Looking for an easy weeknight dinner idea? Try a honey Teriyaki Chicken Bowl with rice! Chicken breast is cooked until tender in a simple, homemade teriyaki sauce made with honey, soy sauce, and pantry ingredients. Serve over rice, noodles, or veggies for a delicious and healthy meal!
Sweet and salty chicken is always a hit in our house! This teriyaki chicken rice bowl is no exception. Made with just a few simple ingredients, it's a quick and easy dinner recipe that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Not only does this chicken bowl recipe cook quickly, it's also easy to assemble! Simply cook the diced chicken in a pan with oil until tender. Whisk together the easy teriyaki sauce made with simple pantry ingredients and cornstarch to thicken. Sweeten the homemade teriyaki sauce with honey and cook until bubbly with the chicken.
Serve it up over rice, noodles, or veggies for a complete meal! I love to top ours with green onions and sesame seeds for extra flavor. This chicken teriyaki bowl is also great served cold or at room temperature, making it perfect for meal prep or packing in lunch boxes!
If you love the ease and flavors of this teriyaki bowl you've got to try our Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, or Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry next.
Why You'll Love This Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
- Perfect for Meal Prep. Teriyaki chicken and rice bowls the perfect make-ahead meal you cook in a large batch. Freeze some for later or carry them with you for easy lunches during the week.
- Easy Recipe. All you need are a handful of simple, pantry ingredients to make this meal! It can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
- Flexible Dish. The sweet, tangy chicken teriyaki is great served hot or cold, over rice, noodles, or veggies making it a versatile meal to serve.
- Better Than Takeout. Enjoy this popular restaurant dish at home save some money and make it just the way you prefer.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken Breasts - Boneless and skinless chicken breast makes this a low-prep dish. It's cut into 1-inch pieces to quickly cook and soak up plenty of flavor. You can also make a teriyaki chicken bowl with chicken thighs if you prefer them over the breasts.
- Olive Oil - Used to help cook and saute the chicken so it's tender and juicy on the inside.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce - Mixed with water, soy sauce adds a bit of salty umami flavor to the sweet and sticky sauce.
- Light Brown Sugar & Honey - Both of these ingredients add a rich sweetness to the sauce while helping it thicken giving it the classic sticky texture you want in teriyaki sauce. If you don't have honey on hand, you can use all light brown sugar in its place. The sauce will be just a touch less sweet but still delicious!
- Rice Vinegar - Adds a tangy acidic note that perfectly balances the sweetness of the sauce. Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar can be used as a substitution.
- Sesame Oil - Gives the teriyaki sauce a nutty flavor that makes its flavor more complex and interesting.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic add bold, zingy flavors giving the sauce more depth of flavor.
- Cornstarch - Helps thicken the sauce so it coats the chicken beautifully.
- Rice and Broccoli - Transform the teriyaki chicken into a tasty rice bowl. Have both cooked and ready to go before you start cooking the chicken. You can use white or brown rice and fresh or frozen broccoli. op
How To Make a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
- Cook the chicken: Dice the chicken into small pieces. Cook the chicken in a pan with olive oil over medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked and no pink remains.
- Assemble the sauce: Add the sauce ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined. Make sure there are no lumps in the sauce.
- Combine the chicken and sauce: Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken in the skillet and cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Hint
Don't be alarmed if the sauce for your teriyaki chicken and rice bowls seems a bit thin, it will thicken a bit more once it begins to cool slightly.
Recipe Tips
- Pat the Chicken Dry. Removing any excess moisture before cooking aids the chicken in browning nicely and ensures it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Dice the Chicken Evenly. Make sure the chicken is cut into similar-sized pieces so they cook in the same amount of time.
- Cook the Chicken All the Way But Don't Overcook. Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit. To keep it moist and juicy, it's important to remove it from the stove when the temperature has reached a minimum of 160 degrees F. As it rests, the temperature will rise to 165 degrees F, which is ideal for retaining moisture. Use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature.
- Adjust the Sauce Consistency. If it's not thick enough you can add more cornstarch and water to the sauce and continue cooking and stirring until it becomes thicker. If it's too thick, add water in small increments to reach your desired consistency.
Variations
- Other Meats: Use shrimp instead of chicken if you want to skip the meat. If you prefer a beef version try our Beef Teriyaki Recipe instead.
- Vegetarian: Make it vegetarian by swapping the chicken for extra-firm tofu.
- Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari in place of the soy sauce.
- Add some veggies: Mix in some broccoli, peppers, or snow peas during the last few minutes of cooking the chicken to sneak in some extra veggies!
- Add some heat: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or sriracha to the sauce for some spice.
- Whole grains: Instead of teriyaki chicken and rice make your bowls with quinoa or brown rice.
- Prefer noodles: Swap the rice for your favorite noodles. Consider rice noodles, soba noodles, lo mein noodles, or even spaghetti if that's all you've got!
- Lower carb: For lower carb serving options you can serve the teriyaki chicken over some riced cauliflower, zoodles, or a bed of greens.
What to Serve With This Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
The beauty of rice bowls is that they are essentially an entire meal in a bowl! You've got the protein, starch, and veggie. This is perfect for easy weeknight dinners or a quick and easy-to-carry lunch for the week.
This dish is ideal for serving guests or for a special occasion. Start things off with some egg rolls or another easy appetizer. You might also consider adding on a fresh strawberry spinach salad or salad if you're looking for some other options for the meal. End things with something sweet like these coconut lime cookies or custard puffs.
Storing & Freezing
- Storing: Store leftovers after they're fully cooled in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Store the chicken, rice, and broccoli separately for best results.
- Freezing: This teriyaki chicken freezes well! Let it cool completely before adding it to a freezer-safe bag or container. It will stay fresh for up to three months. When you're ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat until warmed through.
- Reheat: Return the chicken to a skillet to heat or heat the leftovers in the microwave.
FAQ
Yes, you can. Be aware that the flavor will be different since it likely contains more sugar and preservatives than this homemade version.
This particular chicken and rice bowl recipe is on the healthier side since its lower in sugar and calories. However, chicken teriyaki can be high in sodium so if you're watching your salt intake, be sure to use a low sodium soy sauce.
Yes! You can cook the chicken and prepare the sauce up to a day in advance. Store both in the fridge until you're ready to use them. When you're ready to eat, simply reheat everything in a skillet until warmed through.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
- 2 tsp garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Bowls
- 3 cups rice cooked
- 4 cups broccoli steamed
Instructions
- Add olive oil and chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked.
- While the chicken is cooking, add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, honey, and cornstarch to a medium bowl. Whisk until there are no lumps.
- Pour sauce into the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, occasionally stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over rice with broccoli and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
Notes
- To ensure the chicken stays moist and juicy, it's important to remove it from the stove only when the temperature has reached a minimum of 160 degrees F. As it rests, the temperature will rise to 165 degrees F, which is ideal for retaining moisture.
- In case your sauce hasn't thickened, you can quickly whisk in the cornstarch/water mixture and continue stirring until it becomes thicker.
- On the other hand, if your sauce is too thick, you can add water in increments of tablespoons until you reach your desired thickness.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days once they have been properly cooled.
- This recipe is perfect for meal prepping! Simply make a little extra and store it in meal prep containers for easy reheating later in the week.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Heather
Can I substitute with gluten free teriyaki sauce instead? If so how much would I use?
Ryan Allen
Yes, you can use gluten free teriyaki sauce. I would use about 1 1/2 cups.
Heather
Thank you much!! So excited to make this tonight!!!
Shaun
Wow that was an amazing dish. I had to use like oil instead of sesame oil and white vinegar instead of rice vinegar. I used Mikes hot honey just for some extra flavor and it came out great.
Ryan Allen
That sounds amazing! Love the swaps and Mike’s Hot Honey is a great touch. So glad it still turned out great for you!