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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!
SOOOOO SOOOO GOOOD!
Thanks Teigan. You are hugely featured in my house. Your recipes are creative, fun and make me a better cook. This recipe was such a surprise. I have never used Curry Paste and was a bit nervous it might be overpowering. Nope. Along with the soy sauce the chicken on its own is sensational. I made extra to make sandwiches with leftovers. Keep doing you. A lot of us out here are so grateful for your creativity and cooking talent!
Hey Kristin,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! Thanks so much for your kind message:) xTieghan
You are amazing. What a wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly. And turned out perfect. My chicken crisped up no problem. I did use thighs. We all loved it. It’s another half backed harvest keeper. Thanks Tieghan. .
Hey Jane,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
LOVED the flavors of this dish – the mango salad was amazing. I could not get the chicken crispy and wonder if I used the wrong Thai chili paste. It was sticky but would not crisp up. Still loved it enough to make it again tonight (second time in a a week!). SO GOOD.
Hey Meghan,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! Sorry to hear about your chicken, what kind of chili paste did you use? And what kind of pan? xTieghan
Hello, just to confirm, is the red curry paste added to the oil while it’s on the stove? And the chicken fried in there? Removed and then tossed in soy sauce?
Hey Billy,
Yes, that is correct:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was a big hit with my family. The flavors are so good! I have to
work on making the chicken crispy and getting it to look more like yours in
the photos, but it did taste good. Will definitely be adding this to my recipe box!!
Hey Kathie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
I made this recipe for the family tonight, with extra chicken because I know how they are lol. I’m eating it now and wow!!! The flavors taste amazing together. One of my new favorite meals. Thank you for sharing this with us! ??
Hey Janay,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
Just made this sweet, hot, crispy, savoury dish for my wife and she regretted not dressing up for a date. This might as well be found on a thai restaurant menu. Served this with a sparkling white wine.
I would suggest strawberries, mango and vanilla ice cream topped with crispy caramel for dessert, but I’m full…
PS! I don’t know what green onion is (we didn’t have that), so instead I used pickled red onions.
Hey Olive,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
Question: I like the idea of grilling the chicken from another comment.. Would you recommend mixing the curry paste with some oil and soy/fish sauce and using is as a marinade? I realize this is a significant deviation from the recipe but one less pan is always appealing 🙂 Thank you for such inspiration. I’m certain my kiddos will enjoy this whichever method we go with.
Hey Sarah,
Yes, I think that would be a great idea and work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
The flavors are really delicious! The first night I had the mango slaw and chicken on a bed of lettuce and the second meal I had them on the HBH coconut rice noodles (from the honey cashew chicken recipe). Both meals were great! Next time I might throw the chicken on the grill. I also used a different chili crisp recipe. Will definitely be making the mango salad and chicken again!
Hey Miya,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
The flavors are amazing, but the chicken was nowhere close to crispy, and I followed the recipe to a T. That was a bit disappointing.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. What kind of pan did you use for cooking? Were there a lot of extra juices? xT
This was delicious! The chicken was so flavorful and delicious and the salad with it was so nice with the mango and Serrano pepper. What’s amazing is that this tastes even better the next day! I will be adding this to my rotation of summer dishes as it really is that good.
Oh I also air-fried the chicken for a bit after cooking it to get it even crispier!
Great idea!
Hey Lindsey,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xxT
Delicious! I forgot to get an avocado and used a banana instead! It totally worked! Thank you!
Hey Gretchen,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xxT
My husband actually said it was the best meal I have ever made…..and I have made ALOT of meals that were pretty fabulous! Thanks, yummy flavors.
Hey Jane,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xxT
Love this recipe, also agree don’t necessarily need to add the butter on top. I used a little garlic oil, 2T. butter and chilli flakes. Also I added more lime and salt to salad.
Hey Debra,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xxT
Delicious! Loved these flavors together. Already dreaming about when I’ll make it again! I used equal parts fish sauce and tamari.
Thank you for your many fabulous recipes!
Hey Susanna,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT