What to serve with Korean BBQ chicken? This delicious grilled dish, served with traditional sides, may be one of the most popular Korean dishes in the West today.
But it’s actually quite new to the Western palate. The answer to this question, “what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken?” depends heavily on where you are eating your Korean BBQ chicken since sides will vary depending on where you are in Korea.
However, there are some common side dishes that can be found anywhere. This article will list some of the best choices for what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken at home and when eating out at restaurants in Korea.
1. Korean Bean Sprouts
Korean bean sprouts are the first on our list of what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken. Regarding side dishes, Korean bean sprouts are an often overlooked option.
These small sprouts have a peppery taste that pairs well with your BBQ chicken’s sweet and tangy sauce.
The dish is usually seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic cloves, and sugar. You can also add some gochujang or sriracha for extra heat!
2. Garlic Butter Rice
Garlic butter rice is a great option if you are wondering what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken. This dish is a staple in Korean households, and for a good reason.
The rice becomes wonderfully flavorful when you mix in garlic butter, soy sauce, and a little sugar if you want.
Also, It’s great because you can make it ahead of time and just store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
Garlic butter rice can be served with everything from kimchi (fermented cabbage) to grilled meat (especially this chicken!), which makes it a perfect side dish for any occasion.
3. Cucumber Salad
This is what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken. Korean cucumber salad is a quick and easy recipe that requires no cooking.
It has a mouthwatering sauce that offers your sliced cucumbers the ideal harmony of spiciness, sweetness, and nuttiness.
Combine cucumber, scallions, red chili pepper flakes, and rice vinegar in a bowl and stir. Add salt to taste and set aside for about 10 minutes. Add gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) or fresh chopped chilies for a more spicy flavor.
4. Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish that mixes rice cake, vegetables, and red pepper in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. The tteokbokki can be eaten individually or as a side dish for any grilled meat.
It has the perfect texture – chewy but not too chewy – which will complement the chicken well. Tteokbokki is also an inexpensive and easy dish to make at home.
5. Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)
This is a great option if you want to serve it with Korean BBQ chicken. Gamja jorim is a side dish made of potatoes that have been boiled and then fried, dried, and braised in soy sauce.
The potatoes are boiled until soft before frying them into crispy bits to keep their shape. This technique also helps the potatoes absorb more flavor from the soy sauce while they cook.
6. Korean Spicy Slaw
This slaw is a must-have for any table. Not only is it incredibly easy and inexpensive, but it’s also healthy and packed with flavor.
The cabbage and carrots are tossed in a light and tangy dressing made from rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a generous amount of gochujang (Korean red chili paste).
This dish has deep layers of flavor that will make your mouth water as soon as you smell it. If you are wondering what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken, you can’t go wrong with Korean spicy slaw.
7. Bao Buns
It’s hard to beat a fresh bao bun. Soft and pillowy, they’re the perfect vessel for drizzling sauce or piling on vegetables.
Just wrap it in foil, and you have a portable meal that can be eaten hot off the grill or cold from the fridge. These are my favorite kind of sides for serving with Korean BBQ chicken:
8. Cheddar-scallion Waffles
Wondering what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken? Cheddar-scallion waffle is a great option. To make it!
Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.
Next, add in the cheddar cheese and scallions and mix them well. Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and scoop of batter onto each side of your waffle iron.
Cook until done (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from waffle iron once cooked through, then serve immediately or keep warm by wrapping it in a clean dish towel for 20 minutes before serving.
9. Korean Corn Cheese
Want something cheesy and decadent? You must try this side dish made with corn. Corn, a lot of mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, and some spring onions are all you need.
You can make the cheesiest corn you’ve ever had by mixing everything in a bowl and baking it for about 10 minutes.
With some Korean fried chicken and a nice beer, this Korean corn cheese is the finest when eaten right out of the oven.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add corn kernels and stir until they are lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add sugar, butter, and soy sauce.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved into the liquid, about 2 minutes more (if needed)
- Stir in cheese until melted
10. Blanched Spinach
Since spinach is a leafy green vegetable, it has many health benefits. It also has a slightly sweet taste that makes it a perfect idea for what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken.
Here’s how to blanch spinach: bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the fresh spinach leaves. Cook the spinach until they turn bright green, about two minutes. Drain the water and serve them with soy sauce or sesame oil as desired.
11. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
When it comes to what to serve in a Korean BBQ kitchen, Mashed sweet potatoes are a perfect side dish for any meal, but they’re especially great for Korean BBQ chicken.
They can be made ahead of time and are full of nutrients that will boost your immune system and keep you feeling good after you finish a big meal.
Plus, they’re super easy to make! Here’s what you need and how to make it!
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
To make it!
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks. To make it!
- Place the cut pieces in a large saucepan and cover them with water
- Boil until tender, then drain the water
- Add olive oil, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to the saucepan and mash away using either an electric hand mixer or potato masher.
- If needed, add milk or cream until desired consistency is reached
12. Pickled Radish
The preferred side dish for Korean fried chicken is Korean pickled radish. The pickle’s sweet and tart qualities effectively cut through the grease in your chicken and serve as a delectable palate cleanser.
Though you can generally find them at your neighborhood Korean grocery store, why not try making your own? The procedure is simple.
- Peel your daikon and slice it into rounds about 1/8 thick.
- In a large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt
- Add the sliced daikon and boil for about 10 minutes until they become tender
- Remove from heat, drain well, and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours
13. Spicy Cold Noodles
This is what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken. When making Korean BBQ chicken, it is usually served with a side of cold noodles.
The contrast in temperature is great for balancing out the chicken’s heat. For this dish, you’ll need ramen noodles and some vegetables like cucumbers and carrots that you can grate into noodle shapes.
Also, you can use an Asian vegetable like daikon radish or kohlrabi. Add the vegetables to a bowl of cold water and add ice cubes until they are covered in water.
Let them sit while you make the sauce. Start by grating ginger, garlic, and green onion into a small bowl and add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and salt or pepper (to taste). Mix until combined, then set aside while you cook the chicken.
14. Vegetable Pancake
A vegetable pancake, also called gimchi jeon, is one of the most traditional and popular sides to serve with Korean barbecue.
These sweet and savory pancakes are usually made with a blend of vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, onions, green onion, garlic, and shredded cabbage.
They’re then mixed together in a batter that typically includes flour, water or dashi (a Japanese broth), eggs, and some type of oil. The mixture is shaped into thin pancakes that are then pan-fried until they turn golden brown on both sides.
15. Loaded kimchi Fries
What’s the best side dish for bbq chicken? Loaded kimchi fries! Here are the ingredients: potatoes, scallions, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, and sriracha sauce.
This is a healthier alternative to typical french fries that you can enjoy even when on a diet. Prepare these loaded kimchi fries by first cooking potatoes in oil until they’re crispy.
Then cut the potatoes into sticks and place them in a bowl with pre-cooked bacon bits, scallions, cilantro leaves, and mozzarella cheese.
Finally, mix all of these ingredients together with mayonnaise and sriracha sauce before serving them as a side dish for your favorite BBQ chicken!
16. Kimchi Ramen
Ramen noodles are one of those foods that have become so popular that it’s now available at just about every grocery store.
They come in all different shapes and flavors, but the most authentic ramen is the one you can find at your local Asian market. Wondering what to serve with Korean BBQ chicken? Kimchi Ramen is a great option.
The best thing about these noodles is that they’re extremely versatile, so you can make them as spicy or mild as you want.
To make this dish, start by cutting a package of ramen in half and placing it into a pot of boiling water for three minutes or until tender. Drain the noodles and set aside.
Conclusion
Korean BBQ chicken might be the show’s star, but it’s not the whole show! The side dishes are an important part of any Korean meal, adding texture and flavor to the overall dining experience.
This article gives some common perfect ideas for what to serve with Korean BBQ so you can make the most of your Korean BBQ experience at home.
Some of the other side dishes for Korean BBQ are kimchi, rice, and dduk boki (a steamed rice cake). Potato salad is a good option if you want something a little more American. Whatever side dish you choose, make sure it’s something that goes well with your meal.
