Asian Meal Prep Bowls
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Meal prep for the entire week with teriyaki chicken, broccoli, bell pepper and brown rice. The sauce is also completely homemade!
A client favorite of mine is the asian meal prep bowl.
It may be a favorite of mine as well. Because the best part of this is the homemade teriyaki sauce.
Yes, there is some added sugar in it. However, as with most homemade meals, you have complete control over what goes into your food. There are no fake chemicals or high fructose corn syrup as commonly found in store-bought or take-out food. So rest assured this version is as healthy as you can get.
The red bell peppers provide a great dose of fiber and the highest amount of vitamin C amongst all peppers. So YAY for red peppers!
The trick to making this healthier is the oil you use. Either olive oil or better still, coconut oil. Coconut oil is high in NATURAL saturated fats. Saturated fats increase the healthy cholesterol (HDLs) and also convert the bad cholesterol (LDLs) into good! All of which lowers your risk of heart disease. YAY again for healthy hearts!
You have healthy carbs in the brown rice and some added vitamins and minerals with the broccoli. Do not overcook the broccoli, or simply add it raw to your meal prep bowls. Overcooking broccoli destroys all the goodness and nutrients.
And as always, feel free to switch the protein up from chicken to beef, pork or even tofu for a vegetarian option.
Asian Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into strips
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, about 2-3 cups
For the teriyaki chicken
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make the teriyaki chicken, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes; let cool to room temperature. Reserve 1/4 cup and set aside.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine soy sauce mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 7-8 minutes.
- Place broccoli florets into a steamer or colander set over a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 5 mins, or until cooked through and vibrant green; set aside.
- Divide rice into meal prep containers. Top with bell peppers and broccoli with chicken and reserved soy sauce mixture, sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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This sauce was better than a restaurant! Definitely making this again, although I’ll try with all honey or some brown coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar next time to make it healthier.
So great!!
This recipe was a homerun with my family but, full disclosure, I screwed it up! I used all of the ingredients–no mistakes there. But, instead of marinating the meat I actually used it as a simmer sauce. Oops! I sauted the chicken and veggies and removed from the pan. Then, I simmered the sauce and added the cornstarch mixture as directed. Once it was thickened, I added back the chicken to heat through. The result was an amazing teriyaki of my dreams!
First recipe I’ve tried from your site….and one that will definitely have me coming back for more!
I loved the marinade, it gave so much flavor to the chicken! I added chopped pineapples when serving which made for a yummy addition 🙂
Easy to do. Tastes great!
My husband and I started meal prepping and I’m using this recipe this week. It seems like it turned out pretty well (smells fantastic). I did bake it in the oven with all of our veggies instead of cooked over the stove and it went well! I am a big fan of your recipes. They are fantastic and easy!!
can you use regular sugar instead of brown sugar…?
Yes, but brown sugar is best.
I make this healthier by grilling the chicken, not sauteeing in oil (120 calories/T) and adding no extra oil when sauteeing the red pepper, just a super light coat of cooking spray if needed. I prefer the taste of grilled chicken so that is no sacrifice for me! I love your blog and recipes!
These look great. I was just wondering if your calorie estimate includes everything in the bowl? Rice, chicken, sauce, and veggies? Or is it just for the chicken? Thanks in advance!
It is all-inclusive.
I used the precooked brown rice from Trader Joes. I added snap peas and onions and doubled the broccoli and bell pepper. This took me about 30 minutes outside of marinating the chicken. I prepped a week’s worth of lunch and even got to enjoy some right now.
Great recipe. Super simple. I love homemade teriyaki because jarred ones seem to have extra junk in them that makes me sick.
Made this for dinner tonight. Easy and delicious.
Can I use boneless chicken breaths instead of boneless thighs, I generally don’t have boneless thighs around, but I might have some breaststroke in the freezer
Love your recipes!
Yes, absolutely.
These look delicious. I love your site. I was wondering if you could answer a question about your blog and the features/plug ins.
What program are you using to get the nutrition labels for your posts?
I’m a fledgling food blogger, too, and I’m not happy with what I’ve been using. Thanks in advance for any info/tips.
I am using this plugin:
https://halgatewood.com/freebies/easy-nutrition-facts-label.
Hope that helps!
Yes. Thank you!
Can you tell me what plug-in you’re using for your recipes too?
I’m honestly not too sure – it was created by my graphic designer. 🙂
Is it possible to get the same effect if you replace the sugar with stevia powder? (leaving in the two tablespoons of honey) or do you also need the Sugar to get the thickening of the sauce?
thank you so much for your wonderfull recipes, i love your site!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This recipe leaves out the scallions and the seeds in the process. The ginger is too pungent with the sugar. I have used many. Of your recipes but this is on the do not make again list.
Deborah, what a bummer! I’m so sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. However, the ginger can be reduced or omitted completely to your liking. The green onions and sesame seeds are included in the final step.
I would be super happy if I had this prepped in my fridge for a week (;
interesting that you didn’t publish my post on the food safety issues with this recipe. the teriyaki noodle bowl looks t be the same sauce and that does say to reserve part of the marinade. you might want to amend this recipe for the beginning cooks or for those unaware of the issues with raw chicken.
Jan, reader comments take anywhere from 24-48 hours to be moderated. It was not intentionally not published.
And yes, the recipe has been amended. Thank you for pointing that out.
Hi Chungah,
I really like your recipes, but could you please stop your “Creamed Corn” video from playing on every single page I visit? I’m trying to find some lunch recipes, and on every recipe I pull up I have to stop the video from playing. It’s incredibly annoying. I’ve found that I have to completely mute my volume just to make the website tolerable.
Just some honest feedback from a fan! 🙂
Oh, my HEAVENS. These look FABULOUS. Can’t wait to try!
I love this idea in principle, but in addition to the questions you’ve had about whether cooked protein is safe kept refrigerated for 4-5 days, I’m concerned about the rice. Cooling / storing / reheating rice carries a risk of food poisoning. In the UK, the NHS advice is to EITHER eat it immediately after cooking OR cool quickly (ideally in <1 hour – I usually do this quickly by running cold water through it) then refrigerate for no more than 1 day and reheat only once, to steaming hot before eating. I don't personally fancy the idea of eating rice which has been refrigerated for the greater part of a week. But as you've said in other posts, up to us to use our own preferences / common sense about how we implement this, right?
I cook my rice in the pressure cooker, i.e. at a higher temperature than regular cooking, which gives me a better chance of beating B. cereus.
It’s been a while since you commented, but I’ve had success with reheating the rice and it keeping pretty well (plus no food poisoning). I just cook it in a rice cooker, but I do leave it separate from any sauces that might make it mushy. Hope that helps!