Japanese Sweet Potatoes and BBQ Chicken

This meal has been on repeat in our house over the last couple weeks. It’s so easy to make, with only four ingredients!

Just marinate boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts in Japanese barbecue sauce or teriyaki for a few hours. When it’s time to eat, toss some diced Japanese sweet potato in olive oil to roast in the oven. Then either air fry or bake the marinated chicken to serve alongside the roasted sweet potatoes with steamed rice and pickled veggies.

Any high protein meal that my picky eater makes a happy plate with it a huge winner, and this combo ticks that box. Minus the pickled carrots and cabbage, of course.

The Japanese Barbecue Marinade for Chicken + Alternatives

If you’ve spent any time on the food side of social media, you’re probably aware of Bachan’s Japanese barbecue sauce. I’ve been using it for years and absolutely love the stuff.

It’s perfect for marinating proteins, making stir fries, as a dipping sauce, or even making quick caramelized rotisserie chicken for a topping on high protein ramen.

I’ve made a copycat version before using all the ingredients on their label. And while my version is solid, it sure is a lot easier to buy a bottle of their sauce. Bachan’s also makes lots of flavors like roasted garlic, miso, and hot honey now.

If you have a go-to teriyaki sauce or another Asian-style chicken marinade, they will work for this recipe. The world is your oyster sauce.

I would recommend matching the salt and sugar levels if possible. One tablespoon of Bachan’s Original sauce has 520mg of sodium and 8g of sugar, for comparison.

Air Frying Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs

I’ve tested both breasts and thighs with this marinade, and the cook times are very similar. In a Ninja air fryer pro, 375ºF for about 15 minutes does the trick. The recipe calls for brushing on an extra tablespoon of sauce in the final minute or two so it gets nice and sticky caramelized.

Chicken thighs are such beauties because it’s so difficult to overcook them. They also have more flavor due to the high fat content. I typically take thighs to an internal temperature of 175ºF and think they get even better at higher internal temps.

Chicken breasts, on the other hand, become dry and rubbery beyond the 165ºF internal temperature threshold. I recommend keeping a watchful eye on chicken breasts with a food thermometer for best results. They’re finicky, but I know some people prefer chicken breasts over thighs.

I find myself becoming more of a chicken breast enthusiast. This recipe is number five in a recent air fried chicken breast series where I’ve surprised myself with how delicious they can be. My wife (picky eater) says the chicken breast and brothy rice is her favorite thing I’ve made in years.

Either way you go with this recipe, I think you’ll be pleased.

Serving

Sure, you can serve chicken and sweet potatoes on their own or with a little greens or seaweed salad. But I think this combo is best served in rice bowls with some type of pickled or fermented veggies. Bonus points for lite yum yum sauce.

I cheat and buy pre-made pickled carrots and cabbage from Whole Foods, but you can make your own or make other Japanese side dishes like sunomono (cucumber salad), green beans, or carrot salad.

Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for pairings, questions about the recipe or cooking methods, or anything else. I hope you love these Japanese sweet potato and chicken bowls as much as we do around our house. Recipe reviews are always appreciated if you do!