Teriyaki Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Chicken thighs glazed with a 4-ingredient homemade teriyaki sauce over rice with roasted broccoli and shredded carrots. ~42g protein per bowl. The glaze takes 2 minutes to make and tastes nothing like the bottled version. Meal preps in 35 minutes, holds for 4 days.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
Produce
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup shredded carrots store-bought pre-shredded
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 3 green onion thinly sliced, for garnish
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 2 cups long grain white rice uncooked
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted, for garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil for chicken
Seasonings & Spices
- ½ tsp kosher salt for broccoli
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cook the rice according to package directions.
- Toss the broccoli florets with 1 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp kosher salt. Spread on a sheet pan and roast for 18 to 20 minutes until tender with slightly charred edges. No need to stir — leave them undisturbed so the edges brown properly.
- Make the teriyaki glaze: whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and grated ginger in a small bowl until combined. This is the entire sauce — no bottled teriyaki needed.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer — work in batches if needed. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, then toss and cook for another 3 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Pour the teriyaki glaze into the skillet with the cooked chicken. Toss to coat and cook for 60 to 90 seconds until the glaze reduces and caramelizes around the chicken. Remove from heat.
- Divide the rice among 4 meal prep containers. Top each with an equal portion of teriyaki chicken, roasted broccoli, and shredded carrots. Garnish with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
Estimated protein per bowl: ~42g from chicken thighs (roughly 35g per serving) plus 7g from broccoli.
Chicken thighs over breasts is non-negotiable for meal prep. Breasts dry out in the fridge and go rubbery when reheated. Thighs stay juicy on day 4 in a way that breasts never do after day 1.
The 4-ingredient homemade teriyaki glaze takes exactly 90 seconds to make and tastes completely different from bottled teriyaki, which is typically loaded with corn syrup and far more sodium. Soy, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger — that's the whole recipe. The rice vinegar is the ingredient that keeps the honey from being cloying.
Roast the broccoli at high heat without stirring so it chars at the edges. Steamed broccoli in a meal prep bowl gets soft and bland by day 2. Roasted broccoli holds up and actually improves slightly as the edges absorb the teriyaki sauce from the chicken over time.
Reheat for 90 seconds in the microwave. Add a splash of water before microwaving to keep the rice from drying out.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!