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This colorful Sheet Pan Korean Chicken Bowl with Sweet Potatoes and Yum Yum Sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner. Chicken tossed in an addicting sweet and spicy Korean inspired BBQ sauce, roasted with sweet potatoes, and served up bowl style with steamed rice, homemade yum yum sauce, and vegetables. This quick-cooking, easy sheet pan dinner comes together in just about an hour. It’s colorful, healthy, and beyond good. Incorporate this into your monthly dinner rotation or prep ahead of time and enjoy for lunch throughout the week.
They’re colorful, flavorful, and so full of everything I love. I’ve been holding onto this recipe for a couple weeks now and could not be more excited to share it. These bowls are GOOD…and simple…and pretty healthy too. Do you see all that color? Perfect for these very white, snowy winter days.
It’s definitely that time of year when I really start to crave color when it comes to cooking. I hit a little bit of a “slump” with the cozy, not so colorful, winter recipes. So I switched gears and decided to bring back all the color. Enter this bowl. Everything from the chicken to the sweet potatoes, to all the “optional” toppings, are colorful. And most importantly, this dish is so delicious.
The added bonus is that this recipe is made entirely on one sheet pan and in just about an hour’s time. Great for busy weeknights, but delicious enough for the weekend too. The flavors are, of course, inspired by my family’s trip to South Korea for the 2018 winter Olympics. Which is crazy to think was just about two years ago, almost to the day (Red took gold February 11th)! I love being able to bring back all those amazing memories through food. It takes me back to a really special time.
How to Make a Sheet Pan Korean Chicken Bowl.
First things first, if you’ll be cooking rice, get that started now so it can cook while the chicken cooks.
Next, start in on the sweet potatoes as they take the most time to cook. Get them on a sheet pan and start roasting them up simply with sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
While the potatoes are roasting, make the Gochujang sauce. This is a pretty simple mix of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and sesame seeds. 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.
Toss about half of this sauce with cubed chicken, then add the chicken to the pan with the sweet potatoes. Roast the chicken and potatoes together until the chicken is cooked through. Now, here is the KEY. During the last few minutes of cooking you’ll want to switch the oven to broil to help give the chicken just a little bit of a char and make the sauce really stick to the chicken.
Finishing up.
While everything is roasting in the oven, start prepping the rest of the bowls. Make the yum yum sauce with the remaining Gochujang sauce by mixing it with your choice of yogurt, sour cream, or mayo. Personally, I like to use yogurt, but use what you and your family love most. Either way, this sauce is beyond good and slightly addicting. It’s my recommendation to double it.
For my vegetables, I toss a bunch of kale with fresh lime juice and cilantro. My other toppings include avocado, kimchi, carrots, cucumbers, and green onions. You can use all of these or take your pick of favorites.
At this point, it’s time to put it all together. Add the rice to bowls, then spoon the chicken, potatoes, kale, and yum yum sauce over top. Finish with any and all toppings you’d like. There is A LOT going on here, but it’s all so very very good!
A couple of helpful notes…
What is Gochujang? If you’re not familiar, 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 and I use it for so much more than just Korean food. It’s good 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?
Now, let’s talk about the broiler. When using the broiler you must watch the food closely. And I really, really do mean that. Things can go from perfect to completely burnt in a matter of seconds. Trust me, I know from experience. And all broilers are different, so cooking times will vary from oven to oven.
Bonus? This is such a wonderful meal for meal prepping. Just package everything up in your favorite glass containers and enjoy it as an easy lunch or dinner.
I really can’t tell you enough how much I love this Korean inspired bowl. It’s so delicious, healthy, and a recipe that truly everyone will love. Plus it’s pretty easy too!
I’ll be turning to this one time and time again. Sheet pan dinners are always my go-to, but this Korean bowl is hands down a favorite. It’s all about that sticky Korean sauce. It truly makes everything that much better. Can’t wait to make this one again!
Looking for other Korean inspired recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Oven Fried Korean Popcorn Chicken
Instant Pot Sticky Korean Chicken
Instant Pot Korean Bulgogi BBQ Tacos
If you make this sheet pan Korean chicken bowl with sweet potatoes and yum yum sauce, 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!
Sheet Pan Korean Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Yum Yum Sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 527 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoon toasted sesame or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or olive oil mayo
- 2-3 cups kale, roughly torn
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 cups steamed white or brown rice
- kimichi, avocado, shredded carrots, green onions, sliced cucumbers, and radishes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes.2. To make the Gochujang sauce. In a glass jar, combine the soy sauce, Gochujang, honey, ginger, garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, and the sesame seeds. 3. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss with half of the Gochujang sauce. Remove the potatoes from the oven and slide them to 1 side of the pan. Add the chicken and any sauce left in the bowl to the other side. Return to the oven and continue roasting another 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. During the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, switch the oven to broil and broil until the chicken chars on the edges and the sauce sticks to the chicken. Watch closely, the broiler can burn food fast. 3. Meanwhile, combine 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining Gochujang sauce with the yogurt. Season with salt. This is the "yum yum" sauce. Reserve any remaining Gochujang sauce for serving.5. In a bowl, toss the kale with 1 tablespoon oil, the lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Toss in the cilantro. 6. To serve, divide the rice between bowls. Top with chicken, potatoes, kale, and avocado. Add additional toppings as desired. Serve drizzled with the "Yum Yum" sauce.
To Meal Prep
- 1. Prepare as directed above through step 5. 2. Divide the rice among 4-6 storage containers and arrange the chicken, sweet potatoes, and kale on top. Add desired toppings. Store the "Yum Yum sauce" and avocado separately and add just before serving. 3. Alternately, you can store the rice, chicken, and veggies in separate containers and assemble when ready. Food will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. 4. Before serving, warm each bowl, if desired, and top with "Yum Yum sauce and avocado.
This post was originally published on February 6, 2020
Hi Tieghan – how do you make those fancy carrot swirls?
Hi Kim! I just use a potato peeler and run it down the side of the carrot! Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this one! xTieghan
This was soooo good! I marinated the chicken in the sauce and grilled it instead. The sauce is the bomb!
Thank you so much Connie! xTieghan
Amazing recipe!! My husband loved it as well! Will for sure make again!
Thank you so much Haley! I hope you continue to love this and others! xTieghan
Just baked the sweet potatoes but having them in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 almost burned them. I took them out just in time, and they are totally mushy so I won’t continue to cook them more with the chicken. The flavor of the sauce is super yummy.
Thank you so much Laura! xTieghan
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for a recipe before, but this! This is necessary! I’ve forwarded it to everyone I know to make, and they have all said the same thing. 10/10, amazing! It’s forgiving, it’s simple, and it’s easy to adjust to make it your own. I omitted the carrots and added thinly sliced red bell pepper and so so so good. Girl, you are KILLING it!
Hi Kaitlin! Thank you so much for trying this and sharing it! That means so much to me! I hope you continue to love all of the other recipes you try of mine! xTieghan
This was SO good. We did all of the recommended toppings, plus broccoli. My husband isn’t a kale fan so we substituted with chard… but I think any leafy green would work well here. The YUMYUM sauce was bomb (we used greek yogurt)!
I am so glad this turned out so well for the both of you!! Thank you so much for trying it, Lindsay! xTieghan
OMGoodness!!! This was absolutely brilliant! I used boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts, but kept everything else exactly by the book. The kale salad was such a wonderful surprise and a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the dish. Bravo! This is a winner!
Thank you so much Shea! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I hope you continue to love others as well! xTieghan
This recipe was excellent – it will 100% go in our weeknight rotation! The gochujang really stole the show and thank you for showing a simple way to make a kale salad that’s super delicious.
Thank you Priya! So glad you loved this recipe and hope you continue to love others! xTieghan
This is such and easy and DELISH recipe. It took less than an hour to prep and make. I will definitely be saving this one!!!
Thank you so much Leah! So glad you loved this! xTieghan
Made this for Sunday dinner. Delicious! Did an arugula salad with pickled carrots (seasoned rice wine vinegar and sesame oil dressing) in lieu of kale. Yumyum sauce is great and reminds me of spicy mayo.
Yum! Thank you so much for trying this Emily! xTieghan
SERIOUSLY Delicious!!!! Thank you for creating another amazing recipe.
Hi Carrie! I am so happy to hear this turned out well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This turned out great! It was easy to make and felt healthy and spicy to eat. We had leftover sides and sweet potatoes (but no chicken) and it was good vegetarian as well. Even the picky kids liked it, since each one could make their own version (either all meat or all veg)! The chicken would be good grilled, though baking and then broiling made it surprisingly tender and crispy (sometimes oven baked chicken feels rubbery, but this didn’t). I’ll be making it again.
Hi Holly! I am so glad everyone enjoyed this! Isn’t it the best when the picky eaters do as well?! I hope you continue to love this one! xTieghan
Made this last night and it is so delicious! Nice to have leftovers for tonight. The chicken definitely needs more sauce. I agree with the comment to 1.5/2x the amount. Will definitely be in my rotation.
Hi Carol! Thank you so much! I hope you love this with more sauce next time! xTieghan
This was amazing! I made it with your winter broccoli salad. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
That is so amazing! I am really glad you all enjoyed this recipe along with the broccoli salad! Thank you for trying them, Leslie! xTieghan
OH MY GOD! I AM LITERALLY FINISHING MY BOWL OF THIS RIGHT NOW AND I HAVE TO COMMENT!! This is delicious. It’s so worth the prep and at the end it doesn’t take as long as you might think! Perfect prepping while another thing is cooking. I am in heaven right now. You did amazing girl!! As always!
Aw thank you so much Andrea! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan