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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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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. 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!
This post was originally published on May 9, 2022
This turned out sooooooo yum, especially with Thai jasmine rice. Skipped the lime, chilli, spring onions, and mint – still came out delicious!!
Hey Monique,
Yay! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
One of my favorite recipes. I make this all the time for friends and they love it
Hey Lindsey,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe so often, I’m so glad it always turns out well for you! Happy Tuesday! x
my whole family enjoyed this recipe
Thank you SO much Michelle! I”m so glad you loved this rice bowl, I appreciate you giving the recipe a try! 🙂 xT
This recipe was DI-LISH! I love recipes with great flavor. Will be making it again.
Hi Dayna! Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe! So glad you loved this chicken bowl! xT
Delicious and just enough heat. It may be helpful for you to specify or suggest the amount of jalapeño pepper to use in the dish as jalapeños can be huge or very small. This is a keeper, thank you!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a winner!
This is a flavorful dish and we loved the herb salad, but beware the Thai red curry paste is very spicy if you are a “mild” person. We had to wipe the chicken off with paper towels so that we could eat it! That is my only critique, otherwise it was fun to try.
Hi there,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! So glad it was enjoyed and so sorry about the spice! xT
I’ve made a couple of times and is delicious. I substituted jalapeno pepper with poblano this time (store was out of jalapeno) and was still great!
Thanks so much, Suzanne! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
Amazing. The whole family loved it! The chili crisp really brings it to the next level.
Hi Katie,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a winner!!
If you fry the chicken in a fryer, would you marinate it in the curry paste first? Can’t wait to try!!
Hi Rory,
So sorry, I would not recommend using a fryer for this recipe. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xxT
can salad portion be made ahead of time?
Hi there,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Just finished eating this fabulous dish. We didn’t use rice -trying to cut down on carbs- and didn’t make the butter sauce. Used Umami Papa instead. Just because we had it. Was really really good. Think it will become a weekly staple.
Hi Liisa,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great rest of the week:) Xxx
So good! I didn’t have mango or fresh basil so I used pineapple and dried basil and it was great. Will definitely make again using fresh basil. Really easy but super flavorful!
Hi Lisa,
Yay!! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great day! xx
Absolutely freaking delicious !! Holy moley, sooooooo good !!
Hi Laurel,
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate you making it! Have a great week! xxT
Sooo good….flavourful and just amazing. It is a bit spicy but we loved it 10 out of 10
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT