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!
Reasons you'll ♡ honey sesame chicken lunch bowls
- they taste great, even on day 4
- you can stash in the fridge or freezer
- you can make a ton of different swaps, and still have a delicious lunch
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
The stir fryTo 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 Lunch 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
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:
Video
Nutrition Information
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Rawan Hammoud says
Super Easy, Super Healthy, Super Tasty. Loved it so much thank you for sharing !
Denise says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review, Rawan <3
Raymond U. says
First time cooking for the most part and it came out beautifully! Definitely a good dish to make for beginners I’d say so myself! Only thing I probably could’ve done better was to probably not cook the rice too long 😅. Otherwise I’m so glad that I did this! If I didn’t who knows what I’d be doing for lunch... probably nothing good or anything at all lol!
Murielle Curcio says
The amount of honey in the sauce is very sweet and I am trying to reduce my sugars. Can you suggest a low glycemic alternative for 1/4 cup of honey?
Ash says
I loooooove these bowls! A regular lunch and great for meal prepping! So easy to make and very healthy!
Denise says
Woo hoo! So happy to hear this, Ash! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂
Denise says
Hi Murielle! It is possible that you could swap some of the honey for monk fruit sweetener. I haven't tested this myself so I don't know how much you would need. Alternatively you can find low carb recipes here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/low-carb-meal-prep-recipes/
Noelle says
I just tried this recipe for my very first week of meal-prepping, and holy cow! It's fantastic! So excited to have it the rest of this week, and looking forward to more meal prepping in the future! (I did make it with bell peppers and asparagus for the veggies, since I'm not a huge fan of broccoli.)
(Just a note-- You mention asparagus a few times, and it's in the pictures, but the recipe calls for snap peas instead...? Just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to change anything/make a note about it somewhere, because I was super confused when I saw no asparagus on the ingredient list!)
Denise says
Hi Noelle, so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the note about asparagus, this post is due for an update and I'll be sure to update that info as well!
Meredith says
Love this recipe! Super quick and easy to make and fit perfectly into my current meal plan. It was also delicious! It smelled so good while cooking I couldn't wait to eat lunch! I also subbed the veggies for what I already had in my freezer-carrots and broccoli. Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Meredith! So happy to hear this. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Dawn says
Hi, can you advise of re-heating technique, as I don't have a microwave. Many thanks.
Dawn
Denise says
Hi Dawn! I would just dump in a small pot and reheat over low/medium until heated through.
Kerrie says
If your eating away from home look at the Hot Logic.
Rosie says
Loved it!
Janis says
Ummm you can only safely keep cooked rice in the fridge for 3 days. Less if you don't get it in the fridge quickly.
http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2009/01/27/2475255.htm
Denise says
Janis it depends on which source you look at. This one, which pulls its data from the US FDA clearly states 4-6 days. Cool your rice as quickly as possible and reheat to steaming hot and you should be perfectly safe. But you do you and if you don't feel comfortable with 4 day storage, then go ahead and move on to another recipe.
Dee says
I doubled this recipe thinking it would make 8 meals. Didn't realize how tiny the containers were that were used here. My 8 meals is basically 4. Hoping it takes just as good as it smells! Might be a bit hangry this week though!
Denise says
The portions I use are what are in line with what is recommended for daily caloric intake. 1/2 cup rice, 4 oz chicken and 1.5 cups veggies is a pretty good sized portion for most people. Sorry you found it small.
Tania says
I know this is a strange question but how much did the "2 large chicken breast" weigh?
Denise says
Roughly 1 lb!
Gina Leslie says
This looks awesome. Going to give this ago. Thank you for posting!
Denise says
I hope you enjoy!
Claire says
Hi denise I have just come across your page and absolutely love it! We are starting off using the honey sesame chicken prep meal. I managed to get all the ingredients apart from the red pepper flakes. Is there anyway you can recommend where to buy this from? I stay in the uk. Thanks!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Claire! I get them with the spices at my grocery store. They just add a little spice but are optional! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Nancy says
1 cup is about 250 mL. Hope that helps!
Alexandra Nightingale says
Do you have instructions on how to reheat thie?
Denise says
Hi Alexandra! Just heat in the microwave until it's steaming hot. Hope you enjoy!
Ashley Oliver says
This is my second recipe of yours that I've tried. I'm really enjoying these balanced, easy meals. This one is delicious as is. I added some toasted cashews on top for a crunch and subbed carrots for snap peas. Next time, I'd like to add a little onion and eggplant to the sauteed veggies.
Denise says
Yummy! I love your swap ideas!
Anu says
Denise,
Thank you for sharing the honey-sesame Chicken recipe! Prepped it as is and was an excellent addition to my meal prep game plan! I paired it with brown rice and curried cauliflower... Delish!!
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Anu!
Clara says
Hi! Are you able to freeze this and heat later?
Denise says
Hi Clara! I have done this and it works great! They freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw completely before putting in the microwave 🙂
Sinead says
Hi Renata,
I live in Brazi too! . An American cup measurement is about one teacup. A medium/large head of broccoli from the market is about 4 cups. You do get used to the amounts and what they should look like over time! I’ve tried websites to convert but one cup is a different weight for every type of food so I’ve never managed to do it that way.
Denise says
Hi Renata! Unfortunately that is not a common way for us to measure here in Canada...I do try to weigh ingredients whenever I'm baking but for cooking I am really just estimating in cups, and I don't know what it works out to in weights. You might have better luck with European-based blogs as they will weigh their ingredients out and don't use cups to measure. I hope this helps!
Sue says
It’s me again. I am looking for the breakdown of carbs, sugar, fibre and protein for your recipe
Denise says
Hi Sue, that information is right on the recipe card...is it not displaying for you?
Denise says
Oh I understand your question now...if you click on the link in my response to your previous question you will see all that info. These are strictly estimates, as a reminder 🙂
Sue says
Can’t have rice and was wondering what nutritional value would be for just the chicken, sauce and vegetables
Denise says
Hi Sue, that's a great question. I just popped it into My Fitness Pal and it looks like it is 270 calories without the rice. You can find the full breakdown here
Beth says
Can you do cauliflower rice? I use it just because it's less calories and don't really see a huge difference in taste!
Denise says
Yes! Absolutely, cauliflower rice is actually great in meal prep! I prefer making my own versus using frozen as it keeps better and doesn't get as mushy 🙂