Japanese BBQ Chicken Bowls
Notes
Japanese BBQ sauce takes center stage in this fast, flavor-packed dinner, lacquering bite-size chicken thighs in sticky umami richness. Crispy cucumbers, toasty sesame carrots, and fluffy jasmine rice round this bowl out into a complete and satisfying weeknight meal. Marinate the chicken if you have time, but even without, this 40-minute recipe delivers big flavor with minimal fuss.
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
Kosher salt, to taste
Neutral oil, to preference
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ cup Japanese BBQ sauce, plus more for serving (I used Melinda’s)
2 scallions
3-4 large carrots
2-3 mini cucumbers
¾ cups jasmine rice
1 TBSP white sesame seeds
1 TBSP black sesame seeds
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 TBSP chili crisp (I used Fly By Jing)
1 tsp sugar
Optional Prep-Ahead
Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels, then dice into bite-size pieces. Season lightly with salt. Place in an airtight bag with ½ cup Japanese BBQ sauce. Set in the fridge to marinate at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. If you want to forego the marinating step, simply toss the chicken in the sauce right before cooking.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Trim, peel, and slice carrots on a diagonal into ½-inch thick pieces. Trim and halve cucumbers lengthwise, then cut on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Use the broad side of your knife to gently smash and flatten cucumber pieces.
In a small pot, combine rice, 1½ cups water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve, or at least 5 minutes.
Toss carrots on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, sesame seeds, and salt (to taste). Roast until carrots are tender and white sesame seeds are lightly browned and fragrant, 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cucumbers, scallion whites, rice wine vinegar, chili crisp, sugar, and salt (to taste). Set aside, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
Once carrots have roasted about 10 minutes, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, allowing any excess marinade to drip off first, and cook, turning occasionally, until deeply browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
Fluff rice with a fork and divide between bowls. Top with sesame roasted carrots, cucumber salad, and BBQ chicken. Drizzle chicken with more Japanese BBQ sauce, and sprinkle with scallion greens.
