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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
Hi Tieghan! Long time fan here – I make your bibimbap bowls almost weekly and love several other of your recipes, you’re just amazing.
Made this for my husband and I last night and again tonight. Last night used normal soy sauce (not reduced sodium) and the chicken was extremely salty. Bought low sodium today, made it again but still a very salty chicken component – not inedible but bordering on it. Do you have any suggestions? I reduced the sauce until it was sticky, so wondering if keeping it a little runnier would help?
Claire xxx
Hi Claire,
Thanks so much for trying so many recipes! I would recommend using low sodium soy sauce again but reducing the amount to your liking. I hope this helps! xTieghan
This was delicious! My husband and I loved it! So much flavor and the right amount of spicy for us. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you Kara!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Followed directions completely and it was really great. Restaurant quality for sure. Would not change a thing.
Love to hear that!! Thank you Floyd!! xTieghan
Made this tonight. I used left over corn on the cob from last night. It was delicious! We all liked the way the sweetness of the corn complimented the spiciness. Love your recipes! Yum!!
Thank you so much Phoebe! xTieghan
This recipe came together easily and quickly, as it says. I found the sauce the chicken was in to be overwhelmingly salty, even with low-sodium soy sauce, which is why I’m giving it four stars. I didn’t get much of a flavor in the sauce beyond salt. But, it was still good.
Hi Shelby! I am really glad you enjoyed this! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Got the seal of approval from the fam. My sister even skipped takeout tonight to eat with us lol! I subbed pork for chicken but otherwise it came out delicious, some others said they added some honey to balance out the saltiness, definitely will try that next time!
Thank you so much Layla!! xTieghan
Very delicious! Mine turned out delicious – spicy but delicious – but not even slightly “crispy.” Not sure how I could have messed that up. ..
I am really glad you enjoyed this one! Thank you Patricia!! xTieghan
The sauce for this is bomb! What oil did you use for cooking the chicken to get a good fry? I used flour and olive oil was having a tough time. Regardless the the dish turned out great!
Hi Desire,
Thanks for trying the recipe! I used olive oil. I do prefer using cornstarch rather than flour for this recipe. Hope this helps! xTieghan
This was one of the best meals I’ve ever made. I used a bag of frozen corn instead of fresh but made no other changes to the recipe. My toddler loved it too. Thank you so much.
Aw that is so great!! Thank you for trying this recipe, Melissa!! xTieghan
This is one of my top two faves from HBH!! Seriously fast, easy, and delicious! I used a jalapeño and the max recc’d chili paste and it packed some punch.
Thank you Marta! xTieghan
I’ve never cooked with Gochujang before and wow! I loved it! This was a really fun recipe and sure packed a punch
Thank you for trying this!! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was good, especially the corn, which had a sweet, charred taste to it from the butter and jalapenos. We had some steamed broccoli with it for a little more nutrition and greenery. The chicken was saucy and tasty. Mine did not turn out dark and sticky like the photo; it was much more red, and the sauce was more like a gravy than a coating for the chicken. Maybe it needed higher heat and more pan contact (I cooked it in a wok). i actually prefer the flavor of the chicken bulgogi taco recipe on this site, and I think next time I’d combine the rice and corn from this recipe with the chicken from the bulgogi tacos recipe for the ultimate Korean bowl experience!
I am so glad these turned out well for you, Holly! Thank you so much for trying them! xTieghan
Omg, delish!!! Made as is – every component is amazing but together, it’s divine. Took me longer than indicated prep time but still simple and straightforward. Considering making again tomorrow as I tripled the YumYum sauce. ?
Thank you so much Barb! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
I have made a handful of hbh Asian inspired dishes but this one is really something special! My bf said this is his new favorite! So fresh for summer time and the flavors in the sauce are delish! Thanks Teighan !!
Wow that is so great to hear! Thank you Erin! I hope you both continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Delicious and relatively simple! Very flavorful chicken. However, 15 minutes for prep time estimate seems WAY too short. With all the chopping required (garlic, ginger, green onions, jalapeño, chicken…), you’d need to have some serious knife skills to get all this done plus make the sauces in only 15 minutes. I’d say 30 minutes is more realistic for a casual cook. But, timing aside, recipe was a winner, and I’ll make it again!
Thank you so much for trying this one, Kelsey!! xTieghan