Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls

These popular Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls have chicken breast, rice and veggies tossed in a delicious sticky sauce. Perfect for healthy meal prep lunches.

Stir fries are such a great choice for meal prep because they store and reheat well. Some of my faves include this Cashew Chicken Stir Fry, this Vegan Ginger Teriyaki Stir Fry, and today's honey sesame stir fry bowls!

This is one of the most popular recipes on the site (it was my first meal prep recipe to go viral!), and I'm pretty sure I know why.

It's delicious, versatile, easy to prep and keeps so well for meal prep!

Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these meal prep bowls. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

The sauce

When it comes to stir fry, the sauce the most important thing (if you care about flavor, that is). This honey sesame sauce takes 5 minutes to shake up and uses simple pantry staples:

• honey- well, obviously! But if you find yourself in a pinch, you can swap maple syrup and it will be totally fine.
• reduced sodium soy sauce- I recommend seeking out the low sodium stuff. Regular may end up too salty in this recipe!
• water or chicken stock- or make your own homemade bone broth for a bigger nutrient boost
• sesame oil- toasted or regular is fine
• red pepper flakes- for a little kick; leave it out if you are serving kids
• corn starch- or swap for arrowroot powder

Looking to switch up your flavors? I have SEVEN different stir fry sauces here!

The stir fry

To make cooking go as easily as possible, I recommend having all your veggies and chicken chopped up ahead of time, and your sauce pre-mixed. That way, you can just work through the recipe without distraction.

Here's what we're using in this recipe

• veggies- go for 4-6 cups. I am using broccoli and snap peas, but you can use pretty much any stir fry vegetable in here.
• protein- 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast (which is roughly 2 large breasts), chopped into 1 inch pieces.
• carbs- I like basmati rice as it has a low glycemic index, meaning it won't digest as quickly as regular white rice and will keep you feeling full for longer.
  • check out these 3 Tips for Perfect, Fluffy Rice
  • check out How to Cook Brown Rice (stove top & rice cooker)

Let's talk swaps

Just like any stir fry, you can swap out the sauce, the protein, the veggies, the carbs and end up with totally different meals.

Here are some of my fave swaps

• carbs- swap for quinoa, brown rice, or cauliflower rice
• sauce- I'm obsessed with this maple ginger stir fry sauce, or go classic with this teriyaki sauce
• protein- swap the chicken breast for chicken thighs or go vegetarian with tofu
• veggies- swap for carrots, bell peppers, squash, slaw, or whatever is hiding in your fridge that needs to be used. Keep in mind cook times will change with different veggies.

Other popular meal prep recipes

• Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls
• Cold Sesame Noodle Meal Prep Bowls
• Caprese Chicken Salad Meal Prep Bowls
• Fruit on the Bottom Overnight Oats
• Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This post was originally published in 2016. It has been republished with new photos and tips in 2019; same great recipe!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls

4.86 from 134 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

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These Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls have chicken breast, broccoli and asparagus tossed in a sweet and savory honey sesame stir fry sauce. Perfect for healthy meal prep lunches!

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Ingredients

Honey Sesame Sauce:

• ▢ ¼ cup chicken stock or water
• ▢ ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Chicken Lunch Bowls:

• ▢ ¾ cup rice (uncooked; or roughly 2 cups cooked)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• ▢ 3 cups broccoli (chopped into small pieces)
• ▢ 3 cups snap peas (ends trimmed)
• ▢ 2 large chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• ▢ salt & pepper
• ▢ sesame seeds (garnish)

Instructions 

• Shake together all honey sesame sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Cook rice according to package instructions. Divide between 4 storage containers.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan. Add broccoli and snap peas. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until bright green and tender. Add to the rice in the storage containers.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes (if desired). Cook for 7-10 minutes, until cooked through.
• Add the sauce to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, until thickened.
• Add the chicken to the lunch containers and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
• Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat to serve.

Tips:

* If you are looking for ways to lighten this recipe up, try halving the sauce or swap part of the rice for cauliflower rice

 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 483kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 716mg, Potassium: 881mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 1333IU, Vitamin C: 106mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 3mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Chinese

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