Rice, veggies and a protein is such a great starting point for a dinner idea. And it can really go anywhere from there. I decided to go down the Asian adjacent path and make my version of the honey chicken with this simple honey sauce. Honey Chicken Rice Bowls is a quick meal, perfect for weeknights, that is great for getting a well balanced meal in with minimal effort. Broccoli and bell peppers are probably the two most loved vegetables in my house – all 6 of us love them – so I do cook with them often. Which made this weeknight creation a new staple on our menu rotation.
The slightly spicy honey sauce is the star of this dish. It is so simple but has such a great flavor, you will want to keep it as a dipping sauce idea next time you make wingers or tenders. I use a local orange blossom honey, but whatever honey you have is fine. You are welcome to swap out the soy sauce for coco aminos if that’s your preference. The hoisin sauce gives it that quintessential Asian rice bowl flare. This sauce is not as thick as you might expect. And that’s because the chicken doesn’t have a super thick coating on it. It is a light seasoned flour layer with a pan fry. So you don’t want to have the sauce too thick either, otherwise it will just all slide off.
By roasting the veggies in the oven, they keep their bite, so you get that great texture in each bite. With the garlic and ginger powder, you get just enough flavor to round out the meal. I used onions, bell peppers and broccoli because my whole family loves them all. So no special plates on this one in my house. You could totally do some different veggies, just make sure you cut them to cook at the same rates, so you don’t get one wilty veggie and that’s basically still raw.
This is a fairly hearty full meal with a good sized portion of the veggies. I do think I might have served up a few spring rolls or gyoza with them if I had thought of it before hand. It was missing it, it’s just would have been nice to use up more of that yummy sauce with!
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Honey Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cup Rice
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Broccoli Florets
- 1 Medium White Onion cut in strips
- 1 Red Bell Pepper cut in strips
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Ginger Powder
- Cooking Spray
- Sesame Seeds for garnish
For the Chicken
- 2 lb Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Ginger Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
- ½ cup Butter
For the Sauce
- ½ cup Butter
- ½ cup Honey
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400degF.
- Spread broccoli, onion, and bell peppers out on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray then sprinkle with garlic and ginger powder. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add rice and chicken broth. Cover with lid and let cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, but do not remove lid until ready to make the bowls.
- In a smaller sauce pan over medium low heat, add sauce ingredients. Let melt and combine. Continue to stir and simmer while preparing chicken.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, ginger powder, garlic powder and parsley. Add chicken chunks and toss to coat.
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Once melted, starting frying chicken chunks in batches and remove to a paper towel covered plate. (Try to shake off excess flour mixture before adding to hot butter).
- To build the bowl, start with a portion of rice. Add a portion of chicken on one side and a portion of veggies on the other. Spoon honey sauce over chicken, and add a drizzle over veggies. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Estelle Forrest’s self-published first cookbook – Homemade on a Weeknight: A Family Cookbook – was created after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Estelle self-published a second cookbook – Burgers on a Weeknight – recently. It has over 60 delicious burger creations! You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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Your photos are so colorful! These look yummy. We don’t eat chicken, but these bowls look like a well-balanced meal.
Thanks for sharing this at the Homestead Blog Hop!
Laurie
Ridge Haven Homestead
A friend of mine made it with tofu…basically all the same steps with tome adjusted and her family loved it. So might be worth a try
Looks Yummy-gotta try this one! Thx
oh Estelle!! That looks amazing! I’ll be over for dinner! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Have a fabulous weekend.