Sticky Honey Ginger Soy Chicken Bowls
A delicious Asian-style dressing adds amazing flavor to these easy sticky honey ginger soy chicken bowls with cabbage and rice.
This easy weeknight dinner is incredibly light and refreshing. Call it a salad. Call it a bowl. Call it whatever you want, because it is one delicious meal!

Asian-Style Dressing and Marinade
The foundation of this recipe is a flavorful concoction of pantry-friendly staples that doubles as marinade and dressing.
- low-sodium soy sauce (regular soy sauce will likely be too salty)
- honey
- olive oil
- sesame oil
- rice vinegar (or fresh lime juice)
- garlic
- ginger
Half of the marinade is reserved to use later as dressing. The other half is used to marinate the chicken.
What cut of chicken is best? This recipe works great with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, or chicken thighs.
Prepping Chicken Bowl Ingredients
Other than the time it takes to mix the marinade and let the chicken soak for a bit, this recipe is crazy easy to throw together.
- Grill the chicken, let it rest and then thinly slice.
- Chop the cabbage (I like it coarsely chopped for the crunch factor, but you can go for thin angel-hair strands).
- Cook or prep the rice (sticky rice, white rice, brown rice, garlic rice, coconut rice – lots of options here).
- Gather garnishes: chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, chopped green onions, lime wedges.
Sticky Rice Pro Tip: we love the Bibigo brand microwaveable sticky rice. It heats up in less than three minutes in the microwave. We find it at Costco, but it’s available on Amazon and in many other grocery stores.
Assembling Sticky Honey Ginger Soy Chicken Bowls
To serve these easy chicken bowls, scoop in rice and cabbage and then drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing.
Top with slices of chicken and any garnishes you like! Fresh avocados also often make an appearance when we eat (or rather, devour) this meal.
The combination of crunchy cabbage, sticky rice, tender chicken, and that punchy, flavorful dressing is just so incredibly delicious. YUM.
These sticky honey ginger soy chicken bowls have skyrocketed to the top of our list of favorite meals – especially right now when the simple ingredients and method are perfect for summer cooking.
You could skip the whole “bowl” concept and just focus on the chicken. Marinated and grilled, it would be marvelous in so many different applications.
Like perhaps served over coconut rice with fresh pineapple on the side or served with a simple side like roasted potatoes or skillet green beans.
But if you want my advice, I’d say…go for the bowls. They are soooooo good. I hope you love them like we do!
What to Serve With This:
- Fresh fruit
- French bread rolls
Sticky Honey Ginger Soy Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
Marinade and Dressing:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup honey or brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar or fresh lime juice (see note)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, ginger paste or ginger cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste or garlic cubes
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs
For the Bowls:
- 6 cups chopped green cabbage (see note)
- 2 cups hot, cooked white or brown rice (see note)
- Chopped cilantro
- Finely diced green onions or chives
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or in a blender, whisk or blend the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar (or lime juice), olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic until well-combined.
- Measure out 3/4 cup of the marinade and transfer to a covered container or jar. Refrigerate until serving.
- Place the chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and add the remaining marinade. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted at the thickest part (the exact time will depend on your grill and what cut of chicken you are using).
- Remove the chicken from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices for serving.
- To serve, scoop a serving of cabbage and rice into a bowl or on a plate. Whisk the reserved dressing to recombine and drizzle a few tablespoons over the cabbage and rice. Top with slices of chicken and garnish with chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, lime wedges, green onions, and additional dressing.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by a recipe from a local Asian cafe, Zen Bento, after a new friend, Kristen, who I met at a Special Olympics event told me about her knockoff recipe – I followed her loose instructions and played around with the perfect Asian-style dressing and marinade; thanks, Kristen!)
We have made this so many times this summer, it’s been a hit at the family reunion too. We love to add all kinds of extra veggies to it, peppers, edamame, grated carrots.
Happy to hear you love this one, Susan! I’m making a version of this for a family reunion next week, too!
This was just the light and healthy (but easy and delicious!) dinner we needed after returning from vacation. I put mine on quinoa and the kids all ate deconstructed versions- it was great! Major compliment when my teen asked to take leftovers for her lunch the next day!
This was fantastic!! Reminded me of my favorite bento bowl at Zen Bentos in Boise/Eagle! Yummmm. Loved the crunch of the cabbage and the amazing sauce 🙂
Hi Carolee! The friend who shared the general idea for these bowls based them off of that restaurant (I’ve never been…but sounds yummy!).
Wow. Like wow. I can’t stop thinking about how much I loved this meal. The chicken was great but I’m surprised at how much I loved the cabbage with the dressing!
I’m thrilled to read this, Megan – so, so happy you enjoyed this meal so much. I agree…that cabbage + dressing combo is a delicious surprise!
My family loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Chelsie!
This was so delicious! I was shocked that my kids ate the raw cabbage. We added grilled red peppers since we were grilling the chicken anyways…anyways we will repeat this. It would make a good extended family dinner because people could customize their bowls.
Grilled peppers are a fantastic addition – thanks, Alison!
Fabulous! Perfect marinade/dressing. Can’t believe I’ve never combined cabbage and rice!
I agree, Anne! Such a surprisingly delicious combo.
This was so delicious. I broiled the chicken tenders instead of grilling, which was easier for me on a warm day after church. My husband actually commented on the textures and how much he liked the fresh cabbage with the rice. I feel like the avocado is a necessity in this meal. I am always on the lookout for delicious meals that can be quickly put together for a large group if I prep the day before — and this will now be included. Thank you.
I’m glad you found workarounds to make this work for you, Julie! Thanks for the detailed review!
Tried this today and it was delicious. Savored every mouthful. Another winner!
Love hearing that – thanks, Melanie!
Can this be broiled or air fried instead of grilling?
Sure!
Delicious. Will definitely become part of the rotation. You’ve done it again, Mel! Thank you!!
I’m glad you enjoyed this one – thanks, Marissa!
ahhh
Absolutely fantastic! I used chicken tenders and made your coconut rice recipe with this. The flavors are sensational, next time I will double the marinade/sauce, it is so good added to the bowl. The whole meal tastes so incredibly light and summery. Thank you thank you, Mel!
Thank YOU, Andrea, for taking the time to let me know!!
Yum!! Another winner, Mel!! I used your coconut rice. We mixed the sauce with the cabbage…like your Korean beef bowls…and it was so good!
Yum!!!
We made this for dinner last night and it is amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and the flavor was so good. I cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise and marinated the chicken breast for the full 8 hours. It was like a delicious restaurant meal.
Thanks for the comment and review, Sandra!
This was a hit and definitely going into my rotation of meals. Thanks for a quick, easy, and delicious meal 🙂
Yay, Jan! I love that so many of us in this comment thread are totally here for the quick and easy weeknight dinners. Real life!!
Thanks for a delightful idea for summer dinner! I had tried another recipe I found online, but it was just so-so. Not yours!!! It was perfection and we thoroughly enjoyed it !
Thanks, Carolyn! Happy you loved this recipe!
I’m so excited to make this recipe tonight for my family. I would love to add some additional veggies to the bowl. What would you recommend?
Hi Jen, you could add steamed broccoli, cauliflower or fresh, shredded carrots!
Easy and dreamy INDEED. Saw this come through on email when I was out and about yesterday. I quick grabbed the fresh veggies. I stared the chicken marinating as soon as I got home. My goodness these bowls are summer texture party for the mouth. Fun, yummy new recipe to add to my summer rotation. Thanks,Mel.
Yay, Toni! You are a rockstar for getting this meal going on short notice!! So happy you loved it!
Looks delicious!! How much would the flavor change without the sesame? My husband is allergic…
Kendra, you could definitely leave out the sesame oil!
I needed a slow cooker recipe for a busy schedule, so I actually threw in the marinade ingredients and chicken into the slow cooker and served it over rice and cabbage I had. It was delicious, but I can’t wait to try it grilled because I’m sure it will be even better!
That’s awesome, Shannon! Thanks for sharing that the slow cooker worked out for a different schedule option!
Perfect timing! I made this for dinner tonight! It was so, so yummy. I used regular soy sauce and it was fine- but our family is used to regular soy sauce. I did thicken the extra sauce with some cornstarch and sauteed the cabbage simply for preference.
The only change I’d make next time is to only add the olive oil to the marinade and not the sauce.
Definitely will make again! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for the note on the regular soy sauce, Kat! Appreciate your review! Glad you loved it!
Oh my gosh Mel, you did it AGAIN! My family just finished devouring these bowls and I can’t tell how happy they made us! This recipe is summer in a bowl. Light, fresh, and fabulous! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow so I can eat the leftovers! I followed the recipe to a T! I did your coconut rice recipe with mine and avocados and I swear that put it over the top. Thank you again for making me look like a rockstar!
I love dinners that make me so excited for leftovers (usually in my world, that means hiding the leftovers so others don’t get to them first, haha). Coconut rice and avocados – YUMMMMM.
So delicious!! Whole family approved! Thanks for yet another great recipe. 🫶🏻
Love hearing this – thanks, Cathrine!
Question/ any substitutes for cabbage
Hi Beverly, you could use broccoli slaw (it’s in most grocery stores – thin strands of broccoli or carrots), grated carrots, or any sort of steamed veggie (broccoli, cauliflower, etc)
These summer grill recipes look so good, but I don’t have/have never attempted grilling—do you do this with an outdoor grill? Or like a countertop George Foreman style? I want to not be intimidated by this anymore but despite being a pretty competent home cook totally missed this skill somehow!! Haha.
That is such a fair question and comment, Lydia! I know you are not alone. Yes, I use an outdoor grill (I have a Traeger pellet grill but I don’t use it for smoking meats…just my basic grilling! I love it because you set the temperature kind of like an oven rather than having to work with charcoal or propane). Anyway, there are definitely alternatives to grilling! You could definitely use a countertop grill (ala George Foreman style) or a griddle fit for a gas stove (or something similar). You could also broil the chicken on a greased and foil-lined baking sheet (preheat your broiler to high, place a rack about 6 inches below the heating element, and broil the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side – watch closely – you may need to change the placement of the rack lower or higher). Another option would be to use an air fryer if you have one – I’m thinking maybe 370 degrees in a well-greased basket for 8 to 10 minutes?
Well now I feel silly—I have a Traeger smoker too but always just thought of it as my husband’s brisket machine, I didn’t realize a smoker and a grill were… not necessarily actually different machines, haha. I’ll have to give it a good deep clean and report back with recipe results!! XD
I’m in “clean out the fridge before vacation” mode and had chicken and cabbage to use up. Imagine my delight to see this new recipe! I’ve got the chicken marinating and can’t wait to try it tonight. Thanks, Mel!
Oh yay, Megan!! So happy this recipe fit the bill. I hope you love it!