These Quick & Easy Chicken Spring Roll Jars are the perfect grab and go lunch with noodles, ground chicken, veggies and sweet chili sauce.
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Ingredients in spring roll jars
These spring roll jars are such a creative way to pack your lunches for the week, and the ingredient list is relatively simple to boot! To make the jars lower in calories, we're using ground chicken instead of ground pork, and the sweet chili sauce is so easy to add yet packs a ton of flavour! Here's all you need below:
- sesame oil
- Ground chicken or turkey
- Soy sauce
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coleslaw
- Sweet chili sauce
- Cucumber
- Red pepper
- Vermicelli noodles
- Fresh herbs
How to make spring roll jars
These spring roll jars are SO easy to make! Here are the full instructions:
- Cook the ground chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce and fresh ginger. Once fully cooked, remove from heat.
- Next saute the coleslaw with a bit of soy sauce, cooking until just softened.
- Meanwhile, cook the vermicelli noodles and drain them.
- From there, you'll divide the sweet chili sauce among the bottom of 4 16oz mason jars, then you'll add the ground chicken, coleslaw, cucumber and red pepper. Top each jar with vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs and sesame seeds.
- You can add soy sauce and sriracha if desired for extra seasoning. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!
Ingredient substitutions
There are many substitutions you can make to this recipe – this meal prep jars are super versatile! Here's what you can sub in or out below:
Ground chicken – you can use ground turkey, pork or beef in these jars, though chicken would be the closest to spring rolls.
Vermicelli noodles – Instead of vermicelli noodles, you can use plain rice noodles or use pre-cooked cantonese noodles. The vermicelli, again, is the closest you'll get to a spring roll though.
Soy sauce – If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, you can sub in tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
Veggies – You can use any veggies you'd like in these jars though I do recommend the coleslaw to get it as close as possible to a spring roll. The cucumber and red pepper are just optional add-ons.
Seasonings – There are a number of changes you can make to the seasonings. For one, you can use 1 tsp ground ginger instead of fresh ginger, and you can use plum sauce or just plain soy sauce or sriracha in place of the sweet chili sauce.
How to serve meal prep jar recipes
Mason jars are the perfect container for storing salads and other types of meal prep recipes. They each have a lid, and they’re vertical so they fit better in the refrigerator and in your lunch bag. Plus, they are easy to wash, dishwasher safe, and you can reuse them without hassle. You can find them in any store, but you can also purchase some through Amazon. They're much cheaper than a lot of plastic containers out there.
Despite all the benefits, mason jars can be very difficult to eat from, so you'll need to have a plate or bowl to pour these spring roll jars out onto. This way, it's easier to mix everything together to eat but you still get the benefits of separating your dressings from your fresh veggies to prevent them from getting soggy.
Storing spring roll jars
These spring roll jars will last in the refrigerator for up to five days, which means they are perfect for meal prep! This recipe will make four servings, so you can have nearly a whole work week’s worth of lunches ready in about 30 minutes.
You can even throw the jars in the microwave for a hot meal – simply microwave the mason jar on high for 1-2 minutes and pour into a large bowl.
Freezing the ground chicken
You can't freeze these jars whole, but you can take the chicken out and freeze it for later if you know you're not going to eat all 4 jars in one week.
To defrost the chicken, simply let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge then reheat in the microwave or on the stove. You can also just add your frozen chicken to the bottom of your jars and store them in the fridge – your chicken will defrost in the fridge.
More mason jar recipes
Meal prep tools
- I use these mason jars – they're so perfect for meal prep!
- This is my fave sweet chili sauce.
- These are the vermicelli noodles I buy.
- This is the brand of tamari I like, and I love this low-sodium soy sauce!
- And of course I get all my free range ground chicken from Butcher Box!
Quick & Easy Chicken Spring Roll Jars
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb Ground chicken or turkey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 bag coleslaw
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 cup cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup red pepper, sliced
- 200 g rice stick vermicelli noodles about half of a 400g package
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped (can also use/add in fresh mint and basil)
- Sesame seeds, soy sauce & sriracha to taste
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil over med-high heat in a large skillet. Add ground chicken and 2 tbsp soy sauce, cooking for 2-3 min. Add garlic and ginger, then sautee for 7-8 min until chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove chicken from pan and add coleslaw and 2 tsp soy sauce, sauteeing for 2-3 min until slaw is slightly wilted. Meanwhile, cook vermicelli noodles according to package directions (usually takes 2-3 min in boiling water).
- Divide sweet chili sauce among the bottom of 4 medium-sized mason jars (it ends up being about 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce added to each 16oz jar). Divide chicken among jars, then coleslaw, cucumber and red pepper. Top with vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs and sesame seeds. Add soy sauce and sriracha if desired. Jars keep in fridge up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
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Deborah says
Do you eat this salad cold or reheat it?
Taylor Stinson says
I tend to eat them cold (great if you don’t have a microwave at work!) but you can remove the cucumbers and then reheat from there!
Marla says
Made these today for my lunches this week! They look so yummy & pretty! Looking forward to lunch tomorrow lol