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By Taylor Stinson | 79 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
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These Korean Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are a healthy make ahead lunch idea made up of chicken thighs, sesame coleslaw and jasmine rice!
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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 theseKorean inspired chicken wings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Korean-inspired chicken sauce made of?
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.
Can you use other cuts of 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.
How do you thicken the sauce?
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
These Korean Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are a healthy make ahead lunch idea made up of chicken thighs, sesame coleslaw and jasmine rice!
4.81 from 183 votes
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Servings: 4 bowls
Calories: 520kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
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.
Video
Notes
Use any cut of chicken of your choice, just keep in mind the cooking times will vary.
If it’s the summer, feel free to grill the chicken instead of baking it in the oven!
Store your meal prep bowls in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can serve them cold or reheat the chicken and rice separately in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Freeze the chicken raw in the marinade or fully cooked for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge then cook or reheat as normal.
Recipe adapted from Canadian Living.
Nutrition
Calories: 520kcal (26%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 49g (98%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Cholesterol: 215mg (72%)Sodium: 491mg (21%)Potassium: 813mg (23%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 164IU (3%)Vitamin C: 41mg (50%)Calcium: 78mg (8%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
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shelley says
What size of bag of coleslaw did you use? Definitely makes a difference for the macro counts
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
A 397g bag
Reply
Amy says
The flavor of this marinated chicken is to die for! Will definitely be making this again as part of my healthy meal prep. Thanks for the delicious recipe!Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
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