Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (2024)

By Laura Fuentes on Updated

5 from 19 votes

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Baked chicken, crunchy veggies, and rice make these Thai Chicken Bowls with peanut sauce; an easy & healthy 30-minute swap for take-out food!

Can’t decide between delicious take-out food and a healthy dinner? Make these easy homemade Thai Chicken Bowls and enjoy a super tasty meal at home.

These bowls are made with everything we love: juicy chicken, crunchy veggies, served over a bed of rice. The perfect mix of flavor, texture, and nutrition from a 30-minute dinner!

Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (1)

Baked Thai Chicken & Rice Bowls

You know those recipes that look yummy but are too time-consuming for a busy mom? Well, this is NOT one of those. These Thai Chicken Bowls are incredibly tasty, and with minimal prep, they’re ready!

Let’s start with the chicken. You just soak it in a quick marinade for 30 minutes to absorb all those irresistible Asian flavors you love, and then just bake it!

Add crunchy raw veggies, rice, and the BEST Peanut Sauce you’ll ever try. Grab your fork and get ready. And I don’t even have to tell you how good leftovers taste the next day; they’re epic.

Ingredients

Every ingredient of this Thai Chicken Bowls recipe tastes delicious, but when they come together, it’s magic! You’ll find a printable recipe card below with all the ingredient measurements.

  • Sesame Oil:epic flavor and necessary for any marinade.
  • Soy sauce:gives the chicken a delicious flavor and tenderizes it.
  • Sriracha sauce:a hint of heat you’re gonna love!
  • Chicken breasts:boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • Jasmine rice:pairs great with the other ingredients. You can use white or brown rice too.
  • Shredded cabbage:crunchy, healthy, and packed with nutrients, it’s a great veggie addition!
  • Shredded carrots:more crunchy goodness!
  • Cilantro:a fresh, green touch that tastes and looks and tastes amazing.
  • Peanuts:optional for topping.
  • Homemade peanut sauce:what makes these Thai chicken bowls lick-the-bowl-great. You can use almond butter to make it if you or someone at home is allergic to peanuts.

How Long to Marinate Thai Chicken

With this recipe, you only need 30 minutes to marinate chicken breasts! Place the chicken in a bowl with the marinade and cover it with plastic wrap, and in half an hour, it’s ready for cooking.

For extra flavor or to prep it ahead, refrigerate the chicken overnight in an airtight container.

Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (2)

How to Make Thai Chicken Bowls

Make these Thai Chicken Bowls for a delicious weeknight dinner, or pack it for an epic lunchbox everyone is going to envy! Better idea: cook more servings and enjoy it more than once! Here is how it is done:

  1. Marinate the chicken
    In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the soy sauce and Sriracha sauce. Add the chicken breasts and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight for extra flavor.
  2. Bake the chicken
    Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 20 minutes and once cooked, rest the chicken.
  3. Cook the rice
    Prepare the rice according to the package directions.
  4. Make the peanut sauce
    In a medium bowl or dressing jar, make the peanut sauce. Refrigerate it until ready to use for up to 7 days.
  5. Assemble the bowls
    Serve sliced Thai chicken in a bowl over a bed of rice topped with cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and peanuts. Drizzle with Peanut Sauce.
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Recipe Variations

You can customize your bowls in many ways to please everyone at home! Here are a few simple ways:

Swap your protein
Don’t have chicken? Trade it for shrimp, tofu, turkey, or another favorite. Any protein pairs amazingly well with rice and veggies!

Make it low-carb
You can make these Thai Chicken Bowls even healthier by swapping regular rice for cauliflower rice. It tastes as good as the original, with fewer calories and carbs!

Make it peanut-free
If you or anyone in your family is allergic to peanuts, you can still make this yummy Thai sauce with almond butter or Sunflower butter.

Turn it into tacos!
This epic Asian-inspired mix of chicken and veggies can easily turn into the perfect Taco Tuesday meal with thisThai Chicken Tacos with Peanut Sauce recipe. If you want a low-carb alternative, thisThai Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipeis one you need to try!

Add pasta
Rice is not your thing? Then you can enjoy this recipe with pasta instead and make this refreshingThai Pasta Salad.

Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (4)

How to Prep Ahead

In order to save time, you can prep the peanut sauce ahead so it will be ready to use whenever you need it… unless you can’t resist dipping crackers in before serving it!

Marinating chicken early is also a time-saver, and you’ll have super flavorful meat ready to bake. While the chicken is in the oven, assemble the other ingredients, and you’ll have a mouth-watering Thai Chicken Bowl in no time!

This recipe is a terrific lunch to make ahead of time to enjoy at the office or at school. In this post you’ll find how easy it is to meal prep Thai chicken.

Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (5)

Thai Chicken Bowls

Laura Fuentes

Baked chicken, crunchy veggies, and rice make these Thai Chicken Bowls with peanut sauce; an easy & healthy 30-minute swap for take-out food!

5 from 19 votes

Servings 6

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

Chicken marinade:

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1 ½ lbs Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

For the bowls:

  • 1 ½ cups rice, Jasmine or white
  • 6-8 cups shredded cabbage, about
  • 2 carrots, shredded or grated
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped (optional)

Peanut Sauce:

  • cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or coconut aminos
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1–2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the soy sauce and Sriracha sauce. Add the chicken breasts and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight for extra flavor.

  • Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  • Transfer the chicken breasts onto the prepared baking sheet and discard the marinade.

  • Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove the chicken and allow to rest for 5 minutes prior to slicing.

  • While the chicken cooks, prepare the Jasmine rice according to package directions.

  • Make the peanut sauce in a medium bowl by combning the peanut butter, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and Sriracha sauce. Add one tablespoon of water and whisk to combine. Add additional hot water until the Peanut Sauce reaches the desired consistency.

  • Assemble the bowls by layering the rice, topping it with sliced chicken breasts, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and chopped peanuts, if using. Drizzle with Peanut Sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 32gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 354mgPotassium: 775mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3547IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 2mg

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Healthy Thai Chicken Bowls (2024)

FAQs

How many calories in a Thai chicken bowl? ›

Calories in Thai Chicken Bowl
Calories240.1
Total Fat10.6 g
Saturated Fat4.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat1.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat3.3 g
8 more rows

Why are they called Buddha bowls? ›

It may originate from presenting a balanced meal, where balance is a key Buddhist concept, from the story of Buddha carrying his food bowl to fill it with whatever bits of food villagers would offer him, to the explanation of the overstuffed bowl resembling the belly of Budai, a 10th-century Chinese monk often confused ...

How many calories are in Thai chicken rice? ›

Good Measured Meals Thai Chicken And Rice Bowl (1 serving) contains 72g total carbs, 68g net carbs, 17g fat, 26g protein, and 560 calories.

How healthy are Buddha bowls? ›

Buddha bowls are filling, healthy and fun meals that pack most of the nutrients your body needs. Preparing Buddha bowls can be a relaxing activity with a very rewarding payoff: you get a delicious and balanced meal that will enrich your day, body and soul, overall health and your Instagram/Pinterest feed.

What are the 5 components of a Buddha Bowl? ›

In general, they're made up of five key components:
  • Whole grains.
  • Veggies.
  • Protein.
  • Dressing.
  • "Sprinkles," such as nuts, seeds, herbs or sprouts.
Jul 21, 2023

What is the difference between a nourish bowl and a Buddha Bowl? ›

Buddha bowls are similar to another type of dish called nourish bowls – however, the main difference is nourish bowls can include animal protein. Buddha bowls are also known as grain bowls, hippie bowls, macro bowls or power bowls.

How many calories in a Thai meal? ›

If you are eating Thai food at a restaurant, though, portion sizes may be large. For example, pad Thai with chicken has about 300 calories per cup, and a massaman curry dish with chicken and vegetables has about 180 calories per cup (not including any rice or noodles it may be served with).

How many calories in a cup of pad thai with chicken? ›

Pad Thai With Chicken (1 cup) contains 38.7g total carbs, 36.7g net carbs, 15.7g fat, 17g protein, and 360 calories.

How many calories in a Thai noodle bowl? ›

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 383 calories; fat 10.6g; saturated fat 1.4g; mono fat 4.6g; poly fat 4g; protein 11g; carbohydrates 59g; fiber 4g; iron 2mg; sodium 567mg; calcium 48mg.

How many calories are in Thai chicken and vegetables? ›

Calories in Thai Chicken mixed vegetables
Calories360.1
Total Fat28.4 g
Saturated Fat20.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat0.0 g
8 more rows

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