Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Teriyaki chicken rice bowls are a healthy all-in-one dinner, with sticky sushi rice, tender teriyaki chicken, and veggies in a single bowl. Customize the ingredients and make it your own!
Ah, the meal bowl. While back in the day, a proper dinner was meat, a starch, and a vegetable all sitting separately on the plate, things started getting a little wild in the new millennium when meal bowls became a THING.
It’s easy to see why they become so popular, though. Bowls are a great way to pack a whole lot of flavor and nutrition into one meal. Case in point? These teriyaki chicken rice bowls. This is a recipe with the perfect balance of protein, carbs, and veggies, and every bite is a little different from the next depending on the toppings and mix-ins you grab with your fork.
These bowls are fantastic for meal prep because you can make each component in advance and stash them in the fridge separately to keep them fresh. And if you have kids, they’re going to love being able to assemble their bowls with their own favorite toppings. There will be no complaints!
Ingredients for Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Short Grain Sushi Rice – Sushi rice is sticky and starchy; it makes a flavorful base for these teriyaki chicken rice bowls.
- Water – For cooking the rice.
- Rice Vinegar – Be sure to use unseasoned; seasoned rice vinegar has added sugar.
- Granulated Sugar and Kosher Salt – For seasoning.
- Teriyaki Chicken – Make this Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken. For an even quicker dinner, use up a leftover rotisserie chicken and toss with the teriyaki sauce in a skillet until warm.
- Spicy Sauce – To jazz it up.
- Additional Toppings – Pickled red onions, pickled ginger, radish, edamame, pineapple, cucumber, carrot, green onion, and sesame seeds.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full printable instructions.
- Prepare. Rinse the sushi rice, if desired.
- Cook the rice. Use the package directions and cook it in your rice cooker or on the stovetop.
- Make the teriyaki chicken. Follow the recipe linked above.
- Season the rice. Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, and salt, then fold this into the cooked rice.
- Make the spicy sauce. Whisk everything together in a small bowl.
- Assemble. Divide the rice into bowls, add the chicken, then finish with your desired toppings and the spicy sauce.
Tips and Variations
These pointers will help you make perfect teriyaki bowls!
- Try another grain. Cooked quinoa, jasmine rice, or even this kimchi fried rice would work as a base for these teriyaki chicken bowls.
- Experiment with toppings. Just like tuna poke bowls, the topping options are really endless. Add cashews or wonton strips for crunch, chili crisp for heat, or whatever veggies you happen to have in your crisper drawer.
- Balance is key. If you overdo any single element, you won’t have that good balance of flavors. While piling on eleventy-billion toppings can be tempting, when you add too much, sometimes it can just be too much.
- Make it vegetarian. Switch out the chicken for crispy baked tofu; simmer it on the stovetop with teriyaki sauce to glaze it first.
- Use a different protein. Teriyaki grilled flank steak, baked teriyaki salmon, or any other protein cooked with teriyaki sauce will work in these rice bowls.
- Make it low(er) carb. There’s still sugar in the teriyaki sauce, so it’s not quite low carb, but cauliflower rice or even just a bed of greens can be swapped in for the sushi rice.
How to Store Leftovers
To store leftovers, place the rice, chicken, and toppings in airtight containers and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Ideally, each component should be stored separately, but if you’ve already assembled the bowls, that’s fine too; they’ll still last a day or two in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
What to Serve With Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
These bowls are a meal in and of themselves, but here are some apps, sides, and add-ons that pair well with them.
- Easy Asian Slaw Recipe
- Pickled Radish
- Korean Cucumber Kimchi
- Shrimp Summer Rolls
- Asian Cucumber Salad
More Meal Bowl Recipes
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Vegan Buddha Bowl
- Cherry Pistachio Ricotta Bowl with Honey and Cacao Nibs
- Acai Bowl Recipe
- Easy Pitaya Bowl Recipe (Dragonfruit Smoothie Bowl)
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Get the Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
For the Sushi Rice
- 2 cups short grain sushi rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Teriyaki Chicken
Additional Toppings
- pickled red onions
- Pickled ginger
- Sliced radish
- 1 cup shelled edamame steamed
- 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 carrot peeled into ribbons or thinly sliced
- Green onion sliced + sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
FOR THE SUSHI RICE:
- For rice that has more separated grains once cooked, rinse it first in a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. This step removes any starch from the rice. If you really don’t care about the more separated grains, skip the rinsing!
- If you have a rice cooker, I highly recommend using it here – we have this one (affiliate link) and use it all the time Add the rice (rinsed or not) and water to the rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Or cook the rice on the stovetop according to package directions, until the rice is plump and just tender. While the rice cooks, prepare the teriyaki chicken.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the cooked rice and fold briefly to incorporate.
For the spicy sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
To assemble.
- Divide the rice equally between 2 bowls and top with chicken. Add your favorite toppings and sprinkle with green onions, sesame seeds then drizzle with sauce.