These Meal Prep Spicy Chicken and Asparagus Rice Bowls are a simple chicken and veggie stir-fry style recipe that’s quick and easy to throw together. Pair with white or brown rice for the perfect make-ahead lunch meal!
This recipe was originally posted September 14th, 2017. It was re-published on September 4th, 2020.
This update includes new photos, recipe rewritten for clarity, and FAQs answered in the main content of the post.
When I first published this recipe in 2017, I included some info about how frozen veggies are still just as good for you (and sometimes even better) than fresh veggies.
While this is cool and useful info, I’ve decided it doesn’t belong on this post about meal prep spicy chicken!
Let’s chat everything you need to know about this meal! Got more questions? Ask in the comments at the bottom of the page.
What’s in these Meal Prep Spicy Chicken and Asparagus Rice Bowls?
We’ve got the chicken, the veggies, the sauce mixture, and the rice. Here’s the breakdown:
- boneless skinless chicken breast – I use anywhere from 1 pound to 1.25 pounds usually just depending on how much is in the package. Cut them up smallish so they cook quicker for the stir fry.
- rice + cooking liquid – I cook my rice in the Aroma rice cooker with chicken broth while I make the meal prep. Brown or white rice both go great with this meal.
- fresh asparagus & frozen peas – I like this veggie combo! Tastes great with spicy chicken. Add more stir fry veggies if you want.
- cornstarch slurry – Gives the sauce a nice thickness and helps it coat the chicken and veggies.
- soy sauce + fish sauce – Helps bring the saltiness and umami to the sauce! Gonna be honest, I’ve made this without the fish sauce and it was still very delicious.
- honey – This helps balance all the salt and spice that make up the sauce.
- Sambal Oelek (ground chili paste) + sriracha – SPICY.
- minced garlic – When I made this most recently, I actually used like 4 cloves of garlic. Use as much as you want!
How do you make these Meal Prep Spicy Chicken and Asparagus Rice Bowls?
First, get your rice going in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. It should be done when your main dish is cooling!
Start by cooking the chicken pieces in some oil with salt and pepper. Cook it until it’s about halfway done (like 4 minutes?), or until most of the pink edges are gone (but you know it’s not done lol).
Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in your asparagus with the chicken. Give it all a good stir and keep cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is bright green (3-4 more minutes).
At this point, add the frozen peas and the sauce to the pan. Once the peas are heated (about one minute), add the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly. It’s ready!
Pair with your rice of choice, portion out into meal prep containers, and enjoy within 4 days.
Why I love this Meal Prep Spicy Chicken meal:
- Favorite flavor – Sambal Oelek is the main feature in this recipe, an excellent ground chili paste. I love it because I can turn up the heat, while adding delicious flavor and not dousing the dish in sriracha. You should invest in some of this stuff. They sell at pretty much any grocery store!
- Perfectly easy to reheat at home or work. Not too juicy, stinky, or messy.
- I use a rice cooker to cook the brown rice and it’s hands down the easiest part of this recipe (if you can remember the rice to liquid ratio which I really suck at). I use this Aroma rice cooker which solves not only my rice probs, but my quinoa probs too!!
- I’m not really a huge fan of asparagus all by it self, but with some juicy chicken and spicy sauce? Yesss please.
What veggies can I substitute in this meal?
You can use whatever veggies you have hanging out in your produce drawer (or the freezer!), such as broccoli, peppers, carrots, and more. I think the sauce would go well with any of them.
Another option is a frozen veggie stir fry mix – that would be the easiest option! Add these veggies when you would add the asparagus and cook until they’re heated through.
How long does this meal prep last in the fridge?
This meal lasts up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Can this Meal Prep Spicy Chicken meal be frozen?
This meal *can* be frozen, but I do think the asparagus would get mushy. I don’t recommend freezing this meal unless it would otherwise go to waste.
Where do you get those meal prep containers?
I always recommend glass containers for storing your food. Here are some options for this meal:
- 2 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers – These are pictured in this post. The brand is Prep Naturals and I love their 2 and 3 compartment containers! If you don’t want your foods to touch until you eat them, these are the containers for you.
- 4-cup Pyrex Round Glass Containers (affiliate link!) – I love Pyrex and I have several of these containers. However, the lids are slightly inferior and will rip after a couple years of continued use. Still love the glass containers though!
- Pyrex 3-cup Rectangular Glass Containers (affiliate link!) – Another Pyrex option I own, just a different shape 🙂 Obviously this is a 1 compartment container, so your food will touch!
See all my meal prep container recommendations here!
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Meal Prep Spicy Chicken and Asparagus Rice Bowls
A simple stir-fry style recipe that’s quick and easy to throw together. Pair with white or brown rice for the perfect Sunday Meal Prep bowls!
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield4 bowls 1x
Ingredients
- 16–20 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice of choice + cooking liquid
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, woody stems removed, cut into 2–3 inch spears
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons EVOO or avocado oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water stirred into a slurry
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt/pepper
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sambal Oelek (ground chili paste)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sriracha
Instructions
- Cook rice: Prepare your rice according to package directions in water or broth (I use a rice cooker and chicken broth for mine).
- Make sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a mason jar or small bowl and mix until completely combined.
- Cook stir fry: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes or until the chicken pieces are about halfway cooked. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and asparagus to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the asparagus are bright green yet still firm and the chicken is cooked through. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the sauce and the frozen peas. Stir until everything is evenly coated in sauce, and sauce begins to bubble. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce has thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve & store: Serve immediately with rice, or portion rice and stir fry into four airtight containers and enjoy within 4 days.
Notes
This dish is mildly spicy, so if you don’t like the spice, leave out the sriracha and/or Sambal Oelek.
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal. Adapted from Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry from The Food Network.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 567
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 66g
- Protein: 36g
Did You Make This?
I love seeing what you made! Leave a review below, and be sure to tag me at @ProjectMealPlan when you share a photo!
This is the perfect weekly lunch for me! Currently I’m only meal prepping for myself for lunch because it keeps me from either not eating or choosing a less than healthy option. I also love something simple like this recipe because I know I won’t get bored by the end of the week. I’m gonna save this one for next week 😉
That’s exactly what meal prep is for! Sometimes you just need something ready right there so you don’t pick an unhealthy or expensive option. When I say ‘you’, I totally mean me! Haha. I hope you love this simple recipe! Feel free to toss in any veggies you have around 😀 Thanks Aimee
Recipe looks amazing!! Is there a substitute for fish sauce?
Thanks Jasmine! I did a little research and unfortunately I don’t think there is any direct fish sauce substitute that gives you that same depth of flavor – but the dish will not be ruined if you don’t include it! Looks like people online either add the same amount of soy sauce or a squeeze of lime if they want to avoid the fish sauce. There is also a “vegan fish sauce” kind of thing around the internet, but it looks a little complicated! I think the best bet (and probably easiest solution) is to add a little extra soy sauce 🙂 Hope you like it!
Loved this easy to make dish. I added a T of Hoisen sauce as we like a slightly sweeter sauce. Used brown rice cooked with chicken broth. 👏
Hi Lynn – So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Adding some hoisin sauce is a great idea 🙂 Thank you so much for your review! -Danielle
What is the nutritional info without the rice?
Hi Emily – I just did a new estimate for this recipe but excluded the rice. It came to 297 cal, 14g fat, 14g carb, 31g protein. I think this would also be good with some pad thai style or rice noodles (brown rice ramen is pretty good too!). Hope you enjoy it! -Danielle