A crispy sesame chicken bowl is so tasty and easy to make it will become a staple in your dinner rotation. There are several components to this dish, but all of them are easy to make. I use thin cutlet style chicken breasts so they cook up in half the time as regular chicken breasts, the cucumber slaw is made with pre-shredded cabbage and the edamame is already shelled so that cuts down on time as well. After you make this dish a couple of times it comes together faster and faster. It’s great for a weeknight dinner or leftovers can be used for lunch the next day. 

Here’s what you need to make crispy sesame chicken bowls:

Thin-cut chicken breasts– As I mentioned above, I like to use thin-sliced chicken breasts. Sometimes called chicken cutlets, these can be found in the chicken section of the meat department. If you can’t find them or have regular-sized chicken breasts that is ok too. You can cut them yourself by running your knife horizontally across the breast so you end up with two thin sliced breasts. Basically, two breasts become four. I hope that makes sense! 

You can also use boneless chicken thighs. If you are using the thighs you will just pound them slightly to make them a bit thinner. Do this by placing the boneless thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken until it flattens slightly. 

Chicken Marinade & Coating

The ingredients for the marinade are loaded with classic Asian flavors like soy sauce, minced garlic, fresh ginger, sesame oil, green onions, sesame seeds, and honey. After the chicken is done marinating you are going to coat it in a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and white sesame seeds.

Cucumber Coleslaw

This slaw calls for diced cucumbers, minced garlic, green onions, fresh ginger, fresh cilantro, soy sauce, and coleslaw mix. I usually just pick up a bag of the precut coleslaw mixed with carrots, but you can always cut your own cabbage if you prefer. 

Crispy Edamame

I like to use fresh edamame that I picked up from Trader Joe’s, but you can also buy them frozen. Even though I have never made them from frozen I would treat them like frozen peas. Either run them under cold water so they thaw slightly or just add them directly to the pan, they will defrost as they cook. They will take a bit longer to make, but I suspect only a couple of extra minutes.

What else goes in the bowl?

The recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked brown rice. Giving each person 1/2 cup in their bowl. If you think you want more rice then just make more. I love the frozen rice from Trader Joe’s, but you can also cook brown rice the old fashion way. Feel free to use, white rice, Basmati, or Jasmine rice as well. If you are trying to cut back on carbs a great alternative would be to use cauliflower rice instead.  You need a couple of avocados. You can either slice the avocado or dice them into small bite-size chunks. Lastly, you will mix Sriracha hot sauce and mayonnaise to create spicy mayo. 

Here’s how to make this crispy sesame chicken recipe:

Prep the veggies!

Begin by chopping all of the veggies needed for both the marinade and cucumber coleslaw. You need a total of 4 green onions, finely chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced, and 3 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger. Be sure to keep them separate and refer to the ingredients list on the recipe card for each. 

Start by mincing the garlic and chopping the green onions. After that, using a micro plane, grate the fresh ginger.  

For the marinade, use a small bowl and add to it one garlic clove, minced, two green onions, chopped, and two teaspoons of fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and sesame seeds, 

Marinade the chicken first!

Marinated the chicken for at least 30 minutes.  After you have prepared the marinade, put the pieces of chicken into a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Using a fork, flip the breasts over and move them around so that the marinade is all over the chicken. Let the chicken sit for at least 30 minutes. Longer if possible. If it’s going to be a few hours, please cover the dish and put it in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes prior to cooking to let it come to room temperature before cooking. 

Make the cucumber slaw!

When I was first developing this recipe I only used cucumbers, because I really loved the crunch, but I felt like the bowl needed more, so I decided to add cabbage, and then the cucumber slaw was born. It’s hearty and crunchy and the perfect addition to the bowl. 

While the chicken is marinating, add the other veggie you cut earlier to a medium bowl. 

(Green onions, garlic, ginger). Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Next, roughly chop the cilantro and cut the cucumbers into half moons. Add to the bowl and stir. Lastly, add the coleslaw mix and toss in the cilantro. Set aside. 

Make the spicy mayonnaise:

This is the simplest topping, but it ties the whole bowl together. Using a small bowl, add the mayo and Sriracha and stir it until it is combined. That’s it! Set aside until it’s time to eat. You can serve this sauce mixture on the side or top each bowl with a dollop. My girls both love this and are always asking for extra sauce.

Make the crispy edamame!

There are two ways to prepare the crispy edamame. The stovetop or an air fryer. On the stovetop, the edamame doesn’t get as crispy as it does in the air fryer, but it still tastes good. If using an air fryer I have found that for the best results start the edamame when the chicken is just about finished. They take about 10 minutes total and once cooled they get chewy. So you want to add them to the bowl right when they come out of the air fryer. 

Using the Stovetop

If you are making them on the stovetop, warm a pan and add a teaspoon of sesame oil. Once the oil is warm add the edamame and drizzle a little bit of soy sauce over the beans and stir to combine. Stirring occasionally, cook until they get a little crispy and golden brown about 5-7 minutes. 

Using the Air fryer

To make the edamame beans in an air fryer first add the edamame to a bowl and mix with 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Preheat the Air fryer to 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Add edamame to the basket and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. The edamame will come out crispy and almost crunchy, but it will not stay like this for long. The edamame will start to get soft as it cools off, so this should be the last thing you prepare. If you find that they are soft before you are ready to eat simply pop them back in the air fryer for a minute or so to crisp them back up.

Here’s how to cook the easy sesame chicken:

After the chicken is done marinating coat the chicken pieces with Panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. This is what is going to give the chicken its crispy coating. I take each piece of marinated chicken and press it into the breadcrumb mixture using my fingers to help the mixture stick.

Using a large skillet over medium-high heat add sesame oil. I like sesame oil because of its flavor and because it has a high smoke point. Not much oil is needed since you are deep frying the chicken You could also use peanut oil or vegetable oil if you prefer.

Once the oil is hot carefully add the chicken to the pan, pressing down on each piece of chicken with your hands helps the coating stick better. Be careful because the hot oil can pop and you could get burned. You only need to cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side. You don’t want the coating to burn before the chicken is cooked through so watching the heat is important-you may need to lower it for a bit and then turn it back up for the other side to cook.

After the chicken is done, remove it to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool slightly. Once cooled, cut the chicken into thin strips.

Assemble the bowl!

Add rice to the bottom of the bowls and then place chicken strips in the center of the bowl. Add the cucumber slaw, sliced avocado, and a spoonful of the crispy edamame. Top with the spicy mayo and enjoy! This homemade crispy sesame chicken is the star of this healthy dinner and I think you are going to love it!

Other recipes you might like to try!

Salmon Poke Bowls

Spicy Broccoli Noodle Bowls

Burger Bowls

Mushroom Noodle Bowls