This Chicken Bibimbap recipe is a healthier twist on the classic Korean rice bowl, fully loaded with lean protein, sticky rice and crunchy veggies in a savory gochujang sauce.
And whatever you do, don’t skip the spicy mayo on top. The best part!
The Prince came home for the summer in early May and kept showing me videos of bodybuilders on social media making rice bowls. We got really into making Korean rice bowls and other Korean recipes like Korean vegetable pancakes and Korean fried chicken.
Let’s just say that we’ve had quite a love fest with Korean food these past few months, and it’s been a great opportunity for me to learn about Korean cuisine and cooking techniques.
We love this chicken bibimbap recipe for its bold flavors and versatility. It’s high in protein, low in fat and huge on flavor. And as with any great rice bowl recipe, this Korean rice bowl is fun to customize with different flavors and textures.
What is bibimbap?
Literally meaning “mixed rice,” bibimbap is a delicious combination of various vegetables, meat and a tasty sauce, all served over a bed of fluffy rice. Oftentimes, bibimbap is served with a fried or poached egg on top.
While the traditional version includes beef, chicken bibimbap is a lower fat alternative that still offers all the protein and flavor.
What is in this chicken bibimbap
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthier Korean rice bowl:
- Ground chicken. You could also use ground turkey or lean ground beef.
- Sticky rice. Any type of short grain white rice will do. I recommend using sushi rice for maximum stickiness. Brown rice can also be used, if desired.
- Persian cucumbers. These are the miniature cucumbers you’ll find in most grocery stores. Regular cucumber can be substituted.
- Carrots
For the gochujang sauce, you’ll need the following:
- Gochujang. This is Korea’s iconic red chili pepper paste that’s used to create the spicy sauce. You won’t find many Korean recipes without gochujang.
- Brown Sugar. A little goes a long way to balance out the smokiness of the gochujang and the spiciness of the sriracha.
- Sriracha
- Green onions
And a few more simple ingredients for the spicy mayo:
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
How to Make this Chicken Bibimbap Recipe
Prep the Spicy Mayo
The spicy mayo is really easy to whip up. Just whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. If you like a thinner sauce that will drizzle easier, just add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Set it aside while you make the bowls.
Prep the veggies
Slice your cucumbers into rounds. If you like them sliced another way, or diced, that’s fine too.
For the carrots, I like to use a vegetable peeler to create long, pliable ribbons to arrange on top of the rice bowl. You could also cut the carrots into matchsticks for a textural variation.
Get the rice started
If you have a rice cooker, this is a good time to use it. I use my rice cooker at least once a week. A worthy investment, if you don’t have one. If you’re not a proud owner of a rice cooker, you can make sticky rice on your stovetop.
The best way to get perfect sticky rice is to use one cup more water than dry rice. For example, use 2 cups of dry rice and 3 cups of water. Using this method, your rice will come out just like you’d get at Korean restaurants.
Get the rice going before you cook the chicken so that everything is ready at the same time.
Cook the chicken
Start by browning the chicken and garlic in sesame oil. Once the chicken is almost cooked through, stir in the ingredients for the gochujang sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes, and then it’ll be ready to enjoy.
Cook the eggs
Using a separate pan, poach or fry the egg sunny side up. You want that yolk nice and runny so you can break it over the rest of the rice bowl ingredients.
Assemble the bowls
Place your sticky rice in a serving bowl and top it with gochujang chicken and veggies. Finish with an egg on top and a generous drizzle of spicy mayo.
Variations on this Chicken Bibimbap Recipe
There are endless variations to the Korean rice bowl! Here are a few ideas:
Classic Chicken Bibimbap: While we’re using ground chicken in this recipe, the more classic version typically includes marinated chicken breast cut into thin strips. Marinate the sliced chicken in the gochujang sauce and then brown it in a pan according to the instructions in the recipe card. If you like dark meat, try using boneless skinless chicken thigh meat for added richness.
Spicy Chicken Bibimbap: Stir an extra few tablespoons of gochujang paste into the ground chicken before you cook it. This will intensify the flavor and elevate the heat of the final dish.
Vegetarian Chicken Bibimbap: Replace the traditional chicken with plant-based chicken substitutes, extra firm tofu or tempeh. Bump up the veggie portion by adding spinach, bean sprouts, bell peppers and shiitake mushrooms.
How to Store Chicken Bibimbap
If you have any leftovers of this Korean bibimbap recipe, it’s easy to store for later enjoyment. If you’ve already assembled the bowl, just cover it over with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
You can also store the individual components separately in airtight containers or plastic Ziploc bags.
This is also a great way to meal prep. Make each component of the bibimbap bowl and store them individually. At dinner time, all you’ll need to do is assemble your bowl!
When you make this Chicken Bibimbap recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more rice bowl recipes, try these:
For more Korean-inspired recipes, try these:
- Korean Fried Chicken with Soy Garlic Sauce
- Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Vegan Yachaejeon)
- Hawaiian Style Korean Fried Chicken
Chicken Bibimbap Recipe (Easy Korean Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 6 cups cooked sticky rice
- 4 Persian cucumbers
- 4 eggs
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 cup scallions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. sriracha
- 1 Tbsp. gochujang
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
Spicy Mayo
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sriracha
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- water to thin
Instructions
Rice Cooker Instructions
- Place 2 cups of uncooked sushi rice into the rice cooker. Pour in 3 cups of water. Turn on the rice cooker. Once the rice cooker turns itself off, let the rice steam for 10-20 minutes.
Stovetop Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the 2 cups of sushi rice using a rice paddle or wooden spoon. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook rice, covered, 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Rice Bowl Instructions
- Make the spicy mayo: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until sizzling.
- Add the ground chicken to the hot pan. Cook until the chicken is browned.
- Stir in the sriracha, gochujang, brown sugar and scallions. Coat the cooked chicken in the sauce. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a separate pan coated with nonstick spray, fry the eggs over medium-high heat. Do not flip. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the bowls: Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Top with chicken mixture, sliced cucumbers and shredded carrots. Finish each bowl with one fried egg and a spoonful of spicy mayo. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds, if desired.
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