Juicy sweet chili chicken, whipped gochujang cottage cheese (trust me!), caramelized miso sweet potatoes, sesame soy guac AND extra sweet chili jam? Yes please. These gorgeous sweet chili chicken power bowls are a brilliant option for an easy weeknight meal packed with protein and bold flavors.
I like to think of these bowls as an Asian-inspired twist on those viral beef protein bowls that social media has been all over recently. I’m swapping ground beef for juicy chicken, but the real star of the show is the whipped gochujang cottage cheese which is maybe my new favorite way to enjoy cottage cheese. It’s spicy, creamy, cheesy and incredibly satisfying. Even if you think you don’t like cottage cheese, I think you’ll be all over this version.
I’m not a big cottage cheese girl, in its pure form. I don’t like the chunky bits and it’s a bit of a blah flavor. But, when whipped with a few little flavor boosts, it becomes creamy, gorgeous and perfect for dolloping on so many things (these lovely bowls included).
This is one of those recipes that feels like so much more than the sum of its parts. The combination of the juicy chicken, caramelized sweet potatoes, spicy cottage cheese and zingy sesame soy smashed avocado, all tied together with sweet chili jam works SO WELL and is a real celebration of sweet and salty flavors.
I’m actually cooking both the chicken and the sweet potatoes in the air fryer here – something I never thought I’d be saying. But there is no denying that it’s SO quick and very ‘set and forget’, making it perfect for busy weeknights. But, you can absolutely pop them in the oven, or pan-fry (or even grill or barbecue) the chicken if you prefer. This would also be great with shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken.
And if you’re a fan of these chicken bowls, try my juicy chicken poke bowls, Mediterranean chicken rice bowls, or this sushi-inspired chicken salad next.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts. You can use chicken thighs if you prefer – skinless, boneless and free-range ideally. Or, use shredded rotisserie chicken to make it even easier.
- Miso paste. I’m using white miso paste – if you use a different one taste it first – red miso paste is a lot saltier so you may want to reduce the quantity if that’s what you end up using.
- Cottage cheese. Regular, plain cottage cheese is best here. Low fat works well too.
- Gochujang paste. This sweet, spicy chili paste is one of my favorite ingredients to have on hand. You should be able to find it in the Asian or International aisle at the grocery store.
- Sweet chili jam. You’ll use this across three elements in the recipe – the chicken, sweet potatoes and the spicy cottage cheese. If you can’t find any, you could use honey or regular sweet chili sauce. If you can, I really recommend making my sweet chili jam for the best flavor.
How to make them
Mix your chicken marinade, then add the chicken. I like to slice the chicken breasts in half, lengthways, so you end up with thinner pieces of chicken. This helps it to cook quickly and evenly. Pop into your air fryer (or into the oven) to get charred and gorgeous.
Mix the miso, olive oil and sweet chili jam into a paste, then toss it through your diced sweet potatoes. Pop them into your air fryer – or arrange on an oven tray – and cook until charred and soft in the middle.
While they cook, make the spicy cottage cheese and the smashed avocado. Divide the sweet potatoes between bowls, then slice the chicken and layer it on top. Finish with a dollop of avocado and gochujang cottage cheese, along with a few more little drizzles of sweet chili jam and a wedge of lime.
Watch how to make them
Got a question?
Definitely! Every element of the bowls can be prepared ahead of time. It’s best to store each element separately in the fridge and then just assemble them when you’re ready for ease.
The sesame soy avocado will dull in color over time as it sits, but will still taste great. The chicken and sweet potatoes will keep well for at least 4 days in the fridge, and the sauces are the same.
They strike a good balance between sweet and spicy in my opinion – the only element that has a little more heat to it is the gochujang cottage cheese. If you’re worried about spice, it’s easy to reduce it. Just halve the amount you use in the cottage cheese (you can always add more if you think you can handle it, but it’s trickier to take it away). You can also swap the sweet chili jam for honey if you’re making this for kids.
Like this recipe? Try these high protein bowls next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Sweet Chili Chicken Power Bowls
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the chicken marinade. Add 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam, 1 tablespoon of white miso paste, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce to a mixing bowl or container. Mix well to combine into a thick marinade – I find it’s easiest to do this with a fork as you’ll need to break up the miso paste a bit.
- Marinate and cook the chicken. Halve the chicken breasts down the middle, to create thinner pieces. This will help them to cook evenly and quickly. Toss the chicken with the marinade so that every piece is covered.
- Cook the chicken. Transfer the chicken pieces to the basket of your air fryer and pour any remaining marinade on top. Air fry for 11 minutes at 400F/200C, or place on a lined oven tray and bake for 20 minutes at 400F/200C until deeply charred and cooked through (you can cut into a piece to check it’s white all the way through).
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Mix 1 tablespoon of miso paste with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of sweet chili jam. It will be kind of like a thick paste. Place the chopped sweet potatoes into the basket of your air fryer (or onto a lined oven tray). Pour over the miso mixture and toss (or shake the air fryer basket) to coat the sweet potatoes. Air fry for 12 minutes at 400F/200C (or roast in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes at 430F/220C). You want them to be nicely charred around the edges and soft in the middle.
- Make the whipped gochujang cottage cheese. While the chicken and sweet potatoes cook, add 1 cup of cottage cheese to a blender or food processor, along with 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sweet chili jam. Blitz until super smooth, bright orange and creamy.
- Make the smashed avocado. Squeeze the ripe avocado out of its skin into a mixing bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, chopped cilantro and scallions. Use a fork to mash it into a chunky guacamole-esque smashed avocado. Taste, then add a little more lime juice or a pinch of salt if you think it needs it (I love a limey guac so will often add more!)
- Assemble your bowls. Slice your cooked chicken however you’d like. Divide your sweet potatoes between bowls. Top with the sliced chicken and dollop with the whipped avo. Drizzle with the whipped gochujang cottage cheese, then spoon over the sweet chili jam. Finish with a scattering of sesame seeds and more cilantro and enjoy.
