Grilled Korean-seasoned Chicken, Eggplant, and Pepper Rice Bowls

A summer dish made on the grill--Korean spiced chicken thighs grilled with farm share eggplant and peppers, topped with a fried egg and served in a rice bowl.

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I love an easy supper that can be--mostly--pulled off the grill and onto a bowl of rice. There's something very satisfying about eating from a bowl, and in the summer when it's hot it's rather nice to simply fire up the grill [and the rice cooker] and enjoy a complete meal.

When I came up with the idea for these bowls I already had chicken marinating in the fridge for my Korean-seasoned Grilled Chicken Thighs. I'd doubled the amount of chicken (on sale + on clearance) and skipped the marinated bag of veggies. But I had plenty of eggplant and bell peppers from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, so I wanted to use them in a way the family would enjoy.


I was thinking of Bi Bim Bap, the Korean dish cooked/served in hot stoneware bowls with seasoned meats and veggies and an egg to finish. I decided to make do with what we had, and to make it on the grill. I opened against digging out the stoneware bowl I'd gotten for my spouse. Someday I'll  do him up a proper dish worthy of the bowl. I also opted against picking up some kimchi or making some Spicy Asian-inspired Pickled Kohlrabi because . . . summer heat sapped my oomph.

At the last minute I remembered the egg, and while I was pulling the last of the chicken off the grill I put a little cast iron skillet on to heat, added some bacon grease, and quickly fried a few eggs. With everything chopped a similar size these bowls were easy to eat and tasty, too.



For more recipes using eggplant, please see my Eggplant Recipes Collection. For more recipes using bell peppers, please see my Pepper Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

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Grilled Korean-seasoned Chicken, Eggplant, and Pepper Rice Bowls

(serves 4 with plenty of leftovers for lunches)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken thighs, marinated according to this recipe
• 3 large eggplants, sliced into ½ inch rounds
• 5 cups chopped bell peppers
• olive oil
• salt and pepper (kosher and freshly ground respectively, for me)
• bacon grease
• 1 egg per person
• hot cooked rice (we make 3 cups raw for our family of 4 and reheat the leftovers)
• soy sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to high heat, scrape the grates, then turn it down to medium heat. [These are instructions for a gas grill because that's what I used to cook it.] You'll be more successful with a grilling basket (Amazon affiliate link to a suggestion) to keep the peppers from falling through, and a cast iron skillet to fry the eggs.
2. Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, until it lifts easily off the grate with good grill marks. Set aside and keep warm.
3. Toss the vegetables in a large bowl with a generous splash of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the eggplant slices onto the grill. Dump the pepper pieces into the grill basket.
4. Close the grill and let the vegetables cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then stir the peppers and flip the eggplant. Close the grill and continue cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Set aside and keep warm. 
5. Place the cast iron skillet on the grill and add bacon grease (or whatever cooking fat you want to fry your eggs in). 
6. When the cooking fat is hot, add eggs (enough for each person to get one). Close the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes. Open and check for desired doneness. Do not fuss with taking a photo, because you will overcook your eggs. Happens to me every time!
7. Once all of the chicken, vegetables, and eggs have been cooked--bring all the food inside. 
8. Chop the chicken and vegetables into bite sized pieces. Place some hot cooked rice in a bowl, top with chicken and vegetables, and add an egg on top. Or as the hashtag goes, #putaneggonit  kids these days and their hashtags. Season with some soy sauce from your handsome soy sauce pourer, and enjoy.