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This colorful Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl is full of Thai flavors and so simple. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste and doused in a chili crisp butter sauce. The chicken is cooked until caramelized around the edges then added to bowls of rice. A fresh, bright mango herb salad is spooned overtop for a balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavor. Altogether, it’s so delicious.
Come late spring, I find the most inspiration from fresh herbs and flowers. The perkiness of their leaves and their bright colors give me so many ideas. Their inspiration is a welcomed change of pace after a very white and cozy winter.
Where we live in Colorado, it’s just barely starting to get green. There’s still a fair chance we’ll get a sprinkling of snow. We had a snowstorm on June 18th a couple of years ago. I’ve even seen it snow after a beautiful warm day on the night of July 4th…you just never know around here. But even the slight glimpse of growth and warmer days has brought me new ideas.
Whole Foods was filled with fresh herbs last week and I snatched up every last one. I had an abundance of fresh basil, cilantro, and mint, and plenty of sweet mangos. So this recipe kind of just built itself.
It turned out to be everything I had pictured in my head and the flavor was better than I’d imagined. Plus, these bowls are the easiest to make. Lots of chopping I guess, but otherwise, simple.
All this to say, I love today’s recipe!
Details – start with that mango herb salad
This is my thing, my favorite! Lots of ripe fresh mango, so many fresh herbs, refreshing cucumber, toasted seeds, a little spice from a serrano pepper, and a simple lime dressing.
Just toss everything together in a bowl, no fancy steps.
The chicken
It’s a little crispy, a little spicy, but simple. Toss it up with some arrowroot or cornstarch to help with the crispiness. Then cook it up with Thai red curry paste and a splash of fish sauce.
You can certainly use tamari or soy sauce too, but I love fish sauce.
And the chili crisp butter, make sure it’s a high-quality grass feed butter for best flavor. I love Straus Organic European butter. Then just cook the garlic and chili flakes in the butter until golden and crisp.
Finish it up
Lots of rice, then the chicken. Spoon the butter over the chicken, then top each bowl with the mango salad.
Enjoy immediately…and that’s it! This takes less than an hour to make and it’s not only delicious but fun! All those fresh herbs really make a difference.
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 531 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Mango Salad
- 1 mango, diced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 Serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint or basil, torn
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons mixed sesame and/or sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 avocado, cubed
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, tamari sauce, or soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 3-4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- 1. Â To make the salad. Combine the mango, cucumbers, serrano pepper, cilantro, basil, and green onions in a bowl. Toss with olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice, and season with salt. Add the avocado and toss lightly. Sprinkle the sesame and/or sunflower seeds overtop.2. In a bowl, toss together the chicken and cornstarch (or arrowroot powder). 3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Thai red curry paste and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken and toss to coat in the curry paste. Cook until the chicken becomes crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the fish sauce or tamari/soy sauce.4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt together the butter, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook until the butter is browning and the garlic crisps.5. Spoon the chicken over the bowls of rice. Pour the garlic chili butter over the chicken. Top with the mango salad. Enjoy!
Amazing. My kids always request it.
Thank you! So glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe! xT
This was delicious, will definitely be making this again! It also re-heated well for leftovers if you store the chicken separately from the salad. I added some pre-shredded red cabbage to mine at the end for some added fresh crunch.
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an amazing week! 🙂 xT
Delicious! And so light.. I used my ‘tofu chicken’ instead of chicken and it was sublime.. I also added agave and seasoning to the dressing for a bit of lift. Was beautiful to boot, thank you!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Great bunch of ingredients but the flavor fell pretty flat (maybe it’s a proportion issue.) We upped the pepper flakes, salad needed more lime, and next time I’d omit the curry paste (didn’t add too much flavor) and just cook the chicken in the garlic, pepper flakes, and soy. Broiling the chicken also helped crisp up the chicken because the cornstarch and chicken liquid kind of made a slurry.
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know! xT
My chicken never got crispy.
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for giving this dish a try, sorry to hear the chicken didn’t get crispy. What kind of pan did you use? I find I have the best luck using cast iron! I hope this helps! xx
This is the yummiest, cozy, tangy, slightly-spicy, fresh, burst-of-flavor meal… ever!!
My husband requests this nearly every week (and it’s been 6 months). Delicious! I even make extra so we can keep enjoying it all week (and get seconds)!
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx