Sweetgreen Crispy Rice Bowl Copycat Recipe
Our copycat Sweetgreen crispy rice bowl recipe has all the zesty flavor and crunchy texture you know and love, made with a few easy shortcuts so anyone can recreate this dish at home.
Equipment
- Cast iron grill pan optional
- Cast iron skillet or large frying pan
Ingredients
Marinated Grilled Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wild Rice & Crispy Rice
- 1 cup wild rice dry
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1⅓ cup steamed brown rice day-old
Spicy Cashew Dressing
- 7 tablespoons cashew butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
Crispy Rice Bowl Toppings
- 2 cups baby arugula packed
- ¼ head red cabbage sliced
- 1 medium cucumber sliced into quarter inch-thick triangles
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup roasted salted almonds halved
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 medium lime juiced
Instructions
Marinated Grilled Chicken
- First, add the chicken to a bowl with vegetable oil, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, and salt. Stir to combine and marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the chicken and grill until cooked through, flipping every 3 minutes or so, about 9 to 12 minutes total.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, slice into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Wild Rice & Crispy Rice
- While the chicken is marinating, begin preparing the two kinds of rice for these bowls. First, steam wild rice according to package directions.
- Next, heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Once it's hot, add the brown rice and press it into the pan with the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Let the brown rice cook, undisturbed, until it's slightly crisped and golden on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir it around, then press the rice into the pan to crisp again, for another 2 to 3 minutes. Continue this process until the rice is golden-brown or crisped to your liking, about 7 to 9 minutes total. Then, remove from heat and set aside.
Spicy Cashew Dressing
- Next, prepare the spicy cashew dressing. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk thoroughly until combined. Taste and adjust for salt.
Assembling Crispy Rice Bowls
- Finally, assemble the crispy rice bowls. Add the following amounts of each ingredient to each bowl: 1/2 cup wild rice, 1/3 cup crispy rice, 1/2 cup arugula. Then, evenly distribute the cabbage, cucumber, carrots, almonds, cilantro, and chicken over each bowl. Next, squeeze a drizzle of fresh lime juice over each bowl (use about half a lime per 2 bowls).
- Finally, top the bowls with a helping of spicy cashew dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes
Crispy rice: Day-old rice crisps much better than freshly steamed rice. We recommend steaming a batch of brown rice a day or two in advance, then refrigerating until needed for this recipe.
Spicy cashew dressing: The amounts listed for one batch (4 bowls) makes about 1 cup of dressing. If you like to go heavy on the dressing like they do at Sweetgreen, you may want to make a double batch. Alternatively, you can use store-bought spicy cashew dressing - we've heard Trader Joe's version is pretty similar to Sweetgreen's.
Meal prep: These crispy rice bowls are perfect for easy meal prep, since you can make the chicken and two kinds of rice in a big batch at the beginning of the week. You can also chop all your veggies ahead of time, and store them in the fridge until it's time to eat or pack lunch. Then you can easily throw everything together day-of!
Storing leftovers: Store leftover crispy rice bowl components individually in air-tight containers in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, make sure to let the spicy cashew dressing sit out at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before using (it will harden in the fridge).
Nutrition
Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 523mg | Potassium: 1082mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5628IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 4mg