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 can't 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
Jillian says
So good! Will definitely be making these again!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed, Jillian 🙂
Heather M says
This recipe is AMAZING! I honestly didn’t even take pictures because I was too busy eating. I didn’t have sesame seeds, but still turned out delicious! And reheated with the slaw warm is to die for. Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says
I used the marinade for the chicken to go with the brown rice & broccoli I had on hand. Absolutely delicious! Cooked it on a grill pan which was a decision I won’t make again, but it was worth it!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed Sarah! Thanks for leaving your review 🙂
Kat says
Finally tried this recipe tonight after drooling over it for days, and I must say – it did not disappoint! I live in a condo without access to a BBQ, so I baked the chicken in a glass Pyrex dish with the extra marinade in the bottom.. yum! It came out super juicy and delicious, can’t wait to have this again for lunch tomorrow! 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Kat!!! This is one of my faves 🙂
Theresa says
Hi! The video shows green onion and sesame seeds for the slaw, but those aren’t in the written recipe. Should those be included and at what amounts?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Theresa – those are just optional garnishes. A sprinkle of both (perhaps one sliced up green onion and a pinch of seeds) would work if you’d like to include them.
Jolene says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I added some chilli flakes in the marinade for a bit of kick. Highly recommend bbqing the meat!
Holly Roberts says
What size is the bag of coleslaw? I used a 400g (aus) for two meals. Would that change the Marcos much? Thank you! It’s delicious!
Taylor Stinson says
I believe it was a 397g bag, yes 🙂
Liz says
The calories for this is incorrect. I’ve got about 550 calories as this recipe is. Not bad considering it’s an entire meal.
I did not enjoy this meal even though it smelled good while cooking. Since I have another bowl left I’m going to try to fix it- more sauce maybe? Forgo the rice for more veggies maybe? It was dry to me.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Liz – the calories are a best estimate, I’m sorry that this appears to be a little off according to your calculations. I’m also sorry to hear you didn’t like it! It is often a matter of personal taste and preference. These happen to be one of my fave bowls but I understand everyone has different tastes. If you didn’t care for the recipe, I’m unsure what suggestions to make for you to fix it.
Warner says
My favorite meal prep recipe of all time!! I just made this again for the 10th time and wow does it get me excited to eat the same thing for a week! I cook mine in my Insta Pot – instead of marinating the chicken I put everything in the pot (plus the chicken), manually cook it for 8 minutes, and voila! Juicy, tender chicken on top of jasmine rice or cauli rice and I always add fresh mango to mine 🙂 Yum!!
Taylor Stinson says
LOVE that you have adapted this to the Instant Pot Warner, and so happy you love these bowls so much!! They are one of my faves too 🙂
Marcy says
Made this today and it’s so yummy! I also added green beans 😊 But my question is for the nutritional info is it for all the chicken, marinade, cole slaw, and rice? I’m tracking calories and when I put it all separately it’s WAY more. Thanks 😊
Shana says
It includes everything. If you put this into MyFitnessPal and use boneless chicken breast it comes out with less calories. Don’t but this in as a whole meal. Separate it out. I used 8- 4 oz chicken breast. Create the recipe. Do the same for the Asian slaw.