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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. 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!
Hi there! Can you replace cilantro with parsley? I’m one of those sad individuals where cilantro tastes awful.
Hey Rachel,
Totally! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Incredibly tasty. This combination is simply a taste experience. We love it! Thank you for another perfect recipe! Greetings from Germany
Hey Melanie,
Happy Friday!!⛄️❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I made this for dinner tonight. Instead of rice I served it over lettuce, carrot strips and sliced snow peas. It was great!!
Hey Gabbi,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
We just made tonight and it is absolutely delicious. The mango salad could be served alone! The combination of chicken, rice and mango/cucumber is very tasty. Thank you Tieghan for another great and easy to put together dinner.
Hey Sheila,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
So great. Hubby said top 5 of new recipes we have tried and it’s going on the rotation.
Hey Katie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
So far my favorite recipe! My daughter and I make it a lot. So so good! Thank you!
Hey Lauren,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
This is a new favorite so light and flavorful! Friends loved it too. My favorite was the mango gave this bowl a little sweet with the tangy. Thank you!
Hey Katie,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
I made this for guests and it was a smash hit. Amazing flavor payoff too!
I made one small adjustment:
I had frozen boneless chicken thighs and not much time, so I put them in the instant pot (pressure cooker) for 11 minutes on high pressure. Natural release for 6 min. Took out the chicken and then chopped it up1. Mixed the curry paste with the leftover juices and sautéed for a bit. Mixed in the cornstarch and then poured that sauce over the chicken.
Will be making this a lot more often!
Hey Anna,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!⛄️ xT
The mango salad was amazing!
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
This was soooo tasty! Such an easy recipe to follow and didn’t take long at all. I am definitely making this again 😀 Thank you!
Hey Hannah,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend!🎄⛄️
My all time favorite recipe. I’ve made it multiple times and look forward to it everytime!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Has anyone tried making this and eating it the next day? It looks amazing, I would love to make it the night before and bring it to work for lunch.
Hey Danielle,
That would be just fine for you to do!! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
This was truly delicious! Put into my ‘favourites’ folder.
Thank you.
Hey Anne,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
This was SO delicious. And way outside my usual cooking fare. Thank you! What a surprise using that amount of Thai red curry paste wasn’t way to hot. Like someone else mentioned, my chicken slices didn’t get crispy but sure didn’t need to. The mango salad was extraordinary!
Hey Laurie,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
I HAVE TO MAKE THIS!!
I hope you love the recipe Dale!!
Flavor very good but all the cornstarch was stuck to pan. Chicken never got crispy.
Hi Cassandra,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear about your cornstarch! Did you use a lot of it? The chicken really only needs a light dusting. Let me know how I can help! xx