These healthy teriyaki chicken rice bowls come together in under 20 minutes! Fresh ginger, garlic, tamari to make it gluten-free, and honey to naturally sweeten things up. Ditch the takeout this week, and make this healthier recipe instead!
What You’ll Need to Make Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Chicken Breast: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces cooks in just a matter of minutes! However, feel free to use any piece/cut of chicken you’d like. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, replace the chicken with salmon or tofu – the possibilities are endless!
Ginger: Fresh, grated ginger adds tons of delicious fresh flavor to our healthy teriyaki chicken. I usually purchase a bunch of fresh ginger (it’s pretty cheap!) and store it in my freezer until I need to use it. But if you can’t find fresh ginger, feel free to use just 1 teaspoon of dried ground ginger in its place.
Tamari: What is tamari? Tamari is simply gluten-free soy sauce. It tastes exactly the same as soy sauce, but is 100% gluten-free. It’s safe for people who suffer from celiac disease or a gluten intolerance! However, if you’re fine with gluten, go ahead and use soy sauce in this recipe instead.
Honey: A refined sugar-free sweetener to help balance this teriyaki sauce! You won’t notice the difference between this honey-sweetened sauce and the sauce you’d order at a restaurant.
Tips and Tricks
- I served my healthy teriyaki chicken over white rice with a side of steamed broccoli, but feel free to serve yours with whatever you’d like! Brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice make a great base to these bowls. Also, any steamed veggie will pair perfectly with this meal!
- The chicken cooks pretty quickly in this recipe, thanks to it being cut into such small pieces. Therefore, keep an eye on it and be careful not to overcook the chicken. It should only take a few minutes to cook through!
Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce, which is 100% gluten-free.
- Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace the chicken with pressed and cubed tofu, and the honey with maple syrup!
- Make it Paleo: To make a paleo teriyaki chicken, simply replace the honey with maple syrup and use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce – it’s that easy! Also, serve over cauliflower rice or with extra steamed veggies, instead of white rice.
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoons avocado oil
- pinch of salt
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons water
For serving:
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 crown broccoli, steamed
- sliced green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add in the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Reduce heat to low, add in the ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the tamari or soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, and honey, mix together.Â
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch has dissolved. Transfer corn starch and water to the sauce along with the cooked chicken.Â
- Stir until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Divide between four bowls with rice and broccoli, then top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
