Sweet Chili Chicken Lunch Bowls combine tender slow cooker chicken with rice, crispy vegetables and edamame.
Some weeks you need meal prep that doesn't require much from you. After years of developing and testing meal prep recipes, I look for recipes that minimize hands on cooking while still holding up through the week. These slow cooker chicken bowls are built around my Sweet Chili Chicken, so there is very little active cooking, and the remaining ingredients are simple to prep and portion. Make one batch and you've got four lunches ready to go.
reasons you'll love these meal prep bowls
- Balanced- Lean meat, carbs and vegetables make this a well rounded and wholesome meal.
- Versatile - A very easy recipe to swap based on your personal preference. Use cauliflower rice or quinoa, or switch the vegetables.
- 2 for 1 Meal Prep - The base recipe for the sweet chili chicken makes plenty of chicken. You can easily use part for lunch and part for dinner.
Ingredients
- Sweet Chili Chicken: this is a slow cooked chicken that is perfectly tender and tossed in a tangy Asian inspired sauce.
- Cooked Rice: this is my guide to the perfect fluffy rice.
- Produce: cucumber, carrot, edamame, green onions
What I Learned During Testing
- Don't skip thickening the sauce: the corn starch slurry turns the cooking liquid into a thicker sauce which coats the shredded chicken into a delicious sauce that perfectly coats the chicken.
- Raw veggies: the crisp cucumber and carrots provide an amazing texture for the soft chicken and rice.
- Cool Before Assembling: allow the chicken and rice to cool before assembling. Only add the lid once totally cool to avoid condensation.
Storage
- Refrigerate: store assembled bowls in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Reheat: if you want to heat this meal microwave until warmed through. I personally remove the cucumber before microwaving, but that is my personal preference.
- Freeze: I do not suggest freezing already assembled bowls.
Variations
- Pairs well with Cilantro Lime Rice.
- Coconut rice adds a subtle flavor that is really delicious with the sweet chili chicken.
- To reduce carbs you can make this with Sesame Ginger Cauliflower Rice or Turmeric Cauliflower Rice.
- You can swap the rice for quinoa. Here is my tutorial on how to cook quinoa in rice cooker.
- If you'd like to try a different kind of produce these sesame mushrooms are delicious.
Other Meal Prep Lunches
- Vegetarian Meal Prep Ideas
- Buddha Bowls
- Ground Turkey Bowls
- Mexican Street Corn Meal Prep Bowls
- Chicken Gnocchi Bowls
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Sweet Chili Chicken Lunch Bowls
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2 whole baby cucumber , sliced
- 1 medium carrot , thinly shaved
- 2 cups cooked edamame
- 4 cups cooked sweet chili chicken , (recipe linked below and in post)
- ½ cup salted peanuts , crushed
- ¼ cup green onions , finely
Instructions
- Divide the ingredients evenly among four 2.5 cup meal prep containers.
Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
