Spring Roll Noodle Bowl With Crispy Chicken Thighs

The colors in this bowl bring me so much joy. You have to feel great about eating something so packed full of bright veggies and invigorating herbs. This is a great healthy meal you can throw together if you have left over veggies hanging around in your fridge.

I love this trick for getting crispy chicken thighs, it will add a hearty and savory feel to your bowl. You can of course substitute the chicken thighs out for the protein of your choice.

Feel free to change up this bowl to suite your preferences. I like the flavors that I’ve put together here, but it would also taste great with some cucumber or avocado. You could substitute the sesame seeds for chopped peanuts, or even change out the mango with some green apples. Get creative and use what you have on hand.

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:

Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce:

1/3 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chili oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2-4 Tbsp water to thin

Sriracha Aioli:

1/4 cup mayo
1 Tbsp sriracha
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp maple syrup

Bowl Assembly:

4 chicken thighs, skin on
1 package of rice noodles
1/4 of a head of red cabbage (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot
1 mango
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red onion
3-4 green onions
Handful of mint leaves
Handful of cilantro
Sesame seeds

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredients for the sweet and spicy peanut sauce sauce together, if the sauce is too thick add more water until it reaches your desired consistency. Set the sauce aside. In another bowl combine all of the ingredients for the Sriracha aioli. Mix well until combined and set aside.

Thinly slice the red cabbage, bell peppers, red onion, mango, and green onions. Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons from the carrots. Tear the mint and cilantro leaves from their stems.

Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. If you’d like you can toss with a little drizzle of sesame oil, lime juice, and salt to lightly season and to keep from sticking.

Set your oven to broil. On a baking sheet place the chicken thighs skin side up, pat dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and broil for about 10 minutes until the skin is really crispy. Cut into slices.

Assemble the bowl by placing a serving of noodles in the bottom. Top with some of the cabbage, carrots, peppers, onions, and mango. Add a few slices of chicken and sprinkle with cilantro, mint, green onions, and sesame seeds. Pour over some of the peanut sauce and drizzle with a little of the aioli. Mix until all the contents are well coated with the sauce and serve with an extra lime wedge.