Korean Chicken Bowls
Juicy, flavorful Korean chicken bowls made with the easiest marinade ever! Serve with your choice of grain/rice and desired toppings!
I love love love a good grain bowl. It has protein and tons of veggies, not to mention, it’s perfectly hearty and filling.
So I made another Korean bowl version (hello, I’ll take any excuse to have caramelized kimchi!).
Now this one has jasmine rice as the base (but you can use any grain of your choice – farro, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice) with my favorite Korean chicken marinade using boneless, skinless chicken thighs (chicken breasts can always be substituted).
Marinate for at least 2 hours and throw right onto the grill to get that smoky, charred goodness. A cast iron grill pan will also do the trick.
Serve with your choice of base and desired toppings – caramelized kimchi (my favorite!), shredded cabbage, carrots, avocado, cilantro and a soft-boiled egg (you can easily make this in the IP!).
So, so good. And if you’re having just one of those days, a bowl of rice and the Korean chicken will also be just as fantastic.
Korean Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
For the chicken
- ½ small pear, peeled and coarsely grated
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons gochujang, Korean red pepper paste
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the kimchi
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 cup chopped kimchi
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the bowls
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 avocado, halved, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 cup pack fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 soft-boiled eggs
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- FOR THE CHICKEN: In a medium bowl, combine pear, soy sauce, cilantro, gochujang, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine soy sauce mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Drain the chicken from the marinade; brush with canola oil. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- FOR THE KIMCHI: Heat sesame oil in small skillet over medium high heat. Add kimchi and sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized and heated through, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
- FOR THE BOWLS: Cook jasmine rice according to package instructions.
- Divide rice into bowls. Top with chicken, kimchi, cabbage, carrots, avocado, cilantro and eggs, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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So so good. Lots of protein and veg. I swapped the rice for quinoa and used a fuji apple instead of a pear in the marinade because that’s all I had on hand and it was still awesome. The chicken marinade was amazing and I can’t wait to try it with a pear next time. My husband loved it and so did I!!!! Will definitely make again soon!
Hi, can you recommend a good gochujang brand? I love Korean food and am starting to make it at home. Thanks!
This is worth a try. I had to travel quite a bit to buy gochujang and kimchi but the results was satisfying. My kids rate the chicken 5/5!
Love the Korean twist on the classic grain bowl. I’m always looking for new healthy and creative recipes to try out and this looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it out!
I can’t wait to try this. It says to grate carrots but the photo does not look like grated carrots. What do you use to shape them that way? Thank you!
A julienne peeler will grate carrots into that shape 🙂
I have never ever left a recipe review before but I HAD TO for this one. Favorite dish I’ve made all year. Thank you! Definitely trying the Thai Basil bowls this week 🙂
I happened to have all but one of these ingredients on hand and I made this yesterday for lunch.I didn’t have a pear, so I used an apple. I figured the job of the pear was to add a little sweetness and for the pectin to tenderize the meat. An Apple will do the same thing in a marinade. This recipe was incredibly flavorful and the textures of crunchy/soft along with the bite of kimchi and the creaminess of avocado was spot on! Can’t wait to try the marinade on other proteins!
So delicious can’t wait to make it again!
Loved the flavors in this whole dish. It’s Winter here, so no grilling outside, but we used cast-iron skillet and crisped up the marinated chicken thighs in the oven…perfection. I hoped that I would love kimchi like my husband does (he craves it), but alas only could handle a little of it. Added a fried egg over the rice rather than a hard-boiled, and sprinkled sriracha-miso sauce over the top. OMG, loved it kimchi & all! Thankyou, Chungah.
Just tried the Mexican Street Corn Bowls and they are fantastic! Going to try the Korean Bowls next. I love the way you twist recipes just a little to make a different but delicious meal. Thank you for the time and care you take with your recipes!
Made this last night for dinner. Used pork cutlets I stead of chicken thighs. Amazing! Simple to cook, and very flavorful! Damn delicious never fails to impress!
sounds like a great Bowl, will have to make it, what kind of kimchi is used?
These chicken bowls look amazing! I need to try these asap!
Paige