Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

I don’t meal prep often.  It actually feels like a lot of extra work and time, and as I’m not a huge fan of leftovers anyway (though they unfortunately play a big role in my life), I don’t go out of my way to create them.  But I was intrigued by the idea of these honey sesame chicken bowls.

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I think I first saw this on Instagram, and y’all *know* I love a sesame chicken.  But what I loved most about this was that it feels indulgent but really IS pretty darn healthy.

I’ve made this a handful of times, always on weeks where I have a heavy workload, evening events, and have to be in the office more…those weeks when having ready-made lunches is a blessing and keeps me from making questionable choices (a.k.a. chicken tendies & sweet potato fries!).

One word of advice…don’t be put off by the ingredient list.  At a quick glance it might look long, but TRUST ME, this recipe is the opposite of complex.  It had a few easy components, all of which can be made concurrently, and uses ingredients you’ll already have on hand.

Rinse your rice well and cook according to the package directions.  My hack for making it nice and fluffy if making on the stovetop is to bring to a boil, cook on low (covered) for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and put a folded flour sack towel under the lid for another 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and fluff!

After the rice, get the chicken going.  In a medium bowl combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Add in the cubed chicken and toss until well coated.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat.  Add your chicken and pan fry for 4 to 5 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes.

You want the outsides to be golden brown and the chicken to be fully cooked.  Avoid the temptation to constantly stir it—you want a nice golden crust so leave it alone!

While the chicken is cooking, make the veggies.  You can roast in the oven or saute on the stove, but I prefer the ease of air frying.  You can use whatever veggies you have on hand, but my favorites with this are carrots, peppers, and broccoli.

When the chicken is almost done, mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Set aside about one quarter of the sauce.

Pour the sauce into the now-golden, crispy chicken, with the heat still on medium to medium-high.  It should start coming to a boil right away.  Stir to coat the chicken and let the sauce bubble for a minute, then remove from heat.

Now all you have to do is assemble!  Add rice to each bowl, then add the chicken and veggies, drizzle with extra sauce and top with chopped green onions.

These honey sesame chicken bowls are delish, healthy, and super easy…a perfect addition to your monthly rotation!

Adapted slightly from Jar of Lemons

Other healthy “bowl” recipes you’ll love:

• Asian-Inspired Ground Chicken or Turkey…Perfect for Asian Chicken Bowls
• Amazing & Easy Chicken Shawarma
• Super Easy & Healthy “Loaded” Thai Chicken Salad
• Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Sauce
• Viral Tiktok Hot Honey Beef Bowl
• Salmon & Quinoa Power Bowl with Lemon Feta Avocado Salsa

Healthy Honey Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Yield: 4-5 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

These healthy honey sesame chicken bowls are the perfect meal prep option, bursting with flavor and packed with veggies! They're great for making lunch to-go for the week, or it can feed a crowd for the night. A delicious, healthy dinner recipe you'll love.

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Ingredients

• CHICKEN & SAUCE
• 1 1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 cups)
• 1/3 cup of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of avocado oil
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon of tamari (or soy sauce/coconut aminos)
• 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon of sesame seeds
• RICE & VEGGIES
• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
• 2 cups of water
• Optional sub for water:  bone broth (for added protein)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• A lot of veggies, chopped (see notes on what & why)
• 2 Tablespoons of avocado or olive oil
• Sea salt
• 2 to 3 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Make the rice:  Rinse your rice well and cook according to the package directions.  My hack for making it nice and fluffy if making on the stovetop is to bring to a boil, cook on low (covered) for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and put a folded flour sack towel under the lid for another 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and fluff!  
2. Make the chicken:  In a medium bowl combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Add in the cubed chicken and toss until well coated.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat.  Add your chicken and pan fry for 4 to 5 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes.  You want the outsides to be golden brown and the chicken to be fully cooked.  Avoid the temptation to constantly stir it---you want a nice golden crust so leave it alone!  
4. Make the veggies:  While the chicken is cooking, air fry or oven roast your veggies.  It's really flexible depending on what you have on hand, but I love a mixture of diced carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, and broccoli.  I drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, that's all it needs!
5. Whip up the sauce:  While the chicken and veggies are cooking, mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Set aside about one quarter of the sauce.
6. Pour the sauce into the now-golden, crispy chicken, with the heat still on medium to medium-high.  It should start coming to a boil right away.  Stir to coat the chicken and let the sauce bubble for a minute, then remove from heat. 
7. Assemble:  Add rice to each bowl, then add the chicken and veggies, drizzle with extra sauce and top with chopped green onions. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use whatever veggies you want or have on hand, just as long as they'll taste good with this honey sesame sauce. I like to chop them up and air fry them, but you can roast them in the oven or saute them.