Tropical Chicken Bowl
Tropical Chicken rice bowls are made with juicy soy sauce chicken, spicy mango and pineapple salsa, and coconut rice! Ready in 30 minutes using an air fryer, these rice bowls are simple to prep, flexible, and full of tropical flavours!
How long does this Tropical Chicken Bowl take to make?
You can have this ready to go in 30 minutes! First, marinade the chicken thighs. While the thighs are marinating, make the salsa.
While the chicken and salsa hang out and start to develop their flavours, start the rice cooking.
Once the rice has started cooking, start cooking the chicken in the air fryer.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for the Tropical Chicken Bowl
Chicken thighs – Chicken thighs are great for cooking in the air fryer, because they stay moist and tender even if you slightly overcook them. This flexibility is so handy when you’re trying to get different components of a dinner ready at the same time!
Coconut rice – the perfect tropical rice! It creates a creamy base for the salty, glazed chicken and the sweet and spicy salsa. Use your favourite rice!
Mango salsa – Sweet mango and pineapple will take you straight to the tropics! I added jalapeño and red onion for a spicy bite.
Accompaniments – my favourite is sliced fresh avocado, but you could also use any of the following: steamed broccoli or broccolini, edamame, snow peas, or an arugula salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Rice – I used medium grain white rice, but feel free to use whatever rice you like!
Coconut milk – I used lite coconut milk for this recipe, but you could use regular fat coconut milk. Make sure you’re using the coconut milk that comes in a can, and not the beverage.
Chicken – I do recommend chicken thighs, because they are so forgiving in the air fryer. Feel free to try bite-size pieces of chicken breast; just be mindful of the time in the air fryer so they don’t overcook. This recipe would be delicious with tofu or a firm white fish such as halibut for the protein.
Mango – use fresh mango if you can, but you can substitute frozen mango.
Pineapple – use fresh pineapple if you can, but you can substitute canned pineapple. Make sure to drain it very well if using.
Can the Tropical Chicken Bowl be Gluten-free?
If you substitute tamari for the soy sauce in the chicken marinade, this recipe will be GF.
How to make the Tropical Chicken Bowl
First, make the marinade. Only add a small portion of the marinade to the chicken, as you will be reducing the remainder down to a thick glaze.
Then, make the salsa. Chop all the fruit, peppers, and onions to a uniform dice, add the lime juice and cilantro and set aside.
Start the rice cooking. Then, start cooking the chicken in the air fryer.
Just before everything is done cooking, reduce the remaining marinade over medium high heat until thickened. If you thicken it too much, you can thin the sauce out with some lime juice, warm water, or try orange juice or pineapple juice.
After the chicken and rice are cooked, assemble the Tropical Chicken bowls by placing a serving of rice in a large bowl, and topping with sliced chicken, a scoop of salsa, and any accompaniments such as sliced avocado.
Tropical Chicken Bowl
Equipment
- air fryer
- Large pot with lid
- Small pot
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless or 4 large
Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
Salsa
- 1 mango peeled, seeded and diced
- ½ cup pineapple diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced
- Juice of one lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup lite coconut milk
- Juice of one lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Suggestions for Accompaniments (optional)
- Sliced avocado
- Steamed broccoli or broccolini
- Steamed edamame
- Sautéed snow peas
- Arugula lightly dressed with a simple vinaigrette
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients.
- In another bowl, add chicken thighs. Pour in ¼ cup of the marinade and set the rest aside. Mix the marinade into the chicken well and set aside.
- To make the salsa, Peel, seed and dice the mango and add to a bowl. Dice the pineapple, seed and dice the jalapeño, dice the red onion. Mix all the fruit together, and add the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Stir, cover, and set aside.
- In an air fryer set to 400°F, add chicken. Depending on your air fryer, you may want to line the bottom of the basket with parchment paper. Set the fryer for 20 minutes.
- To make the rice: rinse rice well and add to a pot with water and coconut milk. Cook per your rice’s package directions. When finished cooking, add lime juice and cilantro and fluff with a fork or large rice paddle.
- Add remaining marinade to a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir until thickened; about 5 minutes.
- Now, prepare any accompaniments for your bowl.
- Assemble the bowl: place a serving of rice in a bowl, slice and add chicken to bowl, add a scoop of salsa, and any accompaniments. Spoon sauce over chicken and enjoy!
Notes
More delicious chicken dishes: Thai Peanut Chicken Bowl, Tuscan Chicken, French Onion Chicken.
