Home / Recipes / Flavorful Comfort Food Bowl Recipes

Japanese Crispy Chicken Rice Bowl

ByNicole Langdon Hours Updated on
Comments 1 Comment
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Add us as a trusted Google source

This post may contain affiliate links. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!

This Japanese inspired crispy chicken rice bowl is a savory and satisfying weeknight dinner that comes together in just 45 minutes. It’s cozy, crispy, packed with flavors, and one of our favorite better-than-takeout comfort food recipes to make when we want to save some money and eat a little healthier.

A black bowl of freshly made Japanese crispy chicken and rice with sesame soy glaze, sriracha aioli, pickled ginger, scallions, and a lemon wedge.

Have you ever fallen in love with a particular dish at a particular restaurant, and one day realized you might never get to eat it again? That’s what happened to us when we moved across the country, far away from all our favorite California eateries. So now we’re on a mission to recreate our favorite meals, starting with this Japanese crispy chicken rice bowl recipe.

This crispy chicken and rice bowl was inspired by the chicken karaage bowl from one of our favorite Japanese restaurants, Silverlake Ramen. Our crispy chicken isn’t technically “karaage” (learn more about what karaage is here) since it’s coated in flour, not potato starch. But it most definitely is fried, crispy, and seasoned with savory Asian-inspired flavors.

And now we get to enjoy one of our favorite takeout dishes at home whenever we want. This is why we love making all our own recipes and knowing how to cook well.

What To Expect

  • Great for: A flavorful, comfort food dinner that replaces the need for takeout.
  • Ready in: 45 minutes
  • Serves: 2 to 4 people
  • Flavor profile: Super savory with a little sweetness from the glaze and a little heat from the sriracha aioli.
  • How to make it: Combine the glaze ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer to reduce. Dredge chunks of chicken and fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve the fried chicken over a bed of steamed rice with a drizzle of sesame soy glaze and sriracha aioli. Add other optional, but recommended, toppings as well: pickled ginger, scallions, and a lemon wedge.

We hope you love this recipe!

If you give it a try, please let us know what you think by leaving a rating and review. We read and reply to every single comment!

Why We Love This Recipe

This recipe brings me back to warm sunny days in California, eating these savory crispy chicken rice bowls with Nicole at picnic tables near our apartment. Those were always the best days, good food, good weather, and the best company.

– Alex

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for making japanese crispy chicken rice bowls: flour, soy sauce, light brown sugar, lemon juice, hoisin sauce, egg, chicken breast, minced ginger, sesame oil, powdered ginger, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, sriracha aioli, scallions, lemon wedges, pickled ginger, and white rice.
  • Fried chicken – We dredge chunks of chicken breast in egg and a flour and seasoning mixture for easy crispy, fried chicken. We love using this shallow-frying method regularly in our recipes, and believe it makes for the best homemade crispy chicken.
  • Sesame soy glaze – This simple sweet and savory glaze is super easy to make by reducing soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, lemon juice, and minced ginger on the stove for about 15 minutes. 
  • Sriracha aioli – We love making flavored mayos and aiolis at home, and sriracha aioli is one of our favorites. Simply combine mayo, sriracha, and lemon juice for an easy, tasty sauce that can be used in so many ways. Check out our sriracha aioli recipe for more information. 
  • Other fixings – This is where things get even more fun. While the bowls without extra toppings are already packed with flavors, we love to add a little pickled ginger, fresh cut scallions, and a squeeze of lemon juice to really make these bowls pop. In our opinion, the fresh squeeze of lemon juice isn’t optional.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Crispy Chicken Rice Bowls

Step 1 of crispy chicken rice bowls. A ceramic saucepan with a sesame soy glaze simmering in it on the stove.

Step 1: Combine the sesame soy glaze ingredients in a saucepan and simmer.

Step 2 of crispy chicken rice bowls. Freshly made sesame soy glaze dripping from a spoon after being reduced on the stove.

Step 2: Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. It should appear sticky and slowly flow off a spoon.

Step 3 of crispy chicken rice bowls. A collage showing how to dredge chicken breast in egg and a seasoned flour mixture.

Step 3: Set up a dredging station of a beaten egg in one bowl and flour and seasonings mixed in another bowl. Dredge the chunks of chicken in egg and then coat them in flour. Be sure to let excess egg drain off the chicken before transferring it to the flour bowl.

Step 4 of crispy chicken rice bowls. A deep walled cast iron pan with crispy coated chicken frying in oil on the stove.

Step 4: Preheat a quarter- to a half-inch of oil in a deep walled, thick bottomed pan over medium high heat. Fry the chicken until the coating is golden brown and crispy, and the interior temperature reaches at least 155 degrees F. Note: it is likely that the coating will take longer to crisp than the chicken will need to cook, that’s okay. It’s important to get a crispy, golden brown coating.

Step 5 of crispy chicken rice bowls. Bite size pieces of crispy fried chicken draining on a wire rack positioned above paper towels.

Step 5: Let the cooked chicken drain on a wire rack over paper towels.

Step 6 of crispy chicken rice bowls. A collage showing how to assemble a crispy chicken rice bowl: rice, chicken, sesame soy glaze, sriracha aioli, scallions, pickled ginger, and lemon wedge.

Step 6: Assemble the bowls. We recommend a serving of rice, then chicken, and then a drizzle of both the sesame soy glaze and the sriracha aioli. Finish it with toppings like pickled ginger, scallions, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Expert Tips

  • Don’t skip or substitute the sesame soy glaze – As far as we know, there isn’t a good store-bought option for this, but it truly is easy to make. Our homemade sauce is what makes this recipe one of our favorites.
  • Serve with a lemon wedge – Squeezing fresh lemon juice over these bowls right before eating is the secret to making all the flavors really pop. Citrus is a natural flavor enhancer and makes all the difference in this recipe. Try it once and you’ll understand why! Also check out how using salt and acid can transform any dish into something spectacular. 
  • Leftovers – Store leftover components of this dish in separate containers in the fridge to keep them fresh the longest – separate out the rice, the chicken, the two sauces, the scallions, pickled ginger, and any leftover lemon wedges. Then, you can simply reheat the rice in the microwave (about 45 seconds per serving), use the air fryer or microwave to reheat the crispy chicken, and assemble with the remaining ingredients.
  • Leftover sesame soy glaze – The glaze will get extra thick in the fridge, so when you’re ready to use leftovers either let it come to room temp, or simply microwave it for a couple seconds and give it a good stir.
  • Serve with gyoza – While our recipe is technically for homemade pork dumplings, they are very similar to gyoza and make the perfect side dish for these rice bowls.
A freshly prepared Japanese crispy chicken rice bowl with soy glaze, sriracha aioli, scallions, pickled ginger, and a lemon wedge.

Other Chicken Rice Bowl Recipes

Love rice bowls? You may enjoy these recipes, too:

Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

FREE EMAIL GUIDE

Classic Comfort Foods Made Easy

Learn the 4 tips & tricks we use in our kitchen every day to make delicious meals, stress-free.

Follow us on social:

A freshly prepared Japanese crispy chicken rice bowl with soy glaze, sriracha aioli, scallions, pickled ginger, and a lemon wedge.

Japanese Crispy Chicken Rice Bowls

Nicole & Alex Langdon
This Japanese inspired crispy chicken rice bowl is a savory and satisfying weeknight dinner that comes together in just 45 minutes. It’s cozy, crispy, packed with flavors, and one of our favorite better-than-takeout comfort food recipes to make when we want to save some money and eat a little healthier.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Save this recipe!

Enter your email and we’ll send it right to you.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Fusion, Japanese
Servings 4 bowls
Calories 679 kcal

Equipment

  • Deep frying pan

Ingredients
 
 

Sesame Soy Glaze

  • ½ cup light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger

Crispy Fried Chicken

  • 1 pound chicken breast sliced into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1½ teaspoons ground red cayenne pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Rice Bowl Fixings

  • 2⅔ cups white rice steamed
  • 2 tablespoons pickled ginger optional
  • 4 medium scallions sliced, green parts only
  • ¾ cup sriracha aioli
  • 1 medium lemon sliced into wedges

Instructions
 

Sesame Soy Glaze

  • First, prepare the glaze. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and powdered ginger to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Transfer the glaze to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crispy Fried Chicken

  • Next, prepare the fried chicken. Beat an egg in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, ground red cayenne pepper, powdered ginger, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Coat the chicken in the beaten egg first, then transfer it to the seasoned flour, letting any excess egg drip off before transferring. Toss the chicken in the seasoned flour until it’s well-coated. Use your hands to help separate the pieces of chicken as you coat them, to ensure each piece is fully coated in flour.
  • Preheat about a quarter- to a half-inch of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the chicken and fry until it's crispy and golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes, turning it over gently with a slotted spoon once or twice during cooking.
    Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease.

Assembly

  • Finally, assemble the bowls. Fill each bowl with equal amounts of steamed white rice, followed by crispy fried chicken. Then, drizzle each bowl with about 1 tablespoon of the sesame soy glaze, followed by 1 tablespoon of the sriracha aioli. Add pickled ginger (optional), top with sliced scallions, and serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing over the bowls before eating. Serve immediately.
Click To Leave A ReviewIf you loved this recipe, leaving a review helps us continue making new recipes for you and others. Thank you for supporting real humans.

Notes

Pickled ginger: This can be a polarizing ingredient, so feel free to skip it if you’re a bit wary of trying it or you know you don’t love it. These rice bowls are just as delicious with or without it.
Frying the crispy chicken: We recommend using a metal slotted spoon as your cooking utensil when frying the chicken. You can use it to gently turn over each piece of chicken during cooking, which will help to ensure an even golden-brown color without damaging the coating. Then, when the chicken is done cooking, you can simply transfer it out of the pan a few pieces at a time with the slotted spoon, letting excess oil drain out of the slots after scooping the chicken up.
Prep ahead tips: To simplify dinner prep, you can make the sesame soy glaze and sriracha aioli ahead of time and store in the fridge in an airtight container. Just make sure to let the glaze warm up to room temperature on the counter before serving – or microwave it for about 15 to 30 seconds to help it become pourable again.
Storing & reheating leftovers: Store leftover components of this dish in separate airtight containers in the fridge to keep them fresh the longest – separate out the rice, the chicken, the two sauces, the scallions, pickled ginger, and any leftover lemon wedges. The chicken will keep for up to 5 days, while the rice will stay good for a week.
Then, simply reheat the rice and chicken and assemble the bowls with the remaining ingredients. You can microwave the rice (about 45 seconds per serving) and reheat the chicken in the microwave or an air fryer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 103gProtein: 37gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 2587mgPotassium: 878mgFiber: 4gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 615IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 4mg
Like this recipe?Please leave a review below! We read and respond to every single comment.

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

FREE EMAIL GUIDE

Classic Comfort Foods Made Easy

Learn the 4 tips & tricks we use in our kitchen every day to make delicious meals, stress-free.

Follow us on social:

90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




 

One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is inspired by one of Nicole and my favorite takeout dishes. The crispy chicken, savory sauce, and warm rice play so well with the bright pickled ginger and a little lemon juice. This dish is the perfect comfort food lunch that leaves your body and soul feeling good.

    Reply