chili crunch ground chicken bowls
the perfect *actually* 30-minute meal to make this week
Happy Sunday! We’re keeping things simple this week with a recipe that comes together in about 30 minutes total, and works just as well for a quick dinner as it does for prepping lunches for the week ahead of time.
The base is ground chicken cooked in a deeply savory, slightly spicy sauce made with chili crunch, coconut aminos, garlic, and lime. It’s rich and saucy, but not heavy, and the flavor builds as it simmers. To balance all that out, there’s a quick cucumber salad on the side—bright, crisp, and tossed in a sweet-sour dressing that also includes a little chili crunch to tie everything together. Serve it over whatever grain you’ve got on hand—rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice all work great—and the recipe makes enough for four bowls. Store the components separately so everything stays fresh and you can quickly reheat and assemble a bowl at meal time.
Whether you’re cooking dinner for tonight or trying to stay ahead of the week, this one’s fast, flexible, and full of flavor. Plus perfect for summer heat! ☀️
Before we get to it, let’s chat chili crunch: If you’ve never used it before, chili crunch is a crispy, spicy condiment made with dried chili peppers, garlic, and crunchy bits of onion or shallot, basically a chili oil with loads of texture and flavor! In this recipe, it brings smoky heat and a richness to both the ground chicken and the cucumber salad. A little goes a long way, and feel free to adjust to your spice preference, but it’s what makes this dish feel punchy. I’m a big fan of Fly by Jing and Momofuku but Trader Joe’s has one that’s super affordable and I see different brands at most grocery stores!
I also got to do a bit of celebrating this week in NYC because Don’t Think About Dinner is out in less than 6 months now!!! 🎉🥳🩷 Lots of you have asked about a potential book tour… so I’d love to hear where you would want me to go 🤭
I know this doesn’t cover everywhere, so leave a comment where you’re based!! 👆
Okay now let’s get into chili crunch bowls!!
Chili Crunch. The star of this week’s recipe is chili crunch sauce. The cucumber salad and ground chicken each use similar, but still slightly different, variations of chili crunch based sauces to keep a variety of flavors. If you’re not a fan of spice, or you’re prepping for the family, omit it and these bowls will still be delicious.
Chili crunch cucumber salad. Always prep the components that need to chill first. Letting the cucumber salad sit for at least 15 minutes while everything else cooks up gives the flavors a head start on their melding. Even better if you prep it a few hours ahead of time. Dice it up or peel it into ribbons for a fun variation. The salad will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days, and gets even better as it sits.
Chili crunch ground chicken. The second part of the meal that uses a chili crunch sauce is the chicken. We cook it up first then add the sauce and simmer, helping to meld the flavors together and give the chicken a slight crispiness, giving a hint of takeout vibes to the meal.
chili crunch ground chicken bowls
serves 4 | prep time: 15 min | cook time: 15 min
INGREDIENTS
For the Chili Crunch Cucumber Salad
1 tablespoon chili crunch
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon grated ginger root (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 english cucumber, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
For the Chili Crunch Chicken Bowls
1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
1 pound ground chicken
1⁄3 cup coconut aminos (can sub reduced-sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce)
2 tablespoons chili crunch, additional for garnishing (if desired)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
Juice of 1 lime
For Serving
3 cups cooked white rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice
additional green onion, thinly sliced
🌶️ get the full instructions here
🔥 get the chili crunch I used here
🥣 if you’re a bowl-lover like me check out this Round Up
If you know someone who loves easy meals, share this one with them and if you make it, let me know what you thought! I always love seeing your pics in our chat.
Recipe Notes
Ground Chicken: Ground chicken is a great base for a sauce like the one we’re using in this recipe. You can also use ground turkey, ground pork (similar vibe to the sesame ginger pork bowls!), or ground beef depending on your preference.
Vegetarian: Omit the meat and cube or grate two 14-ounce blocks of extra firm tofu. If you’re cubing the tofu, add to a large bowl and toss to coat in the sauce, then bake or air fry at 400F until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. If grating, add the tofu and sauce to a skillet over medium heat and cook until the tofu is lightly crisp and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Cucumber: While regionally, cucumbers are in season right now, the best cucumber to use for the salad is an English cucumber. They’re firmer and more crisp than a regular cucumber, and the skin is less tough, making it easy to dice and go. Optionally peel into ribbons instead of dicing.
Lettuce Wraps: If preferred, skip the grain base and add these to lettuce cups. Butter lettuce works best to hold it all in, and double up on leaves for extra support and minimal spillage. Similar vibe to these wraps!
Make it a meal prep: Prepare your base grain and the chili crunch ground chicken. Add those to your meal prep containers and keep the cucumber salad separate until after reheating. Alternatively, prep all components and store in separate sealed containers. Reheat the rice and chicken separately prior to assembling the bowls with the cucumber salad on top.
More bowls: If you love a bowl as much as me, try out these other favorites: Chicken Burrito Bowls, Sticky Tofu Bowls with Roasted Veggies, Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Bowls, and At—home Cava bowls.
Officially had my first beach trip last weekend and it was truly one of those “almost forgot this was the whole point” moments. There’s few things I love more than a well-packed beach bag, so this week’s 2-2-2 is a sneak peak into my beach essentials:
Starting with hydration: LMNT is a staple in my beach bag. Being out in in the sun all day is definitely one of the times I want to supplement with electrolytes. Water alone doesn’t always boost hydration, the key is getting the right balance of electrolytes and each LMNT packet delivers a science-backed amount! My favorites for summer are Grapefruit, Citrus, and Lemonade. This link gets you a free sample pack of the most popular flavors with any purchase—highly rec grabbing a box of Lemonade Salt while it’s still around and getting your free sample pack!!
what I’m prepping
Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats — New recipe coming in next month’s meal prep plan, but this one is also so summery and easy to grab on your way out the door.
Dairy-Free Pesto Pasta Salad — My favorite for a beach lunch and easy to bring for a group. This one gets better when it chills in the fridge—loving this pasta lately.
what I’m loving
Aerie Coverup Shirt — My favorite for on and off the beach, so cute with this suit!
Cooler Bag — Plenty of room to bring all the food and snacks!
what I’m recommending
Alec’s Ice Cream — Whole Foods was having a major ice cream sale this past week and you better believe I stocked up. This brand is new to me and a new fave.
No-Bake Meal Prep — Heat of the summer means no-bake recipes on repeat! Shared my favorites in the round up last week
I hope you all have a lovely week, and be sure to stay tuned over on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see what I have for y’all this upcoming week!
Portland, Oregon!
Portland, ME!