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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!
Need a way to turn leftover rotisserie chicken into this bowl. Any suggestions?
Hi there,
You could follow the instructions as is but just cook the chicken enough to warm through, I wouldn’t leave it in the skillet for very long. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Amazing!! This recipe is being added into one of our regular meals. All the flavors just go together so well! Thank you Tieghan for all the great recipes.
Hi Jennifer,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
If you’ve clicked on the photo of the recipe, read through the ingredients, and you’re now reading the reviews because you’re still not sure if you should make this dish, here’s your sign… MAKE THIS RECIPE!! incredible flavours with the perfect amount of heat, delicious. Will make this again, and again, and again! THANK YOU!
Hey there,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Tieghan, This was phenomenal and nice and easy to make. The flavor explosion was wonderful. You are the absolute best!
We especially loved the browned butter and crispy garlic sauce over the dish. Thank you again for another great dinner.
Hi Jan,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I made this last night and it was SO good! So many delicious flavors !!! I didn’t have red curry paste so I used green curry paste! Next time I’ll try it with the red! It’s definitely a dish that I will make again!!! AMAZING!!!
Hi Debra,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Hi all! Does anyone know of a good substitute for Thai red curry paste? Im not a huge fan of curry!
Try some siracha or gochujang. Add a tablespoon at a time
Awesome recipe! Such a flavor explosion! The contrast of the spicy chili chicken against the cool/sweet mango salad is amazing. Oh – & the brown butter garlic sauce sends this over moon delicious!! Thanks for another winner, Tieghan!
Hi Diane,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Hi Katie,
You would want to use another seasoning of your liking:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Amazing dish! I also had an issue with the chicken not crisping up and ended up transferring it to another (HOT) cast iron mid way through cooking (slightly inefficient but effective). I’ll make sure my pan it hot enough from the get go next time. I did have an panicked moment when I added the fish sauce at the end but the flavors all came together perfectly. Making again this week with more kick (jalapeno) in the mango salad. Thanks for another stunning recipe!
Hey Amy,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Curious to know if you think coconut aminos would work in place of fish sauce/tamari/soy. I dont have an interest in changeing the recipe for taste I just have an abundance in my pantry.
Hey Amy,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was FANTASTIC! It had such great flavor and was so easy to prepare. We all went back for second helpings it was that good!
Hi Jennifer,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
OMG!! Fantastic Salad such incredible taste with all the different ingredients.
Thanks Tieghan. You are a culinary genius!
Hey Jeanne,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This turned out delicious! The chicken was tender on the inside and crisp on the out! Perfect combination of flavour profiles!
Hey Rita,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I had the same problem as the others. My chicken did not crisp. I read the suggestion about maybe using higher heat but mostly it just meant that the red curry and cornstarch stuck to the frying pan. Did you use non stick?
My other problem was that the red curry spattered all over my counter top and shirt. Should have worn an apron!!! Lol.
But even so, this was tastey and beautiful! I really loved the crispy garlic butter sauce. Wish I had remembered to add the sesame seeds…when or where were those supposed to go on?
Hi Marchele,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues. I always use cast iron when cooking. Are you saying that your cornstarch and curry paste stuck to the pan? Is it possible that your pan needed more oil? The sesame seeds should be added in step 1. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Wow. This was excellent! All the flavors meshed so well together. I’m thinking of making the salad as a stand-alone side this summer.
Hey Kristina,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was delicious! Cooked the chicken a bit more to get it crispy. The mango cucumber salad went really well with the chicken and rice!
Hi Lily,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was SO good. I couldn’t get my chicken to crisp up but honestly it didn’t matter because I LOVED the flavor this had. Besides a little salad my husband ate… I ate the rest by myself. YUM – so fresh. Definitely recommend adding that avocado.
This recipe was a 5 by the way. Was too excited to comment. ☺️
Thanks again Devi!!
Hey Devi,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I really liked this recipe but I couldn’t get my chicken to crisp up – why do you think that is?
Hi Megan,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! What kind of pan are you using to cook your chicken? It is possible you need your heat to be hotter? Let me know! xTieghan