Name: Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce; 1 1/2 lbs Chicken breasts (boneless and skinless); 1 1/2 cups rice Jasmine (or white); 6 to 8 cups shredded cabbage; 2 carrots shredded (or grated); ¼ cup cilantro chopped; 2 tablespoons peanuts chopped (optional); 1/3 cup peanut butter; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or coconut aminos); 1 garlic clove grated; 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce; 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

by Laura Fuentes

July 23, 2020
updated May 4, 2023

5 from 21 votes

This meal prep is jam-packed with flavor from Thai baked chicken, fresh veggies, and a delicious Homemade Peanut Sauce. It's light, satisfying, and a recipe you'll want to make again and again.

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Get ready to enjoy a healthy lunch with these Thai Chicken bowls you can prep ahead!

Prep and cook everything in 30 minutes and you’ll be able to enjoy a healthy meal throughout the week.

three glass meal prep containers containing thai chicken and slaw

How to Prep Thai Chicken Bowls for Lunch

These chicken meal prep bowls are easy to cook in the oven (they are baked) and once the rice is ready all you have to do is assemble and store them for later.

You’ll find everything in detail in the recipe card below. But essentially, you’ll need to:

Marinate the chicken
Make the Thai marinade and let the chicken absorb its flavors for at least 30 minutes up to a day ahead.
Bake the chicken
Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 20 minutes and once cooked, set it aside. Slice it before assembly.
Cook the rice
Prepare the rice according to the package directions or in a rice cooker.
Make the peanut sauce
In a medium bowl or dressing jar, make the peanut sauce. Refrigerate it until ready to use for up to 7 days. Read more about this peanut sauce here.
Prep the fresh veggies
Finely shred the cabbage or use shredded slaw and carrots, then chop the cilantro and peanuts.
Fill the meal prep containers
Once the chicken and rice have cooled down to room temperature, scoop a portion of rice into a meal prep container and top with sliced chicken, veggies, cilantro, and chopped peanuts. Fill small lidded sauce containers with some peanut sauce for later.
Storage
Place the lids on the meal prep containers and refrigerate for 3 days.
Reheat & Eat
To enjoy, remove the lid from the container and warm it in the microwave for 2 minutes or until the ingredients are heated. Drizzle with peanut sauce before eating.

toppings and ingredients for Thai Chicken meal prep laid out on a countertop in small individual bowls

Thai Chicken Meal Prep Toppings

Toppings are everyone’s favorite part; the more color, the better! The basic ingredients for the bowl are rice and chicken. To those, you can add:

Shredded cabbage: use green or purple cabbage for extra fiber, nutrition, and crunch.
Carrots: a great source of vitamin A and pair great with peanut sauce.
Chopped peanuts: adds a toasty flavor and crunchy texture, optional.
Chopped cilantro: brightens the other flavors and compliments the dressing.
Thai Peanut Sauce: sweet, savory, and you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.
Tomatoes: not included in this recipe, but if you love them, add them!
Sprouts: also not included in this recipe, but they have a sweet, watery flavor that makes a good vessel for peanut sauce and add lots of nutrition.

How to Store Chicken Lunch Bowls for the Week

The best way to keep these meal-prep chicken bowls fresh for the week is to assemble the rice, protein, and veggies in your containers and keep it separate from the Thai Peanut Sauce.

Drizzling the peanut sauce over the fresh veggies will change their texture (make them soggy).

Having the right meal prep containers makes this step easy, and in the long run, reduces the need to throw out those salads and power bowls you were looking forward to eating.

three thai chicken lunches prepped in glass containers

How Long with Thai Chicken Lunch Bowls Stay Good in the Fridge?

Once your bowls are properly assembled and refrigerated, they keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How Many Lunches Does this Recipe Make?

This Thai chicken recipe will yield about 6 adult-size servings, but if you prep a little extra rice and veggies, you could easily stretch it to 8.

It’s perfect for 2 adults who don’t want to think about what’s for lunch, or a family of 4!

Prep Ahead Tips

Meal prepping calls for all the tips! Below are the ones I use for this recipe and others to make the process go faster.

Marinate the day before
Consider marinating the chicken overnight, it gives the proteins more time to soak up flavor, and you’ll spend less time in the kitchen.

Prep the rice
Make the rice as directed and allow it to cool down to room temperature before refrigerating it in an airtight container overnight.

Veggies and sauce
Cabbage and carrots last a while, even when prepped! Shred and store in the same container for up to 5 days.

All about the sauce
Thank goodness, the peanut sauce tastes better a couple of days after being made. Just whisk it together and refrigerate in a jar or lidded container and use as desired.

For more easy recipes you can serve for dinner and pack for lunch, grab a copy of my ebook Meal Prep’d!

closeup of a glass lunch container containing thai chicken and asian slaw

Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Laura Fuentes

This meal prep is jam-packed with flavor from Thai baked chicken, fresh veggies, and a delicious Homemade Peanut Sauce. It’s light, satisfying, and a recipe you’ll want to make again and again.

5 from 21 votes

Servings 6

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Ingredients

Chicken marinade:

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 ½ lbs Chicken breasts , boneless and skinless

For the bowls:

1 ½ cups rice Jasmine , or white
6 to 8 cups shredded cabbage
2 carrots shredded , or grated
¼ cup cilantro chopped
2 tablespoons peanuts chopped, optional

Peanut Sauce:

⅓ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce , or coconut aminos
1 garlic clove grated
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

Make the marinade in a large bowl, by combining the sesame oil with the soy sauce and the Sriracha sauce. Add the chicken breasts and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight for extra flavor.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Transfer the chicken breasts onto the prepared baking sheet and discard the marinade.
Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove the chicken from the oven and set it aside to cool down to room temperature before slicing and assembling.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the rice according to the package directions. Once cooked, fluff the rice and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
Make the peanut sauce in a medium bowl by combining the peanut butter, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and Sriracha sauce. Add one tablespoon of water and whisk to combine. Add additional hot water until the Peanut Sauce reaches the desired consistency. Store it in a dressing bottle or fill small lidded dressing containers with peanut sauce.
Line up the meal prep containers and make a base layer of rice, top it with sliced chicken breasts, shredded cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and chopped peanuts, if using. Cover with a lid.
Store the meal-prepped Thai chicken bowls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

To make the Thai sauce nut-free use an alternative such as Sunflower butter.

Equipment

Mini Dip Containers

Glass Lunch Containers

Dressing Bottle

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowlCalories: 423kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 32gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 354mgPotassium: 775mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3547IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 2mg

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Thai Chicken Meal Prep