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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!
Hi Teighan
Love all your recipes and will make this one too…..please suggest a subsitute for the cilantro included in this recipe.
Thank you and Delicious Wishes from Canada!!
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
Another herb that you enjoy would be great, parsley or basil would be great options! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I put that mango salad on everything, I eat it straight. I panic when some is not made!!!!
Hi Kimberly,
Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan
Wow.. made this for dinner tonight and the fam bam loved it !! They requested to make this again.. the flavors are out of this world! I didn’t have cilantro on hand but threw in the mint. The garlic sauce was also really flavorful. Thank you for this!
Hi Shal,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) xxT
TIEGHAN OMG STOP IT!! This was delicious! I skipped the rice and was too lazy to make cauli-rice, so I just threw the chicken over the mango salad and topped with the butter. (Extra garlic and red pepper, of course!) I love how easy and fresh this was and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Hi Autumn,
Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan
Was full of amazing flavors—do you think oatmeal rice or quinoa would be okay? All in all was fabulous! Thanks
Hey Barbara,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) Sure, use whatever base you like! xxT
Tieghan, you outdid yourself on this one! It was a hit! Loved the chicken…the mango/cucumber salad was amazing…the garlic butter was the perfect extra flavor. This is a great summer meal. Definitely in my meal rotation! Thank you!
Hi JoAnn,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Oh my goodness, so yummy. We’ll definitely be making this more often!!
Hi Rachel,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Do you think thighs or breast would be better for this recipe? THANK YOU!
Hey Jaime,
For this recipe I have tried both and they both work really well so it’s totally up to you! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Made this for dinner. Perfect combination of flavors! We loved it!
Hey Krista,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try!! xTieghan
We devoured this! I skipped some of the spicier elements to make it a little more toddler-friendly and it was just as heavenly. I will definitely be making this again (and again and again).
Hey Maddy,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! xTieghan
One of the best meals I’ve made! I’m going to have so many leftovers for myself but not mad about it. Love the sweet and spicy combo and chicken was so soft and cooked perfectly, not chewy at all.
Hey Christina,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! xTieghan
Such a delicious dish & my husband loved it!! A real keeper!!
Hey Shirly,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed, we appreciate the feedback! xTieghan
This is soooo good! Used my cast iron skillet and coconut oil to crisp the chicken. Thank you for creating such awesome recipes! You’re a genius.
Hey Megan,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
Delicious! My husband said if he had ordered this at a restaurant, he would definitely go back to that restaurant. It’s a lot of different flavors, and they all meld together beautifully. The only change I made was to add coconut milk to the rice.
Hey Shannon,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
Flavor wise pretty good. Technique, meh. I followed it exactly and think I destroyed a very $$$ Staub skillet in the process. The chicken was WAY off and most of it is now shredded and stuck to the pan. Would try it again but would research other techniques to get the chicken thigh crispy and spicy.
Hey Mark,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues with your cooking. Trust me, it’s pretty impossible to destroy a Staub pan. Sounds like you just needed some more oil:) xTieghan
One of my favorites recipes I’ve made of yours! Has all the flavor aspects, delish!
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan