These Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are a delicious make ahead lunch idea that comes together in one pot.
How to make this recipe
-
Add ingredients to Instant Pot in the following order: olive oil, chicken, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic and water.
-
Pressure cook for 4 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop according to package directions.
- Make a slurry with cornstarch and water.
-
Stir cornstarch slurry into the Instant Pot until well mixed then add the cooked rice and the raw broccoli.
-
Once combined, let sit with the lid on for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any other neutral oil in place of olive oil. Some neutral oils to use are sunflower oil, avocado oil or peanut oil.
- Chicken breasts – chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breast. It may alter the cook time but it is also a juicier cut of meat!
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are a great alternative to soy sauce.
- Honey – maple syrup, agave syrup or a brown sugar syrup can be used in place of honey.
- Rice vinegar – apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar with sugar can be used instead of rice vinegar in a pinch.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic or garlic powder if you do not have fresh garlic available.
- Water – vegetable broth or chicken broth are great alternatives to water.
- Broccoli – feel free to switch out the broccoli for any veggies of choice.
Cornstarch slurry
- Cornstarch – flour, potato starch or tapioca are often used to replace cornstarch. Flour is the best option to make a slurry without cornstarch.
- Water
Rice
- White rice – use any variation of white rice that you prefer or opt out of the white rice and use brown rice instead. The rice you choose may alter cook times so keep that in mind.
- Water – using a vegetable or chicken broth can enhance the flavours of your rice.
- Butter – olive oil or another neutral oil can be used instead of butter. Leave out the butter entirely if you prefer not to use any.
- Salt (to taste)
Storing and reheating
For any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. This dish will keep well for up to five days, making it a great meal prep option!
When you’re ready to enjoy the bowl, reheat the leftovers one of three ways:
- Using the saute function on the Instant Pot: until fully warmed.
- On the stove in a pan for a few minutes.
- In the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Either way that you choose to reheat this dish, make sure to add water or chicken broth to add moisture to the dish and prevent the chicken or rice from drying out.
Freezing this recipe
This meal prep bowl freezes really well! All you need to do is transfer the contents to an airtight container and allow it to cool to room temperature before freezing. Allowing it to cool down before freezing will prevent freezer burn or the growth of any bacteria. Once frozen, it will keep well frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy your bowl, thaw it in the fridge overnight then reheat using the instructions above and serve.
Make healthy eating easy! Join our Dinner Prep Pro app.
- ZERO ADS on over 450 recipes
- Customizable weekly meal plans
- Grocery and meal prep checklists
- Bonus resource library and community
More rice bowl recipes
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 head Broccoli, chopped into very small florets
Cornstarch slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic and 1/2 cup water to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then do a quick release of the pressure. Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to preheat then pressure cook the 4 min.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop according to package directions. Mix the cornstarch with cold water to make the cornstarch slurry and set aside.
- Open lid of Instant Pot and stir in the cornstarch slurry until well mixed, then add the cooked rice and the raw broccoli. Mix together well then let sit with the lid on for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Mary says
Does this recipe freeze well?
Taylor Stinson says
I haven’t tried it myself but I believe it would 🙂 You can always try with a small portion first!
Ariel E says
HI-when everything is sitting do you set the instant pot on the keep warm setting? Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
You can if you’d like but you can also just leave the Instant Pot off, that’s what I do 🙂
Joanna says
I made this using rotisserie chicken and used a stove top method.
Great recipe, thanks Taylor for posting!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Joanna!! And great to know you can make it on the stove 🙂
Michelle says
Where do you get your cute prep containers?
Taylor Stinson says
These are what I use!
Taylor Stinson says
These are what I use! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y31WGWR/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegirlonbloo-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B06Y31WGWR&linkId=fec9b4cf0c3d2943165493050393c965
Dee says
Hi! Silly question, I’m just starting to get into healthier habits/calorie counting. This recipe says it has 6 servings total. Is one serving technically one cup? I just want to make sure when I portion/calorie count!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Dee – I think one serving would be approximately 1.5 cups but I have not measured it out. The entire recipe will make 6 servings, so you will need to divide the recipe into 6 portions and then each portion is a serving.
Michelle says
HI, do you cook the broccoli before adding it in?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Michelle – you just add it in with the other hot ingredients and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to steam it.
Jasmine says
can it be cooked in an oven instead?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I can’t give out instructions for this change since I haven’t tried it myself!
Lindsey says
Hi Taylor, how would the cook time change if I doubled the recipe?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Lindsey! I don’t think the cook time would change if you doubled it. You could maybe add a minute or two extra to the cook time to be safe though!
Meagan says
Thoughts on cauliflower rice instead of regular rice? I’m doing a Whole30 and think I could sub most other things
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Meagan! You could definitely add in cauliflower rice instead!
Courtney says
If I’m using frozen cauliflower rice do you think I should pre cook it then add in or just put it in frozen with the broccoli and let it steam? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this recipe
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Courtney! I’d recommend you microwave it first as opposed to adding it in frozen. Hope that helps!
Sharyn says
Ever try with quinoa or just more veggies? Trying to watch carbs.
Taylor Stinson says
You could definitely just add in more veggies or sub in quinoa – great idea Sharyn!