Healthier firecracker chicken meal prep bowls are sweet and spicy! Lightened up compared to classic recipes, but still super flavorful. Gluten-free and ready in 35 minutes.
Stir fry recipes work so well for meal prep; we love whipping up Mongolian beef bowls or Korean-inspired ground turkey bowls for lunches throughout the week. These firecracker chicken bowls are another delicious option that brings the heat!
With a simple sauce of honey, Frank's red hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar, the resulting lunch bowls are spicy and sweet, with a tangy twist. Serve it up with spiralized zucchini, edamame, and rice for a nutritious and filling meal.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- it's simple to prepare and can be ready in under 35 minutes, no need to turn on the oven!
- it makes four delicious lunches that taste great, even on day 4
- you can mix up veggies, swapping for your faves
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this chicken in firecracker sauce. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredient notes
- chicken- while I've used chicken breast here, you could easily swap for boneless skinless chicken thighs. Shrimp or tofu would also be great options!
- hot sauce- this recipe was tested using Frank's red hot sauce; swapping it for buffalo sauce or wing sauce might yield a milder spice as they are diluted with butter and other ingredients. It may be possible to swap the hot sauce for sriracha or other types of hot sauce, but alternatives have not been tested in this recipe.
- apple cider vinegar- adds a tangy aftertaste to the sauce; we love Bragg's brand, but any type/brand of apple cider vinegar will work in this recipe
- honey - a liquid sweetener works better in this recipe, but in a pinch, you can sub brown sugar, but you need to make sure that it melts completely so your sauce is not gritty.
- cornstarch- helps thicken the sauce; try swapping for arrowroot starch if you are looking for a corn-free version.
- vegetables- we are using spiralized zucchini and edamame here, but feel free to swap for your favorite veggie: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers would all work great, however you will need to cook them first.
Step by step directions
1. Coat chicken- Use tongs to toss the chicken pieces in corn starch, and ensure they are well coated so they have a nice crispy texture on the exterior.
2. Prep sauce- In a jar or salad dressing shaker, combine Frank's red hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and honey.
3. Cook chicken- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt & black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Remember this may take a little longer if your chicken is in bigger pieces.
4. Add sauce- When chicken is cooked through, pour the honey/hot sauce/cider vinegar mixture over everything and toss chicken to coat. Remove from heat when sauce has thickened slightly.
5. Portion out and store—Divide cooked rice, prepped vegetables, and chicken between four 2-cup meal prep containers. Be sure to drizzle with any sauce left in the pan. You can garnish with anything you'd like, such as sesame seeds or cashews.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container; heat until steaming hot in the microwave, stir it all up, and enjoy.
FAQ
Yes, it has a medium spice level to it. You can increase the heat by increasing the amount of Frank's red hot sauce, or by adding red pepper flakes to the bowls.
Yes however I would swap the spiralized zucchini for another vegetable- cooked broccoli, snap peas or green beans would do well freeze/thawing. Freeze for up to 3 months.
No! Feel free to leave it out, or swap for a vegetable that you love.
Meal prep & storage
- fridge- cool completely, then store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- freezing- replace the zucchini for a different vegetable (cooked broccoli, snap peas or green beans would do well). Cool completely, then store in a sturdy air tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- thawing- thaw overnight in the fridge or on low power in the microwave (depends on the quality of your containers)
- reheating- heat in the microwave until steaming hot.
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Recipe swaps:
- chicken breast- swap for chicken thighs. The cook time may be 1-2 minutes longer, but chicken thighs keep even better than chicken breast in meal prep recipes! Shrimp, salmon and tofu would also be great in this recipe.
- zucchini and edamame- swap for any other veggie, but you will need to sauté things like bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, broccoli etc.
- make it lower carb- swap the rice for cauliflower rice
- make it vegan- swap the chicken for tofu and the honey for maple syrup
More meal prep ideas
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Healthier Firecracker Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
Meal Prep Bowls
- ¾ cup basmati rice uncooked
- 1 medium zucchini spiralized
- 2 cups edamame thawed
- red pepper flakes optional; for extra heat
Firecracker Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts cut into cubes (roughly 1 lb); see note 1
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch see note 2
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper
- ¼ cup honey see note 3
- 2 tablespoons Frank's red hot sauce see note 4
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Rice- Cook rice according to package directions, and portion out into four 2-cup capacity storage containers.
- Vegetables- Spiralize zucchini; divide with the edamame between meal prep containers.
Healthier Firecracker Chicken
- Coat chicken- Toss the chicken cubes in cornstarch. Use tongs to mix all the chicken cubes up and make sure they are all coated.
- Prep sauce- In a jar or salad dressing shaker, combine Frank's red hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and honey.
- Cook chicken- Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the chicken/cornstarch and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
- Add sauce- When chicken is cooked through, pour the honey/hot sauce/cider vinegar mixture over everything and toss chicken to coat. Remove from heat when sauce has thickened slightly.
- Portion out & store- Divide the chicken between the meal prep containers; be sure to drizzle with any sauce left in the pan.
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Tips:
Video
Nutrition Information
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Jennifer says
So happy I noticed this recipe in the "dairy-free" article. I made this into freezer lunches with brown jasmine rice and frozen baby broccoli florets. The crispy, cornstarch-coated chicken was a nice change of texture from an ordinary stir fry. I upped the Frank's (two and a half tablespoons) and vinegar )(one and a half teaspoons) a little and added a little ginger and garlic. Delicious!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jennifer, we are so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave such a nice rating and review!
Amy says
This recipe is simple, but delicious. My husband requests it all of the time.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Amy, I'm so happy to hear that your husband loves this recipe!
Phyllis V Bergenholtz says
Why do you use Basmati rice in all your recipes?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Phyllis! I love basmati because it is fluffy and has a great texture, but also is lower on the glycemic index than other types of white rice. This means it digests more slowly and helps to keep you full for longer. You can read more about it here: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-basmati-rice
Jacqueline says
Hi I am going to the lake and I’m wondering if I can make this a head just the chicken, and then freeze it. Would I would then just warm it up in the oven at 3:50 for half an hour? Or put it in the microwave. Please give me your thoughts.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jacqueline! Unfortunately I'm not sure as I've never frozen the chicken before. In general stir fry-type recipes do freeze well, so I think it would be OK? Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
Leslie says
Hi. This looks good! Do the zucchini noodles hold up for 4 days?
Denise says
Hi Leslie! Since we don't cook them, they are cooked for the first time when you heat it up in the microwave. So they do keep for 4 days!
victoria says
i would also love to know the calories on this! looks amazing i know my husband will love it!
Denise says
Hi Victoria! I've just updated the post with the nutritional information!
Marisa says
Just made this for meal prep this week and so excited about it! So is my husband haha! Wondering if you have the calorie/nutrition fact sheet information on this recipe? Thanks! Love everything you do!
Denise says
Oh that's so weird! I somehow missed adding it to the recipe card. Will update ASAP. Hope you enjoy!
Paula says
Hi! This recipe looks wonderful. I looks forward to trying it soon and coming back to rate it. I love prepping my work lunches each week.
Quick question: The recipe reads, "3/4 cup basmati rice uncooked". Should it be "3/4 cup basmati rice cooked" instead?
Thanks again!
Denise says
Hi Paula! Yes, it is supposed to say 'uncooked basmati rice'. I always include cooking the rice in the directions and cook time for my recipes. From 3/4 cup of uncooked rice you should get close to 2 cups of cooked rice, working out to around 1/2 cooked rice per portion. Hope you enjoy!
Laura says
But the rice cooking isn't part of the recipe...
Denise says
I've just updated the recipe card to include cooking the rice!