Name: Sheet Pan Gochujang Chicken Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp gochujang; 1 tbsp honey; 1 tsp rice vinegar; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 10 oz shredded carrots; 2 shallots (sliced); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp gochujang; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 2-3 tbsp kimchi juice

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Sweet and sticky gochujang marinated chicken tenders with caramelized carrots baked on one sheet pan for easy cleanup. Serve over rice with cucumbers and a quick two ingredient kimchi mayo for a delicious, balanced weeknight dinner.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

I was worried I didn’t have a Halloween recipe this year, but there’s kind of an orange, spooky theme going on. A little Halloween-y, right?

I love these bowls because you get big flavors with barely any prep by relying on a few flavor shortcuts. We’ve got gochujang: a sweet and smoky Korean condiment. Chicken tenders: more surface area = more caramelization and flavor. And my favorite part of this whole meal: the carrots. Pre-shredded, straight out of the bag, tossed with a couple sliced shallots, cornstarch, olive oil, soy sauce and a touch more gochujang. They sweeten and caramelize in the oven next to the tenders. So easy, so addictive. Bury me next to these carrots, thanks.

Serve it up over rice with smashed cucumbers and drizzle with a quick kimchi mayo to tie it altogether. Great for meal prep, high protein, blah blah all the things.

I hope you love it, happy cooking!

Ingredients

Chicken tenders. Tenders are thin and all about the same size, so they cook quickly and evenly. I feel like as Americans, we’re so used to frying these puppies we forget they taste amazing baked too. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips can also work.

Soy sauce. Adds salt and savory depth to the marinade. Use tamari if you need gluten-free.

Olive oil. Helps with browning and keeps the chicken moist. Any neutral oil works.

Gochujang. A Korean fermented chili paste. It’s spicy, a little sweet and super savory. Like tomato paste on steroids. Heat levels vary by brand, and many tubs list the level on the label. It’s usually sold in red tubs in the international aisle or at Asian grocery stores. Once opened, it keeps in the fridge for months. This is the one I use.

Honey. Balances the heat of the gochujang. Sugars also brown in the oven, which is where the sticky glaze comes from.

Rice vinegar. A small amount of acid keeps the sweet marinade from tasting flat.

Garlic powder. Mixes evenly into the marinade and adds garlic flavor to every piece. Plus no cleaning that awful garlic press. I hate cleaning the garlic press.

Shredded carrots. Bagged, pre-shredded carrots save time. Because the shreds are thin, they get crispy edges in the oven.

Shallots. Sliced thin, they soften and caramelize with the carrots and add a mild, sweet onion flavor.

Cornstarch. Soaks up leftover surface moisture and forms a thin coating that helps the carrots crisp. Don’t skip. I know you’re thinking about it.

Mayonnaise. Any mayo works. Kewpie, a Japanese mayo, makes a richer, tangier sauce. Veggenaise also works. I bet even Greek yogurt would work for an even lighter option, but I’ve never tried it.

Kimchi juice. The liquid at the bottom of a jar of kimchi. It’s salty, tangy and a little spicy. Great for your gut micro-biome too!

How to Make Sheet Pan Gochujang Chicken Bowls

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prep a sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. The honey in the marinade gets a little sticky as it cooks, and the parchment keeps it from burning onto the pan.

Step 2: Marinate the chicken. In a bowl or zip-lock (zip-loc?) bag, combine the chicken tenders, soy sauce, olive oil, gochujang, honey, rice vinegar and garlic powder. Let it sit for 15–20 minutes while you prep everything else. If your rice isn’t cooked yet, start it now. Short-grain brown rice takes longer than white rice.

Step 3: Dry and season the carrots. Pat the shredded carrots dry with paper towels. Then add them and the sliced shallots to one side of the sheet pan. Toss with the cornstarch, olive oil, gochujang and soy sauce, and spread them into as even a layer as you can. A thin layer browns. A thick pile steams.

Recipe Tip: Don’t skip drying the carrots please. Bagged carrots often hold extra moisture, and water on the surface turns to steam in the oven. That keeps them soft. Dry carrots plus cornstarch gives you crisp edges.

Step 4: Add the chicken and bake. Lay the chicken tenders on the other side of the pan in a single layer, with a little space between them. Pour any leftover marinade over the top. Bake for 25 minutes, until the chicken is caramelized at the edges and the carrots are browned and crisp in spots. The chicken should reach 165°F inside. Tenders vary in thickness and ovens vary in heat, so start checking around 20 minutes.

Step 5: Make the kimchi mayo. While the pan bakes, stir together the mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of kimchi juice. Taste it, then add more juice if you want it tangier or thinner.

Step 6: Smash the cucumbers and assemble. Ok, so technically smashing the cucumbers is optional, you can just slice them like a layman but be aware that all the cool kids are smashing their cucumbers these days.

Lay each cucumber on a cutting board and press down firmly with the flat side of a chef’s knife or the bottom of a heavy pan or jar until it splits open. Tear or cut it into bite-size pieces. The rough surfaces soak up sauce better than clean slices. To build the bowls, add rice, then the chicken, carrots and cucumbers, and drizzle with kimchi mayo. ENJOY!

Tips for success

Don’t overcrowd the pan! If your sheet pan is on the smaller side, crowding will keep the carrots and chicken tenders from getting crispy. Use a second pan if you need to and switch the oven to convection mode (fan) if possible.
Know your gochujang. Brands range from mild to very hot. Some are smokier or sweeter. If you’re cooking for people who don’t like much heat, choose one labeled mild.
Make the rice ahead of time or use frozen. Short-grain brown rice (pictured) takes about 40 minutes on the stovetop. White rice takes about 15-20 minutes. If I’m in a hurry, I like to use frozen pre-cooked rice that steams in the microwave.
To make it gluten-free. Use tamari instead of soy sauce, and check your gochujang label. Many brands contain wheat or barley.
Marinate ahead. You can mix the chicken and marinade a few hours in advance and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

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Made this recipe? I would love to hear what you think in the review section down below! Also, make sure to tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram with your creations and save this recipe on Pinterest for later

2 Comments

Priya Natarajan says:

October 15, 2026 at 9:51 pm

Thanks for putting this together – a thoughtful write-up and I picked up a couple of things. Looking forward to the next one!

1. Elaine Skiadas says:
  
  October 16, 2026 at 5:41 am
  
  So happy to hear that! Thank you, Priya!

Sheet Pan Gochujang Chicken Bowls

Why you’ll love this recipe

Ingredients

How to Make Sheet Pan Gochujang Chicken Bowls

Tips for success

More sheet pan dinners