A delicious Asian-style dressing adds amazing flavor to these easy sticky honey ginger soy chicken bowls with cabbage and rice.
This easy weeknight dinner is incredibly light and refreshing. Call it a salad. Call it a bowl. Call it whatever you want, because it is one delicious meal!
Asian-Style Dressing and Marinade
The foundation of this recipe is a flavorful concoction of pantry-friendly staples that doubles as marinade and dressing.
- low-sodium soy sauce (regular soy sauce will likely be too salty)
- honey
- olive oil
- sesame oil
- rice vinegar (or fresh lime juice)
- garlic
- ginger
Half of the marinade is reserved to use later as dressing. The other half is used to marinate the chicken.
What cut of chicken is best? This recipe works great with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, or chicken thighs.
Prepping Chicken Bowl Ingredients
Other than the time it takes to mix the marinade and let the chicken soak for a bit, this recipe is crazy easy to throw together.
- Grill the chicken, let it rest and then thinly slice.
- Chop the cabbage (I like it coarsely chopped for the crunch factor, but you can go for thin angel-hair strands).
- Cook or prep the rice (sticky rice, white rice, brown rice, garlic rice, coconut rice – lots of options here).
- Gather garnishes: chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, chopped green onions, lime wedges.
Sticky Rice Pro Tip: we love the Bibigo brand microwaveable sticky rice. It heats up in less than three minutes in the microwave. We find it at Costco, but it’s available on Amazon and in many other grocery stores.
Assembling Sticky Honey Ginger Soy Chicken Bowls
To serve these easy chicken bowls, scoop in rice and cabbage and then drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing.
Top with slices of chicken and any garnishes you like! Fresh avocados also often make an appearance when we eat (or rather, devour) this meal.
The combination of crunchy cabbage, sticky rice, tender chicken, and that punchy, flavorful dressing is just so incredibly delicious. YUM.
These sticky honey ginger soy chicken bowls have skyrocketed to the top of our list of favorite meals – especially right now when the simple ingredients and method are perfect for summer cooking.
You could skip the whole “bowl” concept and just focus on the chicken. Marinated and grilled, it would be marvelous in so many different applications.
Like perhaps served over coconut rice with fresh pineapple on the side or served with a simple side like roasted potatoes or skillet green beans.
But if you want my advice, I’d say…go for the bowls. They are soooooo good. I hope you love them like we do!
Sticky Honey Ginger Soy Chicken Bowls
Marinade and Dressing:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup honey or brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar or fresh lime juice (see note)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, ginger paste or ginger cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste or garlic cubes
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs
For the Bowls:
- 6 cups chopped green cabbage (see note)
- 2 cups hot, cooked white or brown rice (see note)
- Chopped cilantro
- Finely diced green onions or chives
- Toasted sesame seeds
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In a medium bowl or in a blender, whisk or blend the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar (or lime juice), olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic until well-combined.
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Measure out 3/4 cup of the marinade and transfer to a covered container or jar. Refrigerate until serving.
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Place the chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and add the remaining marinade. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
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Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted at the thickest part (the exact time will depend on your grill and what cut of chicken you are using).
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Remove the chicken from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices for serving.
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To serve, scoop a serving of cabbage and rice into a bowl or on a plate. Whisk the reserved dressing to recombine and drizzle a few tablespoons over the cabbage and rice. Top with slices of chicken and garnish with chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, lime wedges, green onions, and additional dressing.
Cabbage: I prefer the cabbage in this recipe chopped coarsely because it lends a delicious, fresh crunch, but you can thinly slice into fine shreds if that is your preference.
Rice: many types of rice can be used for this recipe. Sticky rice. White rice. Brown rice. You can even use an actual recipe, like this garlic rice or coconut rice.
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 443kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 956mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 18g
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by a recipe from a local Asian cafe, Zen Bento, after a new friend, Kristen, who I met at a Special Olympics event told me about her knockoff recipe – I followed her loose instructions and played around with the perfect Asian-style dressing and marinade; thanks, Kristen!)
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