This post was originally published on May 28, 2020
This was my first recipe from Half Baked Harvest. I was a little hesitant to try, because it is very different from my normal southern cuisine flavor profile/comfort zone. But Wow! I am so glad I did, it was delicious and I will definitely be trying more recipes. Thank you!
I am so glad you tried this and loved it!! I hope you continue to enjoy other recipes of mine as well! Thank you Courtney! xTieghan
This was delicious! I have not had much Korean BBQ, and being from the South I was expecting something sweeter, but these flavors blew me away. The sauce gets so sticky and thick and is salty, spicy and complex. The chicken is so tender. My husband says he could eat this 3 x/week. 5 ⭐️S!
Wow that is so amazing!! Thank you for trying this Katy! xTieghan
Made this last night for dinner, and it was SO GOOD! I only used 1/2 a tablespoon of Gochujang paste to tone down the spiciness for my kiddos, and it was perfect for them. The garlic butter corn was a huge hit. I will definitely be making this for dinner again.
Thank you so much Brandi!! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
My chicken didn’t come out crispy and I ended up over cooking it in my cast iron waiting for it to crisp – any tips?
Hi Sara,
So sorry you had issues with the chicken. A super hot skillet is key to getting the nice crispiness and then following the instructions as is so it doesn’t overcook. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Sooooo good! I didn’t use all the chili paste because my family can’t handle that much. But the flavor was delicious. I’ve already shared the recipe with several friends!
Aw thank you so much Kristi!! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this! xTieghan
I made this last week and really, really loved it. My only disappointment was forgetting to make the yum yum sauce but will do that when I make some Korean fried chicken later this week. More, please!
Thank you so much Joyce! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
“Jummie”, is what we say in Holland if something is very nice to eat.
This dish is definitely “Jummie”!
My daughter said, we should eat it again some time.
Aw that is so cute! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
My sisters and I love to cook your recipes! This was SO delicious and Easy. One of my favorites!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Catherine! xTieghan
I don’t know that I would label this recipe as Korean but it is delicious. I don’t think the ketchup is necessary but I love gochujang and would add another tablespoon in place of ketchup if you can handle spicy! I look forward to making and adjusting this recipe in the future. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Steph! xTieghan
I agree with the other comments that this was more than a 25 minute recipe for me, and the sauce was salty. I added some orange juice that I had in the fridge, and that helped some. That being said, the end result was very tasty! The corn and yum yum sauce on top were super good! I never would have thought to put all of these ingredients together—great idea!
Hi Jill! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Made this tonight for dinner and it was so delicious! I was not familiar with Gochujang Korean chili paste and couldn’t find it in my local grocery store so I ordered it from Amazon. Worth the effort and wait!! I followed the recipe exactly except I cooked it outside on my BlackStone Griddle. Husband moved it into his top 10 list. Will definitely be making again.
Amazing! Thank you for trying this one, Sherri! xTieghan
Made this dairy free and soy free as my little one who is currently breastfeeding and can’t have either. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, which I was worried about because it’s a bit sweeter than soy sauce and half sirracha/half chili paste because I could seem to find soy free gochujang and it was amazing! So delicious!! My husband loved it too!! Thanks for the recipe!
Yes!! So glad you loved this one, Elizabeth! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Really liked the dish a lot, but holy cow, the salt in the chicken sauce just way too much! Making the glaze just makes the sauce too salty. Ate a little, then pushed the chicken aside. Liked the corn and rice, but the chicken got lost in salt.
Hi! I am sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help you with? xTieghan
I made this recipe using tofu instead of chicken and I could eat it every day. Honestly, this is the best tofu I’ve made!
Thank you so much Ellen! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
This was wonderful!! I made the mistake of using the full amount of regular (not low-sodium) soy sauce, so it ended up very salty but still really delicious. The Yum Yum Sauce (I did a combo of yogurt and sour cream) definitely mellowed out the saltiness.
Thanks!
Thank you Lisa!! xTieghan