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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
I had never cooked with gochujang before, it brings wonderful flavor to this dish. My daughter and I didn’t use rice, just served it in a bowl, and nearly ate the entire 4 servings by ourselves. The corn is so good this time of year, we’re making all your dishes with corn…Thank you for continuing to amaze us with easy and delicious recipes.
Wow so amazing! I am really glad you both loved this one, Steve! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
We completely loved this! Also made it with tofu and salmon combined one time which was awesome, too…just take down the time for cooking the salmon – I just hard fried it with some of the sauce sauce for a very few minutes to get it good and sticky. Son can’t handle that much Gochujang and I find red miso to be a great interchanger…and don’t leave out the yum yum sauce …it really does add to it!
Thank you so much Rebecca!! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Hi there!
First of all, thanks so much for your recipes. My husband loves your Mexican and Asian takes, as do I. You’ve taught me how to cook more than a few new things!
Having said that, help! Every time I try to make something like this recipe (Asian, meat covered in flour then fried) it turns into a gloopy mess, which it did again tonight. Or it looses all coating and is just meat. Ugh! I’ve tried flour, arrowroot powder and corn starch. What am I doing wrong? Do you have to cook these in batches? Putting too much in the pan at one time perhaps causes it to not crisp up?
I’m the Red…love the double sauce situations!
HI there!! Ok, so is your pan PACKED with chicken? What size pan are you using? If you pan os too full, then this is the issue. I would try cooking the chicken in batches of 2-3 (depending on the size of you pan). Make sure they have room to really get crisp. Also, make sure your heat is high enough, it should be medium to medium high heat for a really nice sear.
Hoping this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!! xTieghan
Fantastic! Looking forward to making it again.
Thank you Lisa! xTieghan
One of my favorite Halfbakedharvest recipes to date (and its been only about 3 months since following) The corn is the surprise here. Sooooo good together!!!
Love that!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Marian! xTieghan
The Gochujang was a new flavor for us and we LOVED it! This recipe will be a regular at our house. Thanks for your inspiring recipes.
Thank you so much for trying this Nancy!! I am really glad it turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
This was fantastic. Wife never goes back for seconds. She went back for another plate of this. Adding to our rotation. Thanks!
Wow that is amazing! I am so glad you all enjoyed this!! xTieghan
I loved this recipe! I’m a little confused, though, because the sauce turned out reaaally salty. I used low-sodium soy sauce, but the salt still overpowered the rest of the flavor. I would maybe do 1/4 cup of soy sauce and add more water if you’re less of a salt fan like me!
Thank you Olivia! I am sorry this was a bit too salty. I hope it turns out better for you next time! xTieghan
Takes a while but we’ll worth it! Delicious!
Thank you so much Anjali! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
Um, I made this last night and it was legitimately better than any Bulgogi I’ve ever had. It was SOOO yummy. I don’t love spicy, so i scaled back the spice a bit and it was perfect. Tieghen, I’ve been on a HBH marathon over quarantine, and I’m convinced you’re a genius. All of your food is so delicious!
Wow you are too sweet! I am so glad you loved this and I hope you continue to love all of the recipes I create! Thank you Liz! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Glad I didn’t add that fourth tablespoon of gochujang though?? Thanks, Tieghan!
Thank you so much Lauren! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
OMigoodnight this dish!! Wowza!!
Thank you so much Karen! xTieghan
Delish but not a 25-minute meal. Too many steps, ingredients, etc. Would do again but would give myself more time.
I am really glad this turned out well for you, Whitey!! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help! xTieghan
Spectacular meal!! Made it last night and got rave reviews!! Can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you Kelli! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Long time IG follower, first time recipe follower. This recipe is so good!! I did half corn / half bell pepper and added a tbsp of honey to the sauce for a sweeter take. I’m definitely going to make this again! That sauce is simple and flavorful and just perfect. Yum!
I am so glad you loved this Nathan!! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan