Filled with roasted sweet potatoes, tender chicken, brown rice, and veggies, these hot honey chicken bowls are a healthy and well-balanced meal idea that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner.
Hot honey is (has been) having a moment. While it’s tasty, of course, it’s also incredibly versatile as the sweet-heat balance works on everything from pizza to toast to cheese, and even works on sweet treats like ice cream. I love it on grilled meats and roasted veggies, which is why I wanted to share these hot honey chicken bowls.
While these bowls do take a little effort to prepare, as there are many different components, it’s well worth the effort for the end results. These sweet and spicy bowls are nutritious and delicious, and work equally for a weeknight dinner or a lunch meal prep idea.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Full of Flavor – The combination of sweet, salty, and spicy ensures every bite is full of flavor.
- High in Protein – Each serving contains 28 grams of protein, making it a well-balanced and filling meal.
- Full of Fiber – The combination of brown rice, sweet potatoes, and veggies ensures each serving contains 5 grams of fiber.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chicken – To add some protein. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Honey – To make the hot honey sauce. Liquid, runny honey is recommended, or you can also use store-bought hot honey, such as Mike’s Hot Honey. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Hot Sauce – To spice up the hot honey sauce. The recipe calls for sriracha, but you can use any hot sauce you like. If you don’t have hot sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes will also work.
- Sweet Potatoes – To add some complex carbohydrates, fiber, and micronutrients.
- Brown Rice – To add some complex carbohydrates and fiber. The recipe calls for brown rice, but white rice will also work well. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Red Cabbage – To add some veggies and make the coleslaw, green cabbage will also work.
- Carrots – To add some more veggies and color to the coleslaw.
- Pickles – Although optional, they add some acidity and work as a palate cleanser.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – To make the coleslaw dressing.
- Mayonnaise – To make the coleslaw dressing and flavor the hot honey mustard, although optional. Plain Greek yogurt would also work. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Dijon Mustard – To flavor the hot honey mustard, although optional.
- Garlic – To flavor the chicken. The recipe calls for garlic powder, but you can use garlic cloves if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card.
- Olive Oil – To add some healthy fats, marinate the chicken, and roast the sweet potatoes.
- Salt and Pepper – To season.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make them Gluten-Free: No adaptations are needed; this recipe is gluten-free.
To Make them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed; this recipe is dairy-free.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
Whether you opt to use chicken thighs or chicken breast, and brown rice or white rice in these hot honey chicken bowls, they will still be an incredibly healthy choice rich in micronutrients.
Serving Suggestions
These hot honey chicken bowls are a balanced meal with protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats. That said, you can easily adapt them to your macro or calorie needs, for example:
- To make them higher in protein, add an extra 1/2 pound of chicken to the recipe.
- To make them lower in carbs, swap the brown rice for cauliflower rice.
- To make them lower in fat, swap the mayonnaise for plain, low-fat Greek yogurt.
Storage + Reheating
To Refrigerate: Once cooled, the hot honey chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and rice can be stored assembled or in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The coleslaw can be stored in a separate airtight container for up to 3 days, and the dressing can be stored in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To Freeze: Once cooled, the hot honey chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and rice can be stored assembled or in separate airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. The coleslaw and dressing cannot be frozen.
To Reheat: Once thawed, the hot honey chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and rice can be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until warm. The coleslaw and dressing can be added to the bowls once reheated.
More Chicken Bowl Recipes:
- Pesto Quinoa Chicken Bowls
- Blackened Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls
- Baja Bowls with Chicken
- Greek Potato Chicken Tzatziki Bowls
- Peanut Chicken Bowls
- Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowls
- Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
With over 28 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, these sweet, sticky, and spicy hot honey chicken bowls are a delicious and healthy weeknight dinner idea.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes -
Cook Time: 25 minutes
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Total Time: 40 minutes
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Yield: 4 bowls 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Baked
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
Hot Honey Chicken:
- 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coleslaw:
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Bowls:
- 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
- 1 cup sweet pickles, sliced (optional)
Hot Honey Mustard Sauce (optional):
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 pinch smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a pot, combine the brown rice with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook covered for 40 minutes, or as per package directions, until it can be fluffed with a fork.
- In a medium bowl, add the chicken marinade ingredients: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, sriracha, and garlic powder, and whisk until well combined. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and, using tongs or your hand, toss until the chicken is well coated in the marinade. Set aside.
- Place the diced sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt. Using a large spoon or your hand, toss the sweet potato cubes until well coated in oil, and then spread them out evenly on the baking sheet.
- Transfer the marinated chicken thighs to the baking sheet, nestling them in between the sweet potatoes, then transfer the baking sheet to the oven for 25 minutes, or until the chicken thighs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. (Note: If you want to add some extra color to the chicken thighs, once cooked, sear them in a pan on high heat for 1 minute until dark golden brown.)
- While the chicken and sweet potatoes are roasting, make the coleslaw and hot honey mustard sauce (optional).
- To make the coleslaw, in a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar and whisk to combine. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots and toss until well coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- To make the hot honey mustard sauce, in a small bowl or jar, add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, sriracha, and smoked paprika, and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are cooked, remove the sheet pan from the oven, transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board, and slice them into thin strips.
- When the brown rice, chicken, and sweet potatoes are cooked, assemble the bowls with a layer of brown rice, sliced chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, coleslaw, pickles, and a side of hot honey mustard sauce (optional).
- Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
To Use Chicken Breasts: Swap the chicken thighs for 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
To Use Hot Honey: In the chicken marinade, swap the honey and sriracha for 3 tablespoons of hot honey. In the hot honey mustard sauce, swap the honey and sriracha for 2 tablespoons of hot honey.
To Use Garlic Cloves: Swap the garlic powder for 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated.
To Use White Rice: Swap the brown rice for 1 cup of white rice and reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes.
To Use Greek Yogurt: Swap the mayonnaise for equal parts plain Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (no sauce)
- Calories: 583 calories
- Sugar: 13 grams
- Fat: 13 grams
- Carbohydrates: 62 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 28 grams
Thank you for your lovely delicious recipes
My pleasure, Myra! I’m so happy you like them.
Really delicious and so easy. We didn’t have sweet potato so used white potatoes. The fam jam enjoyed. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Erin!
This is a great weekly prep dish. To be honest, took me forever to make the first time but so worth it. Not a boring lunch -I actually look forward to it. Served this flavorful dish to friends too . Loved it. Now that I have the recipe down making and assembling has become much easier. Will make extra to freeze for later. Keep this.
Happy you like them, Kristin, thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious!
I’ll definitely put this one in my rotation
Thanks, Mary!
Love this recipe. Went down a treat with the family. So easy to make and very tasty.