Japanese Salmon Chicken Bowl (Printable)

A nourishing Japanese bowl with salmon, chicken, avocado, fresh veggies, and a neat ice cube reheating tip.

# What You’ll Use:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 skinless salmon fillets (10.5 oz total)
02 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8.8 oz total)

→ Marinade

03 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
04 - 1 tbsp mirin
05 - 1 tbsp sake or dry white wine
06 - 1 tsp sesame oil
07 - 1 tsp honey

→ Rice

08 - 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
09 - 2 1/2 cups water

→ Toppings & Vegetables

10 - 1 ripe avocado, sliced
11 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
12 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
13 - 2 scallions, finely sliced
14 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
15 - 1 sheet nori, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Sauce

16 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
17 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
18 - 1 tsp sesame oil
19 - 1/2 tsp sugar

→ For Reheating

20 - 4 ice cubes

# How-To:

01 - Rinse the rice under cold water until water runs clear. Cook with 2 1/2 cups water using a rice cooker or saucepan. Let steam, then fluff with a fork.
02 - Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Divide marinade into two shallow dishes. Marinate salmon in one, chicken in the other for at least 10 minutes.
03 - Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken thighs for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove, rest, then slice.
04 - In the same pan, cook salmon fillets for 2 to 3 minutes per side until just cooked through. Remove and flake gently.
05 - Slice avocado, cucumber, and carrot. Finely slice scallions.
06 - Whisk soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until sugar dissolves.
07 - Divide rice evenly among four bowls. Arrange chicken, salmon, avocado, cucumber, carrot, and scallions on top. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori strips.
08 - Place one ice cube in the center of the rice in pre-assembled bowls, cover with microwave-safe lid or wrap. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes to steam rice. Remove remaining ice before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The ice cube reheating trick feels like kitchen magic and saves you from sad, dried-out rice every single time.
  • You get two proteins in one bowl, so it feels indulgent without being heavy or complicated.
  • Everything comes together in under 40 minutes, yet it looks like you spent an hour arranging it.
  • The marinade does all the work for you while you prep the vegetables and cook the rice.
02 -
  • Do not skip rinsing the rice, the first time I skipped it I ended up with a sticky, gummy mess that clumped together.
  • Let the chicken rest after cooking or all the juices will run out onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
  • Use the ice cube trick only when reheating, putting ice on fresh rice will make it soggy and sad.
03 -
  • Always use a nonstick skillet for the salmon or it will stick and fall apart when you try to flip it.
  • The ice cube trick works for any leftover rice dish, not just this bowl, and it has saved me from wasting so much food.
  • Marinate the proteins while the rice cooks and you will have everything ready at the same time without any downtime.
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