Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

3/29/18

These Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls with basmati rice, corn salsa and an easy mango marinade are a delicious way to prep your lunches for the week! 

My latest obsession is adding coconut to savoury meals. OMG. TO DIE FOR.

Specifically, sweetened shredded coconut. There is something about the hint of sweet combined with the nutty flavour of basmati rice and my super easy mango chicken sauce that I am just here for. I can't get enough. And did I mention you'll be using the BBQ for these meal prep bowls?

I might just drown in these Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls, they just scream summer.

Something I've been doing a lot of lately now that it's summer is doubling whatever marinade I've made (like in these Pad Thai Meal Prep Bowls) and saving half for the actual meat I'm grilling, and then using the other half as a dressing or sauce. I swear, it takes years off your meal prep time and you also get to enjoy a ton of flavour in whatever you're making.

IMPORTANT: when saving half your marinade, you want to make sure to mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl separate from the chicken FIRST so as to avoid contamination. Divide the mixture in half, save the uncontaminated version for after you're done cooking everything, and the other half for marinading the chicken. Safety first!

I employed this technique recently with my Cilantro Lime Chicken Soba Noodle Bowls and let's just say I ate them all week straight without getting sick of them…

I also included a super easy and delicious corn and black bean salsa with red pepper and cilantro to top the chicken in these bowls, and garnished with some sliced avocado. Because every bowl should come with avocado, okay.

That's gonna be my new meal prep rule.

If you want your avocado to stay in tip top shape, I recommend buying one that is still super hard and will ripen as the week carries on. As a food photographer, literally the hardest part of my job is picking out the perfect avocado for photos.

You laugh, but I swear, I get so stressed out when I go to the grocery store and realize most of the avocados are either unripe or too soft. I can't even tell you the effect it has on my blood pressure levels. The avocado is a finicky fruit (yes, I think it's a fruit!)

I'm actually so dramatic, but you get it.

Basically, try to pick the firmest avocado you can while ensuring a tiny bit of softness so you can slice it up and pack it in these bowls for the week. I usually find it's fine for 4 days or so if you slice it up just at the point where it's about to ripen.

Part of the trick to making these Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls in a pinch is also having the right equipment on hand and knowing when to time everything. I used a rice cooker to cook jasmine or basmati rice while I made the mango sauce in a Magic Bullet (single serving size blender). You can also cook the rice ahead of time up to a day or two.

From there, I marinated the chicken in a plastic bag for 10 minutes, reserving half the sauce to pour overtop of the cooked chicken and rice afterwards. While the chicken was marinating, I tossed the ingredients together for the corn salsa (basically defrosted corn, black beans and chopped red pepper and onion with a bit of cilantro and lime juice) then I threw the chicken on the BBQ.

When you cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, you can cook them for half the time you would normally need – maybe 4 to 5 minutes each side if that. So quick and easy, and my favourite new way to BBQ chicken!

If you don't have a BBQ, no need to worry! You can cook the chicken the same exact way in the oven – just let it cook in the sauce in an ovensafe dish for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. I've listed the alternative instructions below!

Divide the rice among four square glass meal prep bowls (I get mine at IKEA), top with two slices of chicken, the extra sauce and the corn salsa then sprinkle some coconut and extra cilantro overtop. Boom, lunch for the week is ready and you're gonna love yourself for it! And it feels like such a gourmet meal too!

Will you be making these Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls? 

Fire up that BBQ and get prepping for the work week ahead! You'll be glad you spent 45 minutes over the weekend to eat something delicious the whole week long. I think food is actually the only thing that gets me through 10 hour work days…

If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!

Get your square glass meal prep bowls here!

Stock up on jasmine rice while you're at it.

And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box!

Print Recipe

4.32 from 41 votes

Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

These Coconut Mango Chicken Meal Prep Bowls with basmati rice, corn salsa and an easy mango marinade are a delicious way to prep your lunches for the week!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Servings: 4 bowls

Calories: 473

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
• 2 cups cooked basmati or jasmine rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• Extra cilantro, for garnish

Mango marinade

• 1 mango
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp salt

Corn salsa

• 1 cups Corn
• 1/2 can black beans, drained
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat BBQ to med-high heat (alternatively, preheat oven to 425 F). Cook rice in a rice cooker according to package directions.
• Blend ingredients for mango sauce together, then marinate chicken (each breast sliced in half lengthwise) in half of mixture for 10 min.
• IMPORTANT: when saving half your marinade, you want to make sure to mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl separate from the chicken FIRST so as to avoid contamination. Divide the mixture in half, save the uncontaminated version for after you're done cooking everything, and the other half for marinading the chicken. Safety first!
• Meanwhile, mix together ingredients for corn salsa.
• Add chicken to grill and cook for 4 min per side. Remove from heat. Divide rice among four glass meal prep bowls. Add 2 pieces of chicken to each bowl (there should have been 8 slices total) and top with extra reserved mango sauce, corn salsa, shredded coconut and extra cilantro. Add slices of avocado and refridgerate up to 5 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 637mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 54.5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.5mg