Can I make this in advance?

These bowls are BRILLIANT for making ahead of time. Everything can be prepared in advance, and then just assembled when you're ready. They're great for meal-prepping on a Sunday - make the rice, chicken, and dressing and chop up all the vegetables - store them in separate containers in the fridge and then just assemble them during the week when you need a quick meal. Everything should be used within 5 days. Breaking it down into chunks can make it a lot more approachable!

What's the best type of rice to use?

Short grain or sushi rice is the best for these bowls, but you really can use what you like. The cooking instructions will differ though, depending on the rice you're using so just keep that in mind and follow the instructions on your packet.

Can I use any other meat?

You can! The beauty of these bowls is how versatile they are. Once you know the base recipe and method, you can really play with it and make it your own. Try using the miso marinade on steak, prawns or salmon , or use hot smoked salmon, or pre-cooked chicken to make it even easier. You can also make a vegetable the star - cauliflower, aubergine or sweet potato are brilliant, as is halloumi or tofu.

Easy Grilled Chicken Poke Bowls

Description

These easy grilled chicken poke bowls are fresh, healthy and a fab way to get lots of veggies in. With juicy miso chicken thighs, proper sushi rice, a super punchy dressing and crunchy toppings, you’ll want to make them again and again.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the chicken –

400g (14oz) free range, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon ginger, grated (or use ginger paste or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the rice –

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
1 2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

For the dressing –

1 tablespoon chilli jam (try making my chilli jam or use sweet chilli sauce or honey)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon ginger (or use ginger paste or 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger)

For the poke bowl toppings –

2 carrots, sliced into long, thin batons
1 cucumber, halved, seeds scooped out and diced into small cubes
2 spring onions, finely sliced
A handful of coriander leaves

For the garnish –

2 tablespoons aioli (I love using my easy vegan garlic aioli)
1 tablespoon black or white toasted sesame seeds

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Instructions

Make the chicken marinade. Add the 2 tablespoons of miso paste, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small bowl. Grate your garlic and ginger directly into the bowl. I like to grate my garlic rather than crushing it because you get the most flavour from it that way (and I also hate washing my garlic press!) And if you’re grating ginger, there’s no need to peel it. Using a fork, break up the miso paste in the bowl then mix everything together into a cohesive sauce.
Marinate the chicken. Get the chicken into a large mixing bowl or container. I’ll often put it straight into the container I’ll be using to store it in the fridge to minimise dishes! Pour the miso marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly, making sure that every bit of chicken is coated in the marinade. Cover and put in the fridge while you start the rice.
Make the poke rice. Thoroughly rinse 1 1/2 cups of sushi rice in a colander under running water. Add the rinsed rice to a small pot along with 1 2/3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Turn the heat to medium. Once the water starts to foam a little at the top, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on the pot (use a plate or wooden board if your pot has no lid). Leave to cook without taking the lid off for 18 minutes. After this time, the water should be all absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the pot sit for another 10 minutes.
Season the rice. After 10 minutes, transfer the rice to a large shallow dish. This will help it to cool down faster and make it easier to mix the rice vinegar through the rice. Add the 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar and gently cut through the rice and fold it over itself to mix the vinegar through. If you have a rice paddle, use that, otherwise, a spatula works well. Set aside to cool.
Cook the chicken. You can do this as the rice is cooking to save time. Heat your oven to 200C/390F fan and get the chicken out of the fridge. Once the oven is at 200C/390F, get the chicken into an ovenproof dish or tray and put it in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken has changed colour (it’ll look whiter). At this point, move the dish to the top of the oven and set your grill (broiler) on the highest setting (that’s 250C for me). Grill for 5 minutes, until the chicken has lots of lovely charred bits on top. Remove from the oven.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chilli jam, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Grate in the garlic clove and 1cm piece of ginger. Mix well with a fork to combine and set aside.
Assemble the poke bowls. Divide the rice between 4 bowls. Top with the carrot batons and diced cucumber. Slice the chicken, then divide the slices between the bowls. Drizzle the dressing all over all the bowls. Scatter over the chopped spring onion and sesame seeds. Finish with a dollop of aioli on each bowl. Dig in!

Notes

It might look like there are a lot of steps here but I promise a lot of it is actually hands-off time! You can be prepping other parts while things are cooking. You can cook the chicken and the rice at the same time, and make the dressing and prepare the toppings while they’re cooking. Doing it this way cuts the time in half.

Switch up your protein and toppings – poke bowls are great with leftover meat or roasted vegetables and they’re a great way to use up bits and pieces in your fridge. I love them with sweet potatoes (try my miso roasted sweet potatoes for a fab topping idea), miso salmon, lamb koftas, the traditional sushi grade tuna or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store and use that.

Any leftover rice will keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days. The dressing will last for weeks if you have any leftover, ready to be drizzled over salads, vegetables or grilled meat.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Category: fakeaway
Method: stove top
Cuisine: asian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bowl

Keywords: sushi bowl, rice bowl, chicken poke