Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl Recipe
This is my version of those mall food court teriyaki bowls, but way better. The key is building each component with care: a quick-pickle for the carrots, a proper homemade teriyaki sauce, and searing the chicken in batches to ensure it gets a good char instead of steaming.
Ingredients
For the Pickled Carrots
- 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons or julienned
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
For the Chicken & Vegetables
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup shelled edamame
For the Teriyaki Sauce & Assembly
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- Crispy wonton strips, cooked rice, and Sriracha-Lime Mayo for serving
For the Sriracha-Lime Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Prep the Components
First, make the pickled carrots. In a small bowl, combine the carrot ribbons, sliced garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss well and set aside to pickle while you prepare everything else.
Next, marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and grated garlic. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Then, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, grated garlic, and grated ginger. In a separate small dish, stir the cornstarch and cold water together to make a slurry. For the mayo, simply stir the ingredients together in another small bowl.
Cook in Stages
Heat 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat until shimmering.
Working in batches, add the chicken to the hot pan in a single layer. Cook for ~2-3 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the bell pepper and broccoli and stir-fry for ~3-4 minutes, until tender-crisp. Add the edamame and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
Finish the Sauce and Assemble
Pour the teriyaki sauce mixture into the same hot skillet. Bring it to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir and pour it into the simmering sauce, whisking constantly. Cook for about 1 minute, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and toss to coat it in the glaze.
To build your bowls, start with a base of cooked rice. Top with the glazed teriyaki chicken, the stir-fried vegetables, and a spoonful of the pickled carrots. Drizzle with the sriracha-lime mayo and finish with a handful of crispy wonton strips.
Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
Ingredients
For the Pickled Carrots
- 1 large carrot peeled into ribbons or julienned
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
For the Chicken & Vegetables
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup shelled edamame
For the Teriyaki Sauce & Assembly
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- Crispy wonton strips cooked rice, and Sriracha-Lime Mayo for serving
For the Sriracha-Lime Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Method
- Mix carrot ribbons, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Toss chicken pieces with soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and garlic. Marinate 15 mins.
- Combine sauce ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, ginger. Mix cornstarch with water separately.
- Mix sriracha-lime mayo ingredients in small bowl.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok over high heat. Cook chicken in batches 2-3 mins per side until done. Remove.
- Add 1 tbsp oil. Stir-fry peppers and broccoli 3-4 mins. Add edamame, cook 1 min. Remove.
- Pour sauce into pan, simmer. Add cornstarch slurry, whisk until thickened.
- Return chicken to pan, coat with sauce.
- Serve over rice topped with vegetables, pickled carrots, sriracha-lime mayo and wonton strips.
