Creamy Korean Turkey Rice Skillet (Printable)

Ground turkey simmered in Korean gochujang sauce with rice vegetables and topped with jammy eggs for an easy weeknight meal.

# What You Need:

→ Protein

01 - 1 pound ground turkey

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

02 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
05 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Sauce

07 - 2 tablespoons gochujang
08 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon honey
10 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
11 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
12 - 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
13 - 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream

→ Rice and Toppings

14 - 3 cups cooked white rice, day-old preferred
15 - 4 large eggs
16 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
17 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

→ Optional

18 - Kimchi for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sesame oil, then sauté onion, garlic, and ginger for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and softened.
02 - Add ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
03 - Stir in carrots and cook for another 2 minutes.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together gochujang, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and broth. Pour sauce into skillet and stir to coat meat and vegetables.
05 - Reduce heat to low; add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
06 - Stir in heavy cream and cooked rice until everything is well combined and creamy. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.
07 - Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Gently add eggs and simmer for 7 minutes for jammy yolks. Transfer eggs to ice water, peel, and halve.
08 - Serve skillet mixture in bowls, topped with halved jammy eggs, green onions, and sesame seeds. Add kimchi on the side if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything happens in one skillet, which means less to wash and more time to actually enjoy your meal.
  • That jammy egg yolk breaking into the creamy rice is genuinely life-changing, not just nice.
  • The sauce walks this perfect line between bold and approachable, so even people hesitant about Korean flavors end up asking for seconds.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger long enough—those three minutes of gentle sautéing develop sweetness and depth that rushing through will completely miss.
  • The cream goes in at the very end on low heat, not boiling, because heavy cream can separate and turn grainy if it gets too hot.
03 -
  • Keep a small batch of gochujang-soy-honey sauce mixed ahead in your fridge; on busy nights, you can brown the turkey, add this sauce, and be halfway done in minutes.
  • If you're cooking for someone hesitant about spice, make their portion first and set it aside, then add extra gochujang to the pan for the rest—everyone gets what they want without two separate dinners.
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