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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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 341 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
Spicy Mayo: Combine 2 tablespoons of chili paste, 2 teaspoons ketchup, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayo. Season with 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt. The sauce will keep for 1 week in the fridge.
I have made this recipe multiple times. I can never get the sauce to thicken? It is runny and makes everything wet instead of sticky? Any suggestions?
Hi Meredith,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often. Sorry to hear your about sauce. Next time, I would try adding a cornstarch slurry next time! I hope this helps! xT
HBH is the GOAT with Asian recipes. This was absolutely delicious and incredibly tasty. Made it with whole wheat Thai noodles. Literally better than takeout.
Hey Katie,
Yay!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it! Have a great weekend! x
So yum and easy to prep!
Thanks so much, Makayla! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! xT
We enjoyed this recipe. My husband can’t have Gochujang or soy, so I substituted the chili paste with barbecue sauce and coconut aminos for the soy and it tasted great. I will double the sauce next time. Yum!
Hey May,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Memorial Day! xT
So delicious. Definitely agree that low sodium soy is key. Have made it without the green onion sesame crumble and still fantastic. I also like to keep a bit of sauce to drizzle on the rice.
I forgot to add the water to the sauce the last time I made it, and I found it easier to have the sauce thicken.
Hey Isabelle,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
The sauce is way too salty! Luckily, I tried it first before we used all of it. I ended up just drizzling a small amount on the chicken over white sushi rice. I’d do the chicken again – the cornflakes were a delicious crust – but I would use a different sauce altogether. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear the sauce was so salty. I would use low sodium soy sauce next time! xT
Absolutely delicious!! Me and my husband are adding this as a regular.
One question: do you think it would work with a vegetarian substitution? We’re thinking of cauliflower instead of the chicken…
Thank you!
Hey Ash,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed! Sure, I think cauliflower would be a great option! Xx
Would panko work instead of corn flakes
Hi Carol,
Yes, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
We loved this just as it is. My husband said, “Wow! Add this into our rotation!”
Hey Melaney,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! Have a great Sunday! xx
Absolutely wonderful! I used regular soy sauce, next time will definitely use the low sodium.
Thanks so much Kinzie!! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xT
Sooo salty!!
Hi Amy,
So sorry to hear this was salty for you, please let me know how I can help! xx
I didn’t have 1/2 cup soy sauce so made it with just over 1/4 cup and it came out great- not too salty for me but wouldn’t feed it to my husband with his high blood pressure and my kids complained it was too spicy 🙄 I thought it was delicious and the spicy mayo added another layer of tastiness!
Thanks so much Emma!! Sorry to hear this was too spicy for the kids, but so glad you enjoyed the recipe:) xT
I agree with the other comments, the sauce is extremely salty. Perhaps 1/4 cup soy and 1/4 cup water with more sugar would help.
Hi Tara,
So very sorry to hear this! Did you try using low sodium soy sauce or tamari? I think that would help with the saltiness! xx