Easy Sheet Pan Maple Gochujang Chicken Recipe
This 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.
Servings: 4
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
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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).
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Use leftover gochujang in this Gochujang Pork Tenderloin Salad.
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- 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. Loved this recipe? Check out @nickisizemore for more!