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Sheet Pan Korean Popcorn Chicken is a slightly healthier, much easier take on Korean-style fried chicken. Inspired by our travels to both LA and Seoul. Breaded, oven-baked, and finished with an addicting sweet and spicy Korean-inspired BBQ sauce made with Gochujang chile paste. This chicken is sure to be loved by all. Add broccoli to the mix and sprinkle with the yummiest toasted sesame CRUNCH. I love to serve with steamed rice for an easy dinner that’s different, delicious, colorful, and flavorful.
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This is crazy, but it’s been six years since my family and I traveled to South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Some of you may not have followed back then, but it was such a special trip. I’m so grateful for those memories. And even more grateful that I was able to experience them with my family. I’d never miss watching my brother compete at the Olympics (here’s one of my recaps if you’re interested)!
It was so amazing and inspired a lot of new recipes. Some are more traditional, some are a mix of fusion-style recipes that mix American and Korean ingredients.
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Egg
- Finely crushed corn flakes
- Grated parmesan
- Salt and black pepper
- fine sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Broccoli florets
- Spicy mayo (for all of the spicy lovers out there)
BBQ Sauce
- Tamari/ soy sauce
- Honey
- Gochujang sauce (korean chili paste)
- Rice vinegar
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
- Chili flakes
Kitchen Supplies
- Baking sheet
- Shallow bowl
- Small pot or saucepan
- Medium bowl
- Wire rack or cooling rack
- Meat thermometer to double check the internal temperature
And all of them are so delicious!
I made a lot of beef bowls, soups, and chicken dishes, but one of my favorite ideas has to be today’s popcorn chicken. Inspired by all the yummy Korean fried chicken, I wanted to take that idea and make it into more of a complete meal – but simpler and with less sweet sauce.
You’ll also like that the chicken and broccoli are made on a single sheet pan. Keeping clean-up pretty simple, gotta love that!
These are the details
Step 1: bread the chicken
Like my other breaded chicken recipes, I love to use cornflakes to coat each of the bite-sized chicken pieces. They give the chicken that perfect crunch. I use Nature’s Path, Organic Corn Flakes Cereal, which is naturally gluten-free and non-GMO. I order mine online, but Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have good options, too.
Crunch up the cornflakes, or you can also just buy cornflake crumbs. Next, add parmesan cheese. I use the cheese in place of flour; it adds a salty flavor that melts over the chicken, becoming crispy as it bakes. It sounds a little different paired with these flavors, but I think it’s delicious.
Bake the chicken up with a side of broccoli. It takes maybe 20 minutes to cook.
Step 2: the sauce
While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. The sauce is the absolute heart of the recipe. It’s a sweet and spicy marinade, and probably my family’s favorite sauce of all time. The important ingredient here is Gochujang (Korean chili paste). It’s spicy with a little sweetness (just subtle sweetness notes), and it’s extremely flavorful.
Drizzle or toss the chicken with the sauce, then bake the sauce into the chicken. What happens is that the coating soaks up all the sauce. It really is so good.
Step 3: serve
These are so yummy with home-baked french fries, but personally, I love the crispy popcorn chicken bites along with rice. I do a simple sesame chili garlic crunch sprinkled on top to garnish, and occasionally chopped green onion, then the broccoli on the side.
This is the perfect dinner for everyone in the family! They’re all going to love this Korean fried chicken recipe.
Last thing, this chicken makes for a really fun appetizer too. You could even add a yum yum style sauce for dipping!
Looking for other busy weeknight-night recipes? Try these!
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes
One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Sheet Pan Korean Popcorn 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!
Sheet Pan Korean Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 egg
- 3 cups finely crushed corn flakes
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- spicy mayo, for serving, (optional, see notes)
Gochujang BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang , (Korean chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- chili flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or rub with oil.2. Dump the cornflake crumbs, parmesan, and pepper into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then add the chicken and toss well to coat.3. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Arrange the chicken to one side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the broccoli to the other side. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.4. In a small saucepan, combine the tamari/soy sauce, honey, Gochujang (Korean chili paste), rice vinegar, ginger, 2 cloves garlic, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened into a glaze.5. Remove the broccoli from the sheet pan. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss the chicken up in the sauce. Bake another 5 minutes, until the sauce is baked onto the chicken.6. In a bowl, mix the sesame seeds, green onions, 1 clove of garlic, chili flakes, and a tiny pinch of salt. Serve the chicken, broccoli, and sauce with the sesame crunch mix. I love this over rice, but it's also great with french fries!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
One word, YUM
This was easy to throw together. The flavors were amazing and that crunch on the chicken!!!!
Thank you T
Hi Resa,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go and your comment! Love to hear that it turned out well:)
Super tasty, nice spice and heat. The corn flakes give it incredible crunch!
Thanks so much Julie!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Happy Friday! xT
This dish was easy and delish! The crunchy topping made the it
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for trying it and your comment! Happy Friday:)
I loved the idea of this recipe but it was WAY too salty, even after spending a bit of time trying to increase the sugar (I didn’t forget the water either). Other soy glaze recipes call for 2x as much sugar as soy sauce and this recipe calls for only 2 teaspoons of honey? I feel like there must be a typo somewhere. I unfortunately had to throw this out it was too salty to eat.
Also – in order to get the glaze to thicken you need to boil it, not simmer, for 5 minutes. Everyone who had a hard time getting the glaze to thicken probably did not let it boil at high enough temperature.
Hi Emily,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. There are no typos in the recipe:) Sorry that it was so salty, I could recommend a low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos. I hope this helps! xT
Loved this recipe. I always use low sodium soya sauce so didn’t find it too salty at all. The sauce didn’t thicken up but once I put it on the chicken it coated it nicely. I cooked sliced carrots with the broccoli and they both needed to stay in the whole time to be fully cooked. I loved the sesame seeds with the green onion sprinkled on top and the spicy mayo finished it up beautifully. A great recipe!
Hi Elayne,
Awesome! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
Always love your recipes!!! This was easy to prepare and eat during a Zoom HOA board meeting. Thanks, Tieghan 🙂
Hey Melissa,
Lol love this!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment! xT
Great recipe – we loved it! It’s very filling and tasty. I️ added brussel sprouts along with the broccoli for some extra veg. Definitely will be making again and can’t wait to have the left overs!
Hi Emily,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xx
I don’t use processed foods so do you think my homemade sourdough bread crumbs would work in place of the corn flakes?
Hi Tammy,
So sorry, I’m honestly not sure as I have never tried this, I would think if you were able to grind the fine enough they should be okay! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Really liked this recipe. I made it in the air fryer as I hate waiting for the oven to heat up. The sauce does come out quite salty so will probably use less soy sauce next time. Other than that super easy and delicious.
Hi Kellie,
Great!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Made this tonight. Used substitutes white wine vinegar/rice vinegar , bread crumbs/corn flakes. It is delicious. I started glaze 1st & simmered while I did everything else. Fabulous! Hubby approves on rice. I tried unsuccessfully to post pics. Thanks!!!
Hi Julie,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! Have a great weekend! xT
The cornflake coating really helped the chicken crisp up nice in the oven. I will prob adjust the sauce also because it was to salty for me. Otherwise great recipe as usual.
Hi Dana,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
We thought the flavor was delicious and wonderful over rice. I also had to add a cornstarch slurry to get the glaze to thicken. Will definitely make again.
Love to hear this Heather!! Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, so glad it was a hit! xT
Made this tonight exactly as written and we enjoyed it! The sauce was a bit one-note salty though, so next time I’ll probably triple the honey to about 2 T. That would help with the other issue which others pointed out; even with a heavy simmer for 20 mins, my sauce never even remotely thickened up.
Hey Dallas,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
Great recipe! I made broccoli and brussels to go with the chicken – delicious! However, I found there was not nearly enough sauce for just 2 chicken breasts so I would recommend doubling. I also had to add a cornstarch slurry to get it to thicken properly.
Hi Maddie,
So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment:) Xx
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! My sauce didn’t quite thicken as much as the photos indicate. Will maybe start making that first next time I make it, so it has a bit more time to thicken.
Hi Isabelle,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment:) So glad to hear the dish was enjoyed! xT
Why does it say 1 egg in the ingredients and then, in the instructions, beat the “eggs” plural. I haven not adjusted the serving size. Teighan??
Hi Alison,
Please follow the ingredient list and use 1 egg for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT