Microwave sweet chili chicken rice bowl
Chicken and crisp-tender stir-fry vegetables tossed in sticky sweet chili sauce over rice, a ten-minute bowl that tastes like the takeout menu.
- 30 min total
- 8 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $1.86 a serving
- 430 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- ⅓ cup long-grain white rice
- 1 cup frozen stir-fry vegetables
- ¾ cup canned chicken breast, drained
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- ½ tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- ¾ cup water, divided
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Each serving has about 430 calories, 26 g protein, 74 g carbs and 2 g fat, and costs about $1.86 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice in a large microwave-safe bowl: cover it with cold water, swirl it with the fork, and pour the cloudy water off, holding the rice back with the fork.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Dolly’s tip: That’s how you rinse rice without a strainer. It washes off loose starch, which is what makes rice gummy.Add ¾ cup of the water and the salt, set the bowl on a plate, and microwave uncovered on high for 5 minutes, until boiling.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Use your biggest bowl. Rice water foams up and a small bowl boils over.Cover with a plate and microwave at 50% power for 8 to 10 minutes, until the water is gone and little holes dot the surface.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: If the rice is still firm, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and give it 2 minutes more.Leave the rice covered to steam while you make the chicken.
Put the frozen vegetables in another bowl with the last tablespoon of water, cover, and microwave 3 minutes, until hot and .
Tender-crisp. Tender-crisp means vegetables cooked until just tender but still with a little snap. They keep their bright color and crunch instead of going soft and dull.
How you’ll know: A fork goes in with slight resistance, and the color is bright, not olive or gray.
Timer: 3 min
off any water, holding the vegetables back with the fork.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Add the chicken, sweet chili sauce and soy sauce and until everything is glossy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Cover and microwave 1½ minutes, until steaming.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Fluff the rice, pile the sweet chili chicken on top, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
