Rice bowls are one of those staples of weeknight meals. You can make a large variety of cuisines just starting with a simple bowl of rice. It can be the types of proteins you put on top, the types of veggies, the sauces or even the way you season the rice. For this rice bowl I have put together a sauce with a Korean BBQ twist that is used to both marinate and glaze the chicken. KBBQ Chicken Rice Bowls are going to be a real hit on your dinner table.
The one ingredient of the KBBQ sauce that might be a little outside your normal pantry items is the gochujang sauce. This is a red chili paste that has a spicy and sweet flavor to it. Made from fermenting red chili paste, glutinous rice, and soy bean paste. The spicy comes from the chilies while the sweetness comes from the starchiness of the rice. While it used to be difficult to find this product, most grocery stores carry it now. You can usually find it in the condiments aisle or in the Asian section of the International foods aisle. If you cannot find it, you can substitute Sriracha.
As I mentioned above, part of making a rice bowl fit all the way into this dish, you want to make sure to season it. The vinegar is a big part of the flavor you want from this type of rice. The garlic and ginger powder also give a depth of flavor that you will really enjoy. I have selected broccoli, carrots and white onions as the veggies but you could use a whole variety of veggies. Bean sprouts, cauliflower, snap peas, bok choy, cabbage….these would all work.
This is a pretty filling dish, with all the bases covered. If you need to stretch this a little further or want leftovers for lunches – you could add some Crispy Fried Wontons on the side. Speaking of leftovers, you could also make a whole batch of this specifically for meal prepping. You can divy the rice, chicken and veggies up into some meal prep containers and let them come to room temperature. Then cover and store in the refrigerator. They will reheat nicely in the microwave.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
KBBQ Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 3 cups Long Grain Rice
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 cups Broccoli Cuts
- 1 cup Carrot matchsticks
- 1 White Onion cut in strips
- 6 Chicken Breast
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
For the KBBQ Sauce
- 1½ cups Soy Sauce
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅓ cup Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tbsp Gochujang
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Minced Ginger
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seed
Instructions
- Combine sauce ingredients. Add half of the sauce to a zippered gallon bag along with chicken. Let marinate for at least 4 hours (up to overnight). Cover the remaining sauce and keep in refrigerator until ready to prepare the rest of the meal.
- In a pot over medium heat, add rice, water, vinegar, salt, ginger and garlic. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat but do not remove the lid.
- Remove chicken from zippered bag. Pour remaining sauce into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the additional sauce from earlier. Allow to simmer while preparing the rest of the meal.
- Add chicken breast to a grill pan over medium high heat. Cook for 7 minutes then baste with sauce and flip. Baste again with sauce and let cook for another 7 minutes. Check with meat thermometer and remove from heat once it has reached 165degF.
- Add the broccoli, carrots and white onions to the same pan, along with half a cup of sauce. Saute until fork tender.
- Add a portion of rice to the bottom of a shallow bowl. Then add a portion of the mixed veggies. Slice each chicken breast into strips and add to rice. Spoon more KBBQ sauce over the top and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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