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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!
Incredible recipe – flavors are so bold, fresh, and delicious! Thank you for another banger!
Hi Indra,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
This was too 5 recipes I’ve made from HBH! The perfect summer dinner that is fresh, tangy, and spicy. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Colleen,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
My husband gave it an”A”! Absolutely delicious!
Hey Michele,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
Made this for dinner, definitely a keeper! Especially a fan of the chicken!
Hey Robin,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
I am curious if you could substitute the chicken for shrimp? If so, any suggestions for changing anything?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Janey,
Totally, that will work well for you! Just reduce the cook time as the shrimp will cook much faster. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Where do the sesame seeds come into play? Making this tonight, can’t wait!
Hey Tara,
You are going to add those in step 1. Please let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
It was fantastic! The garlic butter over the top of the dish was *chefs kiss*. Thanks for another great recipe, Tieghan!
Hi Tara,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This recipe was fast and easy to come together, and sooo divine! I bought butter just for it and the chunks of garlic crisped up in it then poured over the chicken was sheer brilliance. The refreshing salad along side was perfecti0n in a bowl.
Hey Dana,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
Another delicious hit! I love how the flavors all come together in this dish. It’s so fresh and dynamic. I think that there may be a missing step with the sesame seeds!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
OMG Tieghan what a burst of amazing flavors! Certainly worth the time it took to prepare. You out did yourself on this one girl!!! Absolutely delicious & nutritious?
Hey Linda,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
I just made this tonight for tea… delicious!
Will definitely make again, a perfect summer dish.
The flavours, spices with the freshness of mango and cucumber was perfection ??
Hi Samantha,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
As always, this recipe was amazing! We are watching our carbs so I skipped the rice and chopped romaine instead. Delicious!
Hi Heidi,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
I made this and decided to marinate the chicken before with a dash of soy sauce and mirin. I think this may have made the chicken too wet when I added the cornstarch. I also added it straight from the fridge. When cooking the chicken in my stainless steel, the fact that it was wetter/cold made it stick…still full of flavor! I will make again with my mistakes in mind.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I hope you give it another try:) xx
I knew this recipe would be good but I didn’t think it would be UNREAL. I can’t wait to try this again. I made mine with coconut rice and tossed the salad with a bit of sesame seed oil. I also used cilantro mint and basil. The flavours were amazing. Thanks so much!!
Hi Miranda,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for your kind message:) xx
This was SO SO SO good! I didn’t have any Thai red curry paste so I used 1/4c sweet chili sauce instead and OMG! Delicious.
Hi Leah,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for your kind message:) xx
This looks amazing and the recipe contains many of my favourite foods (mango, herbs, rice, red curry paste). I cannot wait to try it. Have a feeling my husband will love this too. Thanks Tieghan for creating enticing recipes. I am giving this five stars pre-emptively. I am pretty sure it will live up to that! I am putting this on my meal plan for next week.
Hi Nadine,
Thanks so much for your kind message! I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try!! xx