These Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowls are a delicious, gluten-free healthy lunch or dinner idea and made with rice noodles, grilled chicken and tons of veggies!
Gain access to my free 4-week meal prep magic ebook!
How to make these noodle bowls
-
Preheat BBQ to high heat. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Mix together marinade ingredients then marinate chicken for 15-20 min before cooking on the grill for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let cool and then slice chicken thinly. You can also sautée chicken in a large skillet for 6-7 minutes per side.
-
Meanwhile, cook rice noodles according to package directions (it should only take 1-2 min in boiling water).
-
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Add lemongrass, garlic, carrots and bell peppers, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until veggies are tender.
-
Add rice noodles, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and peanuts, cooking until veggies are softened and noodles have absorbed sauce.
-
Remove from heat, stir in chicken and cilantro and serve!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – chicken breasts are the leaner option but you can use chicken thighs if that is your preference
- Olive oil – you can substitute in any neutral flavoured oil such as sunflower or canola oil
- Rice noodles – rice noodles are the base of this dish, but if you don't have any on hand, vermicelli noodles will add the same effect
- Lemongrass – if you cannot find lemongrass stalks, opt for a lemongrass paste or if you're in a pinch, use lemon zest for a similar flavour
- Garlic – fresh garlic is recommended but feel free to use garlic paste or jarred minced garlic
- Carrots – if you're in a pinch or do not like carrots, you can leave them out or substitute another veggie in replace of them
- Bell peppers (green, red and yellow) – if you have a preference in bell pepper colours, use the ones you prefer
- Soy sauce – other alternatives to soy sauce are coconut aminos, tamari and fish sauce
- Sweet chili sauce – the sweet chili sauce adds flavour and spice to the dish. If you're sensitive to heat, feel free to skip the sauce.
- Sriracha – see the same notes as sweet chili sauce
- Chopped peanuts – besides adding flavour, this garnish also adds texture to the dish
- Cilantro – cilantro isn't always a fan favourite, so if you'd rather not use cilantro that's okay! Try parsley or basil instead
Chicken marinade
- Olive oil – see substitutions above
- Lime juice – if you don't have any limes, opt for lemon juice instead
- Soy sauce – see substitutions above
- Lemongrass – see substitutions above
- Garlic – see substitutions above
- Ginger – fresh ginger is recommended but feel free to use ginger paste or jarred mince ginger as well
- Turmeric – a great alternative if you don't have turmeric powder is curry powder
- Chili powder – chili powder will add spice and heat to your marinade, but if you don't have any you can skip this step or replace with paprika for a similar effect
- Coriander – instead of coriander powder, you can use cumin
Baking the chicken instead of grilling
If you're debating on whether to grill or bake your chicken, here are some things to think about! Grilling your chicken gives the meat a bold flavour while allowing the excess fat to drip off the meat making it a lower calorie option. Baking your chicken will create a more delicate taste and texture. It's important to note, that even though grilling is seen as a lower calorie technique, you can still create healthy dishes when baking your chicken – as long as you skip out on using excess oils and butter during the process!
Storing and reheating
To keep these amazing dishes for lunch the next day or as a meal prepped meal for the week, prepare your bowls as you would without your garnishes (lime and cilantro) and store your noodles in meal prep containers. You will be able to keep them in the fridge for up to three days! When you're ready to eat your noodles, warm them up in the microwave or heat them up on the stovetop making sure to stir frequently. Once your meal is warmed, top with your garnishes and enjoy!
Freezing the chicken
To freeze any leftover chicken for future meals, place your chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag. You will want to make sure it is airtight to avoid freezer burn. Note: When you're placing your chicken in the freezer, make sure it has cooled down entirely first. After freezing your chicken, it can last up to three months!
More easy Asian-inspired recipes
If you love this Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl, you're also going to love these recipes!
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this noodle dish into your weekly lunches
- I get all my chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen so I always have chicken on hand!
Gain access to my FREE 5-day meal prep challenge + bonus resources when you sign up.
learn how to meal prep by subscribing to our newsletter!
Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb rice noodles
- 1/2 stalk lemongrass, minced up
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup matchstick cut carrots
- 1/2 each red, green and yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 1 tbsp chopped peanuts (more for garnish)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Chicken marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 stalk lemongrass, minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ to high heat. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Mix together marinade ingredients then marinate chicken for 15-20 min before cooking on the grill for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let cool and then slice chicken thinly. You can also saute chicken in a large skillet for 6-7 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, cook rice noodles according to package directions (should only take 1-2 min in boiling water).
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Add lemongrass, garlic, carrots and bell peppers, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until veggies are tender.
- Add rice noodles, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sriracha and peanuts, cooking until veggies are softened and noodles have absorbed sauce.
- Remove from heat, stir in chicken and cilantro and serve!
Nutrition
Erica says
I was curious about using lemongrass paste (that you buy in refrigerated area of the produce section) as opposed to using fresh stalks of lemongrass. I ask because I already have some at home. Thoughts? How much should I use? Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Erica! I have never tried the lemongrass paste but I imagine it would work pretty well as a substitute! I would say use 1 tbsp of paste in the chicken marinade, and 1/2 tbsp of paste in the rice noodle mixture. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Anne says
I’ve made this at least 10x. It’s amazing! I suggest replacing the green bell pepper with jalapeno for a little extra kick. Pro tip – do your chopping the night before or in the morning so it goes together quickly.