Spicy, savoury, sweet and simply delicious, these ground chicken rice bowls are sure to be a weeknight favourite when you’re craving something comforting (but don’t want a lot of fuss). With ground chicken, tender-crisp bell pepper and sweet pineapple coated in a flavour-packed sauce and served over rice, you’ll make your taste buds (and your belly) very happy!
Contrasting flavours is one of my favourite things ever. Just think about it … a chocolate bar with flecks of salt, chocolate hummus with salty pretzels or chocolate-covered potato chips. All delicious, am I right?
Well, that’s why we love this ground chicken rice bowl recipe so much. It has tons of that contrasting flavour situation going on. It has savoury elements, salty elements, a spicy kick and a kiss of sweetness. There’s also lots of texture to keep things interesting. I mean, it’s just great (well, I think so anyway and hope you do too!).
Rice bowls are something I love to curl up with on Friday or Saturday night while catching up on some of our favourite shows. Not only do they taste delicious, but they’re so quick to prepare (making them way better than any takeaway, if you ask me). What is your go-to tv-watching food or meal?
How To Make It
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- First, start to prepare your rice according to package instructions, then whip up the sauce. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine soy sauce, pineapple juice, chicken broth, chili pepper, garlic, ginger paste, sriracha, sesame oil, fish sauce and brown sugar. Mix until everything is well incorporated. Set aside while you start to prepare the ground chicken mixture.
- Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, then cook the ground chicken until fully cooked through.
- Add diced bell pepper to the ground chicken, then cook just until it’s tender-crisp.
- Pineapple and the reserved sauce mixture gets added next. Cook until it’s heated through and thickened.
- Distribute the cooked rice between two bowls.
- Top the rice with the ground chicken mixture and garnish (if ya like) with green onion and sesame seeds. Chicken and rice bowls done!
What Kind of Rice Should I Use?
Honestly, use what you enjoy best! I really enjoy jasmine rice at the moment, so that’s a go-to for me. Other delicious rice options are white, basmati, a wild rice blend or, heck, even instant rice.
Can I Use Something Besides Rice?
For sure! Though this is a rice bowl recipe, you can certainly substitute with something else, like quinoa or cauliflower rice should you wish.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Instead of ground chicken, feel free to use ground turkey.
- If you aren’t a huge fan of spice, you can reduce the sriracha and omit the chili pepper.
- Use whatever colour bell pepper you prefer or have on hand for this recipe.
More Easy Bowl Recipes
If you make this ground chicken rice bowl recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Ground Chicken Rice Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup uncooked rice, you'll need about 2 cups of cooked rice for this recipe (I particularly enjoy Jasmine rice, but you can use your favourite variety)
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice, I used the pineapple juice from my canned pineapple
- 1 tablespoon low sodium chicken broth
- 1 Thai chili pepper, minced (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste, or minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teasoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional (to thicken sauce)
- 2 teaspoons cold water, optional (to thicken sauce)
Chicken, Pineapple and Bell Pepper Mixture
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound ground chicken
- 1 small bell pepper, diced small
- ⅓ cup diced (small) canned pineapple
Garnish and Serving Ideas (optional)
- Sliced green onion, garnish to taste
- Sesame seeds, garnish to taste
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Rice
- Cook rice according to package instructions. While the rice is cooking, start to prepare the sauce and ground chicken mixture.
Sauce
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, chicken broth, chili pepper (if using), garlic, ginger paste, sriracha, sesame oil, fish sauce and brown sugar until well combined. Set aside.Note: This rice bowl is not overly saucy, but if you want to thicken the sauce a tad, in a separate small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water, then whisk into the soy sauce mixture right before adding to the cooked chicken mixture.
Chicken, Pineapple and Bell Pepper Mixture
- Heat olive oil in a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until it's fully cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's softened slightly but still has a little crunch, about 3 minutes.
- To chicken and bell pepper mixture, stir in the sauce and pineapple. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has heated through and has reduced/thickened, about 2 minutes.
Assemble the Bowls
- Divide the cooked rice between two bowls, then top with the chicken mixture and garnish (if desired) with green onion and sesame seeds. Great with a squeeze of fresh lime juice over top, too. Serve and enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Kathie says
This was delicious! Just the right amount of heat and a touch of sweetness. I added a little coleslaw mix on top of the rice, then added the chicken mixture. Gave a nice little crunch. Making again!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Kathie!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!! The coleslaw mix sounds like a yummy addition.
Michelle says
Such a delicious combination of flavours in this rice bowl! Love the addition of pineapple and the bell peppers.. yum!
David @ Spiced says
Oh, that looks fantastic, Dawn! We use ground chicken on occasion, but it’s not always at the front of our radar. I love the sweet + savory flavors going on here, and I think this would make for a weeknight meal that I would actually look forward to! 🙂
Valentina says
This is definitely my kind of bowl of delicious comfort. And as with all of your recipes, it’s so pretty! 🙂 ~Valentina