This delicious sheet pan dinner features maple-gochujang chicken thighs, roasted vegetables, and a creamy, spicy, umami-rich sauce, which is really the star of the show. It's a flavorful chicken dinner that comes together in 30 minutes, making it a wonderful option for busy weeknights.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Gochujang Chicken Recipe
Today’s recipe was inspired by my friend Heather, who texted me one morning about the sauce she had created the night before to drizzle over a tray of roasted vegetables. She used tahini as the base, with gochujang (Korean chili paste) for heat, miso for an umami-rich layer of flavor, maple syrup for sweetness, and rice vinegar for brightness.
In her words, the sauce was “off the hook delicious.” She’d just winged it but sent me the ingredients and a rough estimate of the measurements, and I immediately tried it at home. She was totally right—it’s OFF THE HOOK DELICIOUS.
The first time I tested the sauce I drizzled it over roasted vegetables like Heather (so good!), but the second time I decided to feature it in a one-pan dinner (inspired by this version) using chicken thighs, kale, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. I tossed the chicken thighs in a mixture of gochujang, maple syrup, and rice vinegar before arranging them over the veggies since I already had them out for the sauce (p.s. you can swap out the gochujang for sriracha if needed). We liberally drizzled everything with the creamy-spicy-sweet sauce and devoured every last bite.
This Sheet-Pan Gochujang Chicken has quickly become one of my favorite weeknight dinners. Thank you, Heather!
What is Spicy Gochujang Sauce?
Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, red chili powder, and salt. It has a unique flavor profile that is both spicy and slightly sweet, with a rich, savory flavor from the fermentation process.
Gochujang is popularly used in Korean cuisine to add heat and flavor to dishes, various stews, and marinades. It's a versatile ingredient that can enhance the taste of many recipes, and today we’re using it in our sauce and marinade ingredients. (If you're gluten-free, be sure to check the label, as not all brands are GF).
If you love gochujang, try my Gochujang Pork Tenderloin Salad!
Ingredient Notes
Gochujang Tahini Sauce Ingredients
- tahini
- white miso paste
- unseasoned rice vinegar
- maple syrup
- low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- gochujang paste
- water
Vegetables & Chicken
- head cauliflower
- sweet potato: I recommend cutting the potato into ½ to 1-inch bite-sized pieces, otherwise they won’t cook through.
- bunch lacinato kale
- garlic cloves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- neutral vegetable oil: Such as grapeseed or safflower oil. Avocado oil or olive oil will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
- gochujang
- maple syrup
- unseasoned rice vinegar
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, miso paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup, tamari, and gochujang, to taste. Whisk in the water until smooth and creamy (if the tahini you used was really thick, feel free to add another splash of water). Give the sauce a taste and adjust the flavorings to please your palate. Do Ahead: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring it to room temperature before using. It will thicken as it chills, so feel free to thin with more water if needed.
Roast the Vegetables and Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the cauliflower florets, sweet potato, kale, and garlic on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss well to coat. Spread the veggies in an even layer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang, maple syrup, and rice vinegar. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the gochujang mixture. Toss well to coat. Arrange the chicken over the vegetables on the baking sheet. Drizzle any juices from the bowl over the chicken.
- Roast the marinated chicken for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate (they won’t be cooked all the way through). Stir the vegetables well, then place the chicken thighs back over top of the veggies. Slide the pan back into the oven and roast until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. Let the pan cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the cooked chicken and vegetables (along with some of the saucy goodness on the bottom of the pan) with the Gochujang Tahini Sauce for drizzling.
Recipe Tips
- You’ll need a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan for this recipe. If you don’t have a pan that large, use 2 smaller pans.
- You can make the sauce as spicy or mild as you’d like. If you’re gluten-free be sure to buy a GF gochujang brand (I use Chung Jung One brand). You can also swap out the gochujang for sriracha. Some grocery stores carry gochujang, otherwise, you can find it online or in your local Asian market.
- If your tahini is really thick, feel free to add more water to the sauce as needed (I use Soom brand tahini, which is ultra-creamy).
- If you’re vegetarian, ditch the chicken and roast the vegetables on their own, adding another tablespoon of oil. You can pile the roasted veggies over white rice or quinoa, or eat them just as they are, drizzled generously with the sauce.
- You can really use any combination of vegetables you like in this recipe. I love the sweetness of sweet potato, but butternut or delicata squash would also be fabulous. Also, you could do broccoli or Brussels sprouts instead of the cauliflower.
- You can use boneless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand, but keep in mind that you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Use leftover gochujang in this Gochujang Pork Tenderloin Salad.
- Use leftover miso paste in this Grilled Miso Chicken, this Miso Maple “Magic” Sauce, or this Miso Glazed Salmon.
Serving & Storage Tips
Serve the chicken and vegetables (along with some of the saucy goodness on the bottom of the pan) with the Gochujang Tahini Sauce for drizzling.
The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring it to room temperature before using. It will thicken as it chills, so feel free to thin it with more water and give it a quick stir if needed.
Store leftover chicken and veggies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer and serve topped with a drizzle of the dressing.
More Sheet Pan Chicken Dinners
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Get the Recipe
Easy Sheet Pan Maple Gochujang Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Gochujang Tahini Sauce
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 ½ tablespoons white miso
- 1 ½ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 ½-2 teaspoons gochujang, to taste
- 2 tablespoons water
Vegetables & Chicken
- 1 small head cauliflower (1 ½ pounds), cut into small florets
- 1 large sweet potato (1 pound), cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces (don’t cut the potato chunks any larger, otherwise they won’t cook through)
- 1 small bunch lacinato kale, stems discarded, leaves coarsely torn
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil (such as grapeseed or safflower), divided
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 6-8 bone-in chicken thighs (I go for 2 thighs per person, unless they’re huge)
Instructions
Make the sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, miso paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup, tamari and gochujang, to taste. Whisk in the water until smooth and creamy (if the tahini you used was really thick, feel free to add another splash of water). Give the sauce a taste and adjust the flavorings to please your palate. Do Ahead: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring it to room temperature before using. It will thicken as it chills, so feel free to thin with more water if needed.
Roast the vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the cauliflower florets, sweet potato, kale and garlic on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss well to coat. Spread the veggies in an even layer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang, maple syrup and rice vinegar. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the gochujang mixture. Toss well to coat. Arrange the chicken over the vegetables on the baking sheet. Drizzle any juices from the bowl over the chicken.
- Roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate (they won’t be cooked all the way through). Stir the vegetables well, then place the chicken thighs back over top of the veggies. Slide the pan back into the oven and roast until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. Let the pan cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables (along with some of the saucy goodness on the bottom of the pan) with the Gochujang Tahini Sauce for drizzling.
Notes
Recipe Tips
-
- You’ll need a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan for this recipe. If you don’t have a pan that large, use 2 smaller pans.
-
- You can make the sauce as spicy or mild as you’d like. If you’re gluten-free be sure to buy a GF gochujang brand (I use Chung Jung One brand). You can also swap out the gochujang for sriracha. Some grocery stores carry gochujang, otherwise, you can find it online or in your local Asian market.
-
- If your tahini is really thick, feel free to add more water to the sauce as needed (I use Soom brand tahini, which is ultra-creamy).
-
- If you’re vegetarian ditch the chicken and roast the vegetables on their own, adding another tablespoon of oil. You can pile the roasted veggies over white rice or quinoa, or eat them just as they are, drizzled generously with the sauce.
-
- You can really use any combination of vegetables you like in this recipe. I love the sweetness of sweet potato, but butternut or delicata squash would also be fabulous. Also, you could do broccoli or Brussels sprouts instead of the cauliflower.
-
- You can use boneless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand, but keep in mind that you may need to adjust the cooking time.
-
- Use leftover gochujang in this Gochujang Pork Tenderloin Salad.
-
- Use leftover miso paste in this Grilled Miso Chicken, this Miso Maple “Magic” Sauce, or this Miso Glazed Salmon.
Serving & Storage Tips
Serve the chicken and vegetables (along with some of the saucy goodness on the bottom of the pan) with the Gochujang Tahini Sauce for drizzling. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring it to room temperature before using. It will thicken as it chills, so feel free to thin it with more water and give it a quick stir if needed. Store leftover chicken and veggies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer and serve topped with a drizzle of the dressing.*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!
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