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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.
I couldn’t find Guchjang paste at my store, only sauce – can I substitute with equal measurement??
Thanks!
Hey Haley,
Any chili paste you are able to find will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Thanks for introducing me to these flavors! This was a hit with the entire family and one of my daughters has asked several times when we are going to make this again. Yum Yum is right!
Hey Nancy,
That is so awesome this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I plan to make this for a girls night. What would you suggest for an appetizer and dessert to go along with this dish?
Hey Camela,
Here are some ideas that I think you would enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-parmesan-tater-tots/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/honey-whipped-ricotta-and-prosciutto-crackers/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sweet-savory-cheesy-bacon-wrapped-puff-pastry-twist/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/vanilla-earl-grey-creme-brulee/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/brown-sugar-peanut-butter-cookies/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I loved this! I normally do not go too far out of the box with flavours and this one i wasnt too sure how it would go but i LOVED it!! The cilantro with the kale and the fresh cucumbers are so perfect with the spicy chicken! I put broccoli in the oven with some of the sauce for more veggies. 10/10 as always Tieghan!
Hey Elena,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
The flavors were so super delicious! I doubled the gochujang sauce so that I would have plenty extra for drizzling and for yum yum sauce. My only issue was that the chicken turned out super dry, so next time I’ll sauté the chicken in oil in a frying pan, and then add sauce at the end of cooking. That way the chicken will hopefully be super moist and super saucy. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!
Hey Melissa,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Quick and easy, minimal dishes and abundant flavor. I had high expectations as all of the recipes of yours I’ve tried thus far have turned out great. But this! Perfect for a Monday night when not in the mood for anything grandiose. The layers only complimented, the potatoes are yummy and the kale adds flavor and such great texture. I followed the recipe to a tee however I’m sooooo glad I doubled the Gochujang and yum yum sauce. I added an extra sweet potato because I love sweet potatoes and garnished with kimchee, sliced radishes, cucumbers and grilled avocado. You will want to drizzle the yum yum over everything so make more than the recipe calls for, I used greek yogurt and it turned out great. I’m not eating meat presently but my teens loved the chicken, I tasted a piece just to see and YUM! I have leftover Gochujang sauce so I’m going to try with shrimp, broccoli and roasted chickpeas tomorrow. But everything less the chicken was perfect for tonite’s round.
Hey Erin,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Thanks! xTieghan
I was a bit worried this would be too spicy. The gochujang I bought is the real deal, but it worked out flawlessly. All the flavors in this bowl balance each other out perfectly. This is an excellent recipe. So happy to add it to the dinner rotation! Thank you!!!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Thanks! xTieghan
Everyone needs to make this, it is so freaking good! The yum yum sauce is everything! Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Jaime,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
So we had to make a couple alterations. We used chicken thighs we already had, that had been sous vide cooked. They adapted well to this recipe. My daughter won’t eat spicy so I cut back on the gochujang paste to 2 tablespoons.
I was not sure i would like raw kale so i used spinach and sauteed it.
We ended up not caring for dipping sauce (greek yogurt was too tangy…maybe sour cream would have been better for us), and while I ate the spinach, my daughter did not like the lime juice on it.
Final thoughts are that we would definitely make the chicken again, but would save the extra sauce for more chicken and perhaps cook/prepare other side dishes.
Hey Amy,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was delish! Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Lama,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
This recipe looks delicious? Any idea of a modification for vegetarians? Tofu maybe? Thanks!
Hey Juhi,
Sure, tofu would be great here, you could also use additional veggies:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
What a beautiful and delicious dish! Eating healthy can sometimes get boring and repetitive, but this dish is the antidote!
Hey Geoff,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious ! My whole family enjoyed it. The sweet potatoes mixed with all the different flavours was delicious. It was the perfect healthy weeknight meal and got my kids eating more vegetables than they would have otherwise!
Hey Maeve,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for giving it a try and happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was super yummy! My family loved it! We used spinach instead of kale and it was great!
Hey Marci,
I am so so glad that you liked the recipe, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
My favorite recipe so far! Also good as a salad with the kale as the base, and less rice on top. The sauce will be a new staple over here.
Hey Emily,
I am so thrilled that you have enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for making it:) xTieghan