These Korean-Inspired Gochujang Chicken Bowls are sweet and spicy and come together in under 30 minutes! Ground chicken in a flavorful gochujang sauce meets rice and veggies for the perfect weeknight meal inspo that the whole family will love!
Why Make This Recipe?
- Better than Takeout -I know I find myself ordering takeout on nights I’m feeling tired but these gochujang chicken bowls not only better than takeout but they’re also ready in under 30 minutes!
- Easy Meal Prep – This recipe is perfect for meal prepping at the start of the week to enjoy throughout the week.
- Nutritious ingredients – with protein, vegetables and carbs this gochujang chicken is a balanced meal packed full of good-for-you ingredients.
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang sauce or paste is a traditional Korean chili paste. It has a spicy and slightly sweet flavor and is typically made with a combination of red chiles, glutinous rice, a sweetener like malt syrup or rice syrup and fermented soybeans. The fermentation gives it a richer flavor and the chiles leave a nice kick.
I buy my Gochujang from Whole Foods, but you can also find it as most Asian grocery stores or order off Amazon. Alternatively Kimchi Mari also had a fantastic tutorial on how to make Gochujang at home.
Ingredients Needed
- Sesame oil – or peanut oil
- Ground chicken – you could also use a different ground meat. You could also use the soy sauce, honey and gochujang paste as a marinade for chicken breast or chicken thighs.
- Garlic cloves – minced or grated
- Ginger – finely grated or minced
- Bell Peppers – use any color
- Soy sauce – or use tamari if gluten-free
- Honey – or a different sweetener like maple syrup or brown sugar
- Gochujang paste – see note below for a replacement if you can’t find it
- Salt and pepper – adjust to taste or reduce if watching sodium levels
- Garnish – basil, sesame seeds, green onions
- Rice – for serving. Use either white or brown rice depending on preference.
How to Make Gochujang Chicken Bowls
FAQs
Though it won’t have the same robust flavor, if you can’t find gochujang paste you can replace it with 1/2 tablespoon of sriracha sauce and 1/2 tsp of honey.
I buy my Gochujang from Whole Foods, but you can also find it as most Asian grocery stores or order off Amazon. Alternatively Kimchi Mari also had a fantastic tutorial on how to make Gochujang at home.
Absolutely! Feel free to replace with ground turkey, ground beef or ground pork.
You can replace the rice with cauliflower rice or a different grain like quinoa or farro.
Storage Instructions
These gochujang chicken bowls store well in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend making the rice right before eating but that’s totally up to you. Reheat leftovers on the stove top or in the microwave.
You can also make and freeze the gochujang chicken in advance. Simply cook as directed, store in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.
More Bowl Recipes:
Gochujang Chicken Bowls
These Korean-Inspired Gochujang Chicken Bowls are sweet and spicy and come together in under 30 minutes! Ground chicken in a flavorful gochujang sauce meets rice and veggies for the perfect weeknight meal inspo that the whole family will love!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Korean
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, grated
- 2 bell peppers (any color), seeded + sliced
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1–2 tbsp gochujang paste
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
- 1–2 tbsp white sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced for garnish
- 1–2 cups dry white or brown rice, cooked according to package instructions
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add your ground chicken and brown all over, cooking for roughly 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger and bell peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add in soy sauce, honey and gochujang paste and bring to a simmer. Cook in sauce for 5 more minutes until chicken has absorbed some liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Divide rice into bowls and top with gochujang chicken and veggies.
- Garnish with basil, sesame seeds and green onions.
