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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.
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.
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!
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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This was a delicious dinner that everyone enjoyed! Broccoli goes over better than sweet potatoes in our house, so I made a swap, but that’s the only change. So yummy!
Hi Loni,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Could you leave the chicken in the marinade for a while? If so, how long?
Hey Amanda,
Totally, I would probably not leave it for more than 24 hours. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
The sweet potatoes make it! I had homemade cucumber kimchi made already and used that, and it was amazing and so fresh! Loved it! Thank you
Hi Danna,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
If I could give this recipe more then 5 stars I would⭐️ It was fantastic. We love any Asian flair recipe and this one did not disappoint. The sauce was to die for! Next time I will double it because it was so good. I use your recipes 2-3 times/week and everyone of them have been hits! Thank you, thank you! Happy Easter?
Hey Tracey,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out! ☀️xx
Delicious as always!! I love that this recipe can use up any veggies we happen to have in the fridge. The “yum yum” sauce was great, but if you’re trying to stay away from dairy the sauce was perfect on its own even before adding the sour cream, and I topped mine with a little sriracha! So fresh and healthy. Thank you!
Hi Heather,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Weird question. Is there a way to make this not spicy? Like could I swap in thai red chili paste and have it not come out horrible tasting?
Hey Catherine,
This recipe really is not meant to be very spicy, I would just use 2 tablespoons of the gochujang. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I loved this. A little time consuming to cut up the extra veggies, but the recipe was well worth it. I found that I overcooked the chicken because it had come to temp sooner than the 15 minute mark. I will cook the chicken less next time. Definitely recommend adding some kimchi! It was a nice touch.
Hi Erin,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Absolutely love this! I was multitasking so I put it all together in a cast iron on 400, nestled chicken thighs on top of sliced onions and the sweet potato cubes to keep it off the bottom, then brought it up a level on the rack for the last few minutes. The skin was so crispy! Perfect combo of spicy, salty, sweet. Thanks for this recipe!!
Hi Pia,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
love love loveee this recipe! I have made it at least 5 times and the flavors never fail to impress. I love how you can sub different veggies to keep it interesting too.
I want to make extra of the sauce for future use (the marinade before it’s yum yum sauce)…and tips for how long it will hold in the fridge for?
Hey Taylor,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? I would say it’s good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. xTieghan
This meal is a hit every time! It seems when you first look at the recipe that it’s a big deal to make but it really does come together easy. It’s become a staple in our household!
I wish I could find gochujan sauce somewhere but it works well with a chilli/garlic paste I always have on hand.
After making this more than a handful of times I finally realized for our family, I should double the yum yum sauce! The flavours are never ending and so satisfying! It feels like such a well rounded and clean meal. I have tried the sauce mixed with sour cream, yoghurt and mayonnaise and I think mayonnaise or the yoghurt is my favourite but all work well.
Tieghan, you’ve absolutely nailed this dish!
Hey Angela,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
It took me awhile to source a gluten-free gochujang. It arrived a few days ago so I made this for myself tonight. I love Korean food. This was the bomb. My favorite part was the sweet potato and chicken. Even though I love Kale, it makes me sick so I substituted shredded brussels sprouts which just didn’t work that well. Made the yum yum with yogurt and did not like that too much either. But hey, I had enough gochujang sauce left over that I just smothered everything in the bowl with that and I was pretty much licking the bowl by the end of it. I will make this again and again.
Hey Cari,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
Made this tonight and WOW! The flavors are so great and it’s a perfect mix of sauce and spice. Will be adding this to our weekly recipe mix! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
Ok just here to say this is absolutely phenomenal and just sooo yummy haha! I loved making this for friends and could do all the prep and chopping the day before then tossed in the oven that day!
Hey Brooklyn,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
We made this tonight and it was really tasty. Very customizable too! We aren’t huge fans of Kale on its own, but used a package slaw that had a bunch of veg in and mixed the oil, lime juice and cilantro with that. Thanks Teghan! ?
Hey Erin,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Love this recipe! Any recommendations on timing/tweaks if we were to swap out the sweet potato for butternut squash? Thank you in advance!
Hey Blaithe,
I think you would be fine to follow the recipe as is! I hope you love the dish, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan