These Korean Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are a healthy make ahead lunch idea made up of chicken thighs, sesame coleslaw and jasmine rice!
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken marinade
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – you can make this recipe with any kind of chicken of your choice, but the cooking times will vary.
- Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – you could also use maple syrup, coconut sugar or brown sugar to sweeten the marinade.
- Sesame oil – a neutral cooking oil like avocado oil will work, but it has a milder flavour.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Fresh ginger – if you can’t find any fresh ginger, use 1 tsp. ground ginger powder.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds would both work here.
Sesame slaw
- Coleslaw mix – use a bagged coleslaw mix to cut down on prep time or chop up some red or green cabbage.
- Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Rice vinegar – apple cider vinegar will provide a similar flavour.
- Honey – maple syrup or agave would also work.
- Sesame oil – a neutral cooking oil like avocado oil will work, but it has a milder flavour.
- Powdered ginger – you can try using ginger paste instead or leave this out altogether.
Rice
- Jasmine rice – serve with any kind of rice of your choice like brown rice or evene cauliflower rice.
- Butter – or a butter substitute like margarine.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make meal prep chicken thighs
Step 1: Cook the rice and prep marinade and dressing.
Preheat grill to high heat, or preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, mix chicken marinade ingredients together then mix together ingredients for sesame slaw dressing. Meanwhile, cook jasmine rice according to package directions.
Step 2: Marinate and cook chicken.
Add chicken thighs to the marinade and marinate 10-15 minutes, before adding chicken to grill or frying pan. Cook on grill for 7 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes depending on how large the thighs are. If using the oven method, bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 F in thickest part of thigh.
Step 3: Make the sesame slaw.
Toss coleslaw with dressing.
Step 4: Assemble your meal prep bowls!
Add two chicken thighs to each meal prep bowl along with some sesame slaw and rice. Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with meal prep chicken thighs
Wondering what to serve with these chicken thigh meal prep bowls? You can’t go wrong with sesame slaw and rice!
That being said, this chicken will go with just about ANY side dish, it's so versatile! I love it paired with rice and slaw, but it goes just as good with broccoli, cauliflower rice, rice noodles, soba noodles, stir fried veggies…you name it, it tastes amazing! I sometimes like to serve this dish over pre-cooked Chinese noodles and I slice the chicken up and add in some sauteed vegetables.
You can also make this chicken and pair it with cucumber salad, as I've served with these Korean inspired chicken wings.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sauce for these meal prep bowls is made of ingredients you likely already have on hand. All you need is soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Mix that all together, then marinate the chicken in it for 10 to 15 minutes. You don't need a lot of time for the flavours to adhere to the chicken, especially since sesame oil brings a strong flavour on its own. The honey balances out the soy sauce, while the garlic and ginger add that special zing to the chicken.
You can use pretty much any kind of chicken for these chicken thigh meal prep bowls! Just keep in mind that the cooking times will vary. Cook drumsticks for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time; chicken breasts for 25 minutes; chicken cutlets for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time; and bone-in thighs for 25 minutes with the skin facing down, then flip over and broil for 1-2 minutes to get crispy skin.
If you'd like a thicker, stickier sauce for your meal prep chicken thighs, you can always add some cornstarch to the marinade. Stir in 1 tbsp. cornstarch when mixing together the marinade, then add your chicken and grill or bake as usual.
Storing and reheating
Store these chicken thigh meal prep bowls in the fridge for up to 5 days. I typically eat them cold but you can always pack the coleslaw separately so you can microwave the chicken and rice. If reheating, sprinkle some water or soy sauce over the chicken and rice to keep it from drying out, then microwave for 2 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
While you find freeze these bowls with the coleslaw and rice, you can freeze the meal prep chicken thighs! Freeze the chicken raw in the marinade or fully cooked for up to 3 months in Ziploc bags. Let the chicken defrost in the fridge overnight then cook or reheat as normal.
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Korean Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken marinade
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Sesame slaw
- 1 bag coleslaw mix
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
Rice
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat, or preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, mix chicken marinade ingredients together. Add chicken thighs and marinate 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook jasmine rice according to package directions. Mix together ingredients for sesame slaw dressing, then set aside.
- Add chicken to grill or frying pan. Cook on grill for 7 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes depending on how large the thighs are. If using the oven method, bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 F in thickest part of thigh.
- Add two chicken thighs to each meal prep bowl. Toss coleslaw with dressing then add slaw and rice to each bowl. Serve and enjoy – leftovers stay good in the fridge up to 4-5 days.
Comments & Reviews
Virginia says
This looks amazing! I’m a vegetarian so might try a variety of grilled veggies. 🙂 Any thoughts on replacement ingredients is welcome!
Taylor Stinson says
You could try tofu in the marinade!
Lauren says
Hi! I see green onions in the video for the slaw but not listed in ingredients. What is the measurement for those?
Taylor Stinson says
So sorry! Those are optional, you can add 2 sliced.
Katrina says
I really enjoyed this! I made up the containers with the rice and chicken and when I wanted to eat I warmed it up then added the coleslaw and dressing and mixed it all up! I will be making this again but would double my coleslaw dressing to drizzle extra all over the whole dish! Super good!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Chase says
I guess I’ll eat the Coleslaw first then heat up the chicken.
Christine says
Hi. Can I freeze this recipe?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately not this one. You could freeze the raw chicken in the marinade or the cooked chicken and the cooked rice separately but not the whole meal.
Kathy says
Absolutely delicious and so easy! Made some extra of the slaw dressing to add to the rice. Also marinated 24 hrs instead of the 15 min!
Val says
Is the slaw meant to be served cold or heated up with the rest of the meal?
Taylor Stinson says
It’s meant to be served cold. I recommend removing it (I usually place it on the meal prep container lid) before microwaving the rest of the meal!
Chase says
Good idea!
Mandy says
Very very good! Made these tonight for my house hold and one comment was “tastes like it came from a restaurant”. I definitely be making these again! Thanks for sharing!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! What a great compliment 🙂
Suzanne says
Delicious! I baked n broiled the chicken. Turned out awesome. Thanks for the recipe.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Blair says
Is there a way to cook this in an instant pot?
Taylor Stinson says
I have an Instant Pot chicken thighs post here: https://thegirlonbloor.com/garlic-sesame-instant-pot-chicken-thighs/