Sesame Ginger Chicken Bowl (Printable)

A vibrant bowl of tender chicken, crisp vegetables, and flavorful sesame-ginger sauce with jasmine rice.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Marinade & Sauce

02 - 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
03 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
04 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
05 - 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
06 - 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 tbsp sriracha or chili garlic sauce (optional)

→ Rice

09 - 1 1/4 cups jasmine or short-grain white rice, rinsed
10 - 2 cups water

→ Vegetables

11 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
12 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
13 - 3.5 oz sugar snap peas or snow peas, halved
14 - 2 spring onions, sliced

→ Garnishes

15 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
16 - Fresh cilantro leaves
17 - Lime wedges

# How-To Steps:

01 - Whisk together soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, minced garlic, and optional sriracha. Pour half over chicken and marinate for 15 minutes while reserving the remaining sauce for later.
02 - Rinse rice under cold water until clear. Combine rice and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
03 - Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken pieces without the marinade and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Remove from heat and keep warm.
04 - In the same pan, stir-fry carrot, bell pepper, and sugar snap peas for 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp.
05 - Distribute rice evenly among four bowls. Top with cooked chicken and vegetables. Drizzle with the reserved sauce.
06 - Garnish with sliced spring onions, toasted sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in under an hour, and most of that is just rice simmering while you chop.
  • The sauce does all the heavy lifting, so even plain chicken tastes like you marinated it overnight.
  • You can swap the vegetables for whatever's wilting in your crisper drawer and it still works.
  • It reheats beautifully, which means lunch the next day actually tastes better than sad leftovers.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the rice or you'll end up with sticky, gummy clumps instead of fluffy grains.
  • Reserve half the marinade before it touches the raw chicken, or you'll have to make more sauce at the end.
  • Cook the vegetables fast and hot so they stay crisp; soggy snap peas taste like regret.
03 -
  • Grate the ginger on a microplane instead of chopping it so it melts into the sauce and doesn't leave fibrous bits behind.
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes until they smell nutty and start to pop, it makes a bigger difference than you'd think.
  • Use chicken thighs if you're nervous about drying out the meat; they have more fat and flavor and forgive almost everything.
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