Bang Bang Chicken Rice Bowl
Tender, smoky chicken coated in creamy bang bang sauce and served over warm jasmine rice with crisp cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. These colorful rice bowls are filling, fresh, and easy to prepare for dinner or meal prep.
Ingredients
Chicken
Bang Bang Sauce
Bowls
Toppings
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
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Shred the cabbage and carrots, thinly slice the cucumber, and prepare the cilantro and green onions. Keep the vegetables chilled in the refrigerator while you cook the chicken. Dice the avocados shortly before assembling the bowls so they remain fresh and creamy.
Make the bang bang sauce
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Add the mayonnaise, sweet Thai chili sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, lime juice, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk until completely smooth, creamy, and glossy. Cover and refrigerate the sauce for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend while you prepare the chicken.
Season the chicken
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Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss until every piece is evenly coated with the seasonings.
Cook the chicken
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, cooking in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden around the edges, tender inside, and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Coat the chicken
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Reduce the heat to low and make sure all the cooked chicken is in the skillet. Add 1/2 cup of the chilled bang bang sauce and gently toss for 30 to 60 seconds, until the chicken is evenly coated and the sauce is warm and glossy. Keep the heat low so the creamy sauce warms gently without separating.
Assemble the bowls
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Divide the warm jasmine rice evenly among 4 serving bowls. Arrange the shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and diced avocado around the rice. Divide the warm bang bang chicken among the bowls, then drizzle with additional bang bang sauce.
Add the toppings
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Sprinkle each bowl with chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Serve with fresh lime wedges for squeezing over the top. Serve immediately while the rice and chicken are warm and the vegetables are cool and crisp.
Note
For the best browning, pat the chicken dry before seasoning and avoid overcrowding the skillet. Cook the chicken in 2 batches if your skillet is not large enough to hold it comfortably in a single layer.
For a milder sauce, reduce the sriracha to 1 teaspoon. For additional heat, add more sriracha after the sauce has been mixed and tasted.
For meal prep, refrigerate the cooked chicken and rice separately from the vegetables, avocado, toppings, and sauce. The chicken and rice can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Refrigerate the sauce separately for up to 4 days.
Reheat the chicken and rice until steaming hot, adding a small splash of water to the rice if it seems dry. Add the cold vegetables, avocado, sauce, and toppings after reheating. Freezing fully assembled bowls is not recommended because the fresh vegetables, avocado, and creamy sauce do not retain their best texture after thawing.
