These Bang Bang Chicken Bowls are a healthy, mouthwatering meal that’s ready in just 20 minutes. They’re made with fluffy rice topped with sticky, pan-seared chicken, crunchy veggies, and a creamy, spicy bang bang sauce.
I love a good rice bowl. They’re colorful, tasty, so customizable, and SO EASY.
This Bang Bang Chicken Bowl is no exception. It’s a super quick recipe that features pantry staples, but is packed full of delicious flavors.
This is the perfect easy meal to whip up when you’re short on time, but you want something DELICIOUS.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Quick to make – This recipe is made with basic ingredients that come together to make the best flavor, AND it’s ready in no more than 20 minutes!
- Great for meal prep – You can easily prepare the chicken and rice in advance so it’s ready to go for an even quicker meal later on.
- Healthy and delicious – These rice bowls really are everything you could want in a meal. You can absolutely serve them with a side dish OR be totally satisfied with the bowl all on its own.
Recipe Notes
This Bang Bang Chicken Recipe is as simple as promised! Just a 20 minutes total for a family friendly dinner.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make a Bang Bang Chicken Bowl to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chicken Breast – You’ll need two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe.
- Sesame Oil
- Cornstarch
- Sriracha
- Seasonings – We’re keeping the chicken bites simple with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. We’ll add plenty of flavor in other recipe areas!
- Bang Bang Sauce – The magical sauce known as bang bang sauce is made with a simple mix of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, lime juice, and sriracha.
- Rice – I like to use jasmine rice for this recipe.
- Veggies – We’re filling our bowls with plenty of fresh, crunchy veggies including shredded cabbage, sliced bell pepper, snap peas, shredded carrots, and a garnish of sliced green onions.
- Chow Mein Noodles – These add the perfect crunchy bite to each bowl.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Bang Bang Chicken Skewers – Prep your chicken cubes, coat with bang bang sauce, then put on a skewer for a fun presentation. Serve your bang bang chicken skewers over rice with all of your preferred toppings!
- Bang Bang Chicken Tacos – Skip the rice bowl and serve your prepared chicken in a taco with sliced veggies.
- Bang Bang Chicken Salad – Prepare your chicken, sliced veggies, and bang bang sauce, then serve over a bed of lettuce instead of rice. Add your favorite toppings, and dig in!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make a Bang Bang Chicken Rice Bowl.
Cook the rice according to package instructions. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, then season with sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sriracha.
Whisk together all of the bang bang sauce ingredients. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in oil, then cook the chicken bites, flipping periodically until evenly cooked on all sides and heated through. Add in the bang bang sauce, then stir to coat.
Pile the cooked rice into a serving bowl of your choice, then layer with fresh veggies.
Top with bang bang chicken, green onions, chow mein noodles, and a drizzle of sweet chili sauce, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cut the chicken into even pieces – The cubes of chicken should be pretty similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- Check the internal temp – Chicken should be 165ºF. I recommend checking it with an meat thermometer to make sure it’s good to go before serving.
- Heat the oil before cooking – You’ll get the best chicken texture if you let the oil heat up first. Crispy on the inside and tender in the middle. Yum!
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Make the chicken and rice ahead of time – Cooked rice will last 3-5 days in the fridge, and cooked chicken will last 3-4 days in the fridge. You can get ahead by prepping and storing both, then assembling your bowls when you’re ready to serve.
- Meal prep the whole thing – While I do recommend holding off on adding the chow mein noodles so they stay nice and crunchy, you can just mix together the whole bowl and store it in the fridge a couple of days ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, simply add your garnishes and dig in! You can also simply prepare each component of your chicken bowls, then assemble when you’re ready to serve.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this Bang Bang Chicken Bowl recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Bang Bang Chicken After Cooking
- Season and cook the chicken according to the recipe instructions. Cook the rice according to package directions, then cool both completely.
- Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container, then store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- When you’re ready to serve, simply thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat as desired, then serve over with bowl mix-ins, toppings, and bang bang sauce!
What to Serve with a Bang Bang Chicken Rice Bowl
Since this protein based dinner has delicious Asian flavors, it will pair well with many of your favorite Asian-inspired side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Maple Glazed Carrots – These Maple Glazed Carrots are the perfect sweet spiced side to serve with a rice bowl. They’re soft, buttery, and oh so tasty!
- Asian Cucumber Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing – Keep your side dish more savory wit this Asian Cucumber Salad. It’s made with fresh, crunchy slices of cucumber coated in a salty, spicy dressing.
- Spicy Sriracha Asian Coleslaw – This Spicy Sriracha Coleslaw is always a crowd favorite, and perfect paired with your bang bang rice bowls. It’s made with cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cilantro tossed in a creamy sriracha lime dressing.
Bang Bang Chicken Bowl Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ’s
What’s the difference between Yum Yum and Bang Bang?
Both sauces are mayo-based sauces with Asian flavors. However, yum yum sauce tends to a little more mild and slightly sweeter while bang bang sauce tends to have more of a spicy kick.
Are chicken and rice bowls healthy?
Absolutely! These chicken and rice bowls are jam packed with good-for-you ingredients (rice, veggies, protein) and loaded up with so much flavor. Healthy and delicious!
More EASY Rice Bowl Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite rice bowl recipes below.
Bang Bang Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
For the chicken bites
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
Bang Bang Sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
For the Bowls
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 12 ounces shredded cabbage
- 1 red bell pepper, (or 2 if they are small) sliced
- 8 ounces snap peas
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup crunchy chow mein noodles
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 3 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the rice per package directions.
To make the bang bang chicken bites
- To make the bang bang sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and lime juice.
- Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Then season with sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sriracha. Work the seasoning through out the chicken until everything is evenly coated.
- Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, once hot, add the chicken bites in a single layer.Allow the chicken to cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from the heat and toss with the bang bang sauce. Serve with rice or over shredded cabbage.
To assemble the bowls
- In each bowl, create a base of jasmine rice and shredded cabbage.
- Add red pepper, snap peas, carrots, and bang bang chicken bites.
- Top off the bowl with a sprinkle of crispy chow mein noodles, green onion, and a drizzle of sweet chili sauce.
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