Grilled Thai Chicken Bowls with Peanut Sauce

These Grilled Thai Chicken Bowls with Peanut Sauce are full of flavor and fresh ingredients. The grilled marinated chicken on top of crisp Asian vegetables and rice is a heavenly mix you’ll want to eat again and again. Healthy, delicious, and easy!

Hello, fresh flavor! These Grilled Thai Chicken Bowls with Peanut Sauce are full of veggies, juicy grilled chicken, and the best homemade peanut sauce. They’re guaranteed to liven up your weeknight dinners!

Put together with a variety of healthy ingredients, these rice bowls will make you feel so good with every bite. They’re surprisingly easy to put together, and you can even prepare the toppings ahead of time to get it done faster. By the time dinner rolls around, all you have to do is grill the chicken and serve!

One bite of the grilled Thai chicken and you’ll be hooked. Better yet, try it in a bunch of different recipes! Add it to coconut curry, Thai lemongrass ramen, stir fry, or a fresh noodle salad for variety in your meals all week long.

What is grilled Thai chicken?

Authentic Thai grilled chicken, also known as gai yang, is traditionally cooked with a whole chicken. It’s a popular street food that’s made with a lemongrass, fish sauce, and soy sauce marinade. 

Thai grilled chicken can be served on its own, added to other dishes, or marinated in many variety of tasty seasonings. It’s a flexible meal you can make to fit almost anyone’s preference!

What kind of chicken is best?

I used chicken breasts that were about 1 inch thick in this recipe, but it could be made with almost any cut. Grilling boneless chicken breasts only takes 8 or 10 minutes to cook and you don’t run the risk of drying out the meat. Bone-in chicken thighs, wings, or the whole bird will take longer, but will still work for the recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

Marinating the lean meat for hours before grilling adds moisture and flavor to the chicken, and the sugars caramelize around the outside to add a tasty char to each bite. We’re avoiding heaviness from the rice bowl thanks to crisp and fresh cabbage, daikon, carrots, green onion, and cilantro. To finish it off, the peanut sauce is perfectly sweet and slightly spicy, adding another layer of flavor to the rice, chicken, and fresh veggies.

How to make Grilled Thai Chicken Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Marinating chicken is a foolproof way to get juicy and flavorful meat you can enjoy with so many meals. When added to a rice bowl, you’ll end up with a healthy, delicious, and easy weeknight dinner. Here’s how to make this recipe:

Step 1:

Place the chicken breasts in a ziplock bag. Whisk together the garlic, lime juice, Sriracha, fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag and allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours to soak in all of the delicious flavors.

Step 2:

Make the peanut sauce by adding all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blending until smooth.

Step 3:

When it’s finished marinating, remove the chicken from the bag and grill over medium-high heat. Let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.

Step 4:

Assemble the rice bowls by layering in the rice, sliced chicken, cabbage, carrots, daikon, green onion, and cilantro. Top each bowl with the peanut sauce and serve!

What if I don’t have a grill?

No problem! Use a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop instead of using an outdoor grill. Alternatively, bake the chicken breasts in a 450°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes. It’s ready when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.

How to marinate chicken breasts

Most marinades include 3 essential parts: acid, fat or oil, and seasonings. The marinade in this recipe has lots of acid, meaning it will tenderize the meat and add in so many layers of flavor.

It’s important to not let the chicken sit in the marinade for more than 8 hours because eventually, it will actually start to cook the delicate chicken tissue. The texture will become mushy or rubbery, which isn’t very appetizing. Marinating anywhere from 3 to 6 hours is ideal.

Heather's Tips for Recipe Success

• Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 3 hours for the best flavor. It can be left for up to 8 hours before grilling if needed. 
• A small blender cup or food processor is best when making the peanut sauce. This ensures everything blends together nicely and the consistency is ultra-smooth. If it’s not coming together the way you like, just add a little water.
• Wondering what kind of rice to use in the bowls? I like a short-grain, like Botan brand Calrose rice. You can use whatever you like, whether it’s brown rice, basmati, or quinoa instead.
• Daikon is a Japanese radish and is similar in taste to traditional small radishes. It adds a bit of spice and crunch the bowl. Regular radishes can be substituted or the daikon or be omitted completely. 
• Keep it simple and use my basic grilled chicken recipe instead of the Thai chicken. It’s easy, well-seasoned, and doesn’t need to sit in a marinade.

Storage

This is an easy recipe to make ahead of time. Chop all of your salad toppings, cook the rice, and prepare the marinade 1 day before serving and store them in the fridge. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge during the day so it will be ready in time for dinner, then grill it up and serve!

If you end up with leftover chicken, keep it in a shallow airtight container or wrap it tightly in foil or plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Keep the peanut sauce in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

More chicken dinner recipes you might like

• Asian Chicken Salad
• Slow Cooker Monterey Chicken
• Easy Chicken Cacciatore
• Oven Baked BBQ Chicken