› Browse Recipes › NO REASON to eat plain chicken and rice! Try these orange pepper chicken rice bowls

by Jalalsamfit

recipe easy Fusion

NO REASON to eat plain chicken and rice! Try these orange pepper chicken rice bowls

Sweet and savory orange pepper chicken thighs, paired with garlic herb basmati rice and a tangy crunchy cucumber salad — a high-protein, macro-friendly meal prep bowl.

smart_display Published 2026-07-10 download Extracted 2026-07-19

15m Prep

30m Cook

45m Total

5 Servings

orange-chicken chicken rice-bowl high-protein meal-prep cucumber healthy macro-friendly low-calorie easy

Ingredients

Crunchy Cucumber Salad

250 g mini cucumbers (thinly sliced)
100 g red onion (thinly sliced)
120 g carrots (grated)
100 g red bell pepper (chopped)
50 g green onion/scallion
25 g sesame seeds
15 g honey
22.5 g rice vinegar

Garlic Butter Herb Rice

220 g uncooked basmati rice
20 g light butter
30 g garlic (finely chopped)
1.5 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
pinch salt and chilli flakes opcional

Orange Pepper Chicken

1100 g raw boneless skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed)
1 tsp salt
2.5 tsp black pepper
2.5 tsp garlic powder
30 g honey
25 g sriracha
1 unit large orange (juiced, zested, with some pulp reserved for the marinade)
25 g light soy sauce

Steps

1

Assemble bowls with the sliced orange pepper chicken, garlic butter herb rice, and cucumber salad. Serve and enjoy.

~2 min

Crunchy Cucumber Salad

1

Combine sliced cucumbers, red onion, grated carrots, red bell pepper, green onion, sesame seeds, honey, and rice vinegar in a bowl. Mix until well combined.

Tip: Store the salad in a separate container to keep it fresh and crisp for the week; the vinegar base helps preserve texture for 2-3 days.

~10 min

Garlic Butter Herb Rice

1

On low heat, add light butter and cook the chopped garlic for 4 minutes.

~4 min
2

Add the cooked basmati rice, fresh parsley, and a pinch of salt and chilli flakes. Mix until fluffy and fragrant. Let the rice cool slightly before folding in the herbs to keep them vibrant.

Tip: Top each meal prep container with a sprinkle of fresh herbs right before serving to brighten it up.

~5 min

Orange Pepper Chicken

1

Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs. Combine with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, honey, sriracha, orange juice and zest (plus a bit of pulp), and light soy sauce. Mix until the color changes and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight for maximum flavor.

Tip: Adding bits of orange pulp to the marinade helps create extra caramelized texture when baked.

~5 min
2

Spread the marinated chicken evenly on a lined sheet pan, squeeze extra orange juice and zest over the top. Oven bake or air fry for 25-27 minutes at 200C/400F. Broil for the last 2-3 minutes for a good crust.

Tip: The extra orange juice and zest will caramelize while cooking and create a sticky glaze.

~27 min
3

Slice the baked chicken into cubes before serving.

~2 min

Nutrition (por porción)

518

Calorías

49g

Proteína

55g

Carbohidratos

12g

Grasa

Fibra

Cultural Context

This dish riffs on the classic Chinese-American orange chicken, swapping the deep-fried batter for a healthier baked/air-fried version. It's built as a high-protein meal prep bowl, a format popular in fitness and macro-tracking communities, pairing the caramelized orange-pepper glaze with garlic herb rice and a quick-pickled-style cucumber salad for textural contrast.