Korean Chicken Rice Bowl

Korean Chicken Rice Bowl recipe is a fresh and healthy rice bowl recipe topped with Korean-inspired chicken, avocado, cucumbers, shredded carrots, pickled red onions, and a spicy mayonnaise on top! This healthy rice bowl recipe is great for meal prep and for a delicious weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

I am a big fan of rice bowls for family dinners. Everyone can choose all of the components that they like, and make their own customizable bowls. We love my Greek Turkey Rice Bowls, Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls, and Indian Vegetable Rice Bowls!

Oh, and I love the sauces. Rice bowls must. have. sauce! I absolutely love Korean food and this Korean Chicken Rice Bowl recipe is so full of flavor! The sauce on these Korean Chicken Rice Bowls is incredible, so these are definitely one of my new favorites!

The bowl starts with a bed of coconut rice. Sure, you could use regular rice but WHY WOULD YOU when you could have coconut rice?! It's so fluffy and adds a hint of sweetness from the coconut milk. Then, there's chicken breast or tenders (I highly recommend tenders!), that are marinated in a Korean-inspired combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. The chicken is cooked on the grill or a stovetop and then sliced. The chicken pieces are served on top of the rice along with shredded carrots, cucumbers, pickled red onions, avocado, and that delicious Sriracha sauce.

This recipe is a great meal to prep for a healthy lunch the entire week, or to have as a weeknight dinner. I recommend to make the pickled onions, marinate the chicken, and Sriracha mayonnaise in advance, so you don't have to do that when it comes to dinner time.

Ingredients in Korean Chicken Rice Bowl

Korean Chicken Bowls are made with fresh and healthy ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for exact amounts.

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Tenders - I love using tenders for this Korean chicken bowl recipe, as they cook more evenly and are super tender! Boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work.
• Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Honey 
• Brown Sugar
• Red Onion
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sugar
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Rice - I love using jasmine rice when I make coconut rice. Coconut milk adds a little sweetness to the rice and it is so creamy and delicious. You could also use cauliflower rice to make this dish lower in carbs. Brown rice is also an option - just be sure to adjust the cooking time, as brown rice takes a lot longer to cook than white rice.
• Coconut Milk - canned coconut milk is used to make delicious coconut rice.
• Mayonnaise
• Sriracha or Gochugang sauce - this goes into the sriracha mayonnaise that is drizzled on top. You can add more or less dependent on how much heat you can handle.
• Garlic Powder
• Milk

How to Make Korean Chicken Rice Bowls

This recipe has quite a few components, so there are a number of things going on in this dish.

Marinate the chicken. The first thing to do is make the marinade for the chicken. Marinate the chicken it in a medium bowl. You can marinate it for as little as 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Simple combine soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil and then whisk together.

Make the quick pickled onions. Bring apple cider vinegar, water, and sugar to a boil and then pour over the red onions in a jar. Place in the refrigerator. They'll be ready to go in about 30 minutes! These add so much flavor to the rice bowls!

Make the coconut rice. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt, over medium-low heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the veggies and mayo. While the rice is cooking, you can prep the carrots, cucumbers, and avocado, and make the Sriracha mayonnaise.

Cook the chicken. The chicken can be grilled or cooked in a nonstick frying pan on a stovetop - whatever you prefer! For both methods, cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. They will take a little less time if you are cooking the chicken tenders, and a little bit longer if your chicken breasts are very thick. I recommend pounding them to even thickness so they cook faster! Slice the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Assemble. Simple divide the white rice between the bowls and then top with chicken, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, avocado, pickled onions, and a drizzle of the mayo!

Korean Chicken Rice Bowls for Meal Prep

This is a great recipe to prep in advance for easy lunches throughout the week! There are quite a few uncooked/raw items in it - shredded carrots, avocado, and cucumbers, so those need to be kept in a separate Tupperware, along with the sauce. This way, you can heat up the chicken and the rice separately and then add the raw ingredients afterwards.

Korean Chicken Bowl Tips and Variations

Make Ahead. You can prep many of the components of this Korean Chicken Rice Bowl recipe in advance. The pickled onions and raw veggies can both be made a day in advance, as well as the sriracha mayo. You can also marinate the chicken up to one day in advance.

Switch Up the Veggies. This recipe is also delicious with roasted vegetables. I have done roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower which are delicious. Some green onion on top is also great.

Use a rice cooker. If you have a rice cooker, they are very convenient for making rice and will allow you to prep the rest of the recipe without having to keep an eye on the rice.

Add an egg. Korean Rice Bowls are delicious topped with a fried egg!

Switch Up the Meat. You can use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of chicken breasts. Simply brown the ground meat in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and then add the marinade ingredients, and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Like this recipe? Check these out, too!

Korean Beef Bowls

Greek Turkey Rice Bowls

Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls

Chicken Curry Rice Bowls