Our amazing Balsamic Chicken Rice Bowl is a delicious option for dinner tonight! Made with balsamic grilled chicken, slightly grilled tomatoes, fluffy rice and a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. An easy meal to make for a healthy weeknight dinner!
The Best Balsamic Chicken Rice Bowl
Here at The Wooden Skillet we love a simple, but flavor-packed rice bowl for dinner. After perfecting our Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl and Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl, we knew we had to bring our favorite caprese flavors to a rice bowl recipe! Those late summer tomatoes, plus fresh mozzarella and basil just can’t be beat. Trust us, you have to make this fresh and flavorful balsamic chicken recipe that everyone is going to love!
Looking for More Rice Bowl Recipes?
If you love rice bowls as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Philly Cheesesteak Bowl or Summer Salmon Rice Bowl!
What You Will Need
- balsamic chicken marinade – option to use our easy homemade balsamic chicken marinade or grab a store-bought version from your grocery store.
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs – highly recommend this cut of meat, but any type of chicken would work.
- cooked rice – we used basmati rice, but feel free to swap with another white rice, brown rice, etc.
- cherry tomatoes – just grab some juicy tomatoes from the garden!
- olive oil – add little bit to the fresh tomatoes to help give them a nice char on the grill.
- kosher salt – a simple seasoning that is always a must!
- fresh mozzarella balls – everything is always better with some cheese and fresh mozzarella might just be the best.
- basil leaves – a fresh herb that always goes well with those balsamic flavors.
- balsamic glaze – we have an amazing sweet balsamic glaze on the blog but you can also purchase a store-bought balsamic glaze.
How To Make A Balsamic Chicken Rice Bowl
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to mix the chicken marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the raw chicken in a large bowl, shallow baking dish, or ziplock marinade and toss in the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge or up to 3 hours.
After the chicken is done marinating, allow the access liquid to run off, and place them on the clean, hot grill grates. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). Let meat rest for 5 minutes on a plate or cutting board.
While the chicken rests, place the grape tomatoes in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and then place in a small grill pan on the hot grill. Let them char a bit and then add the cold mozzarella balls to warm slightly.
Now build the rice bowls. Divide the rice, chicken, tomatoes, & cheese between four bowls. Add some fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Feel free to sub in cauliflower rice for regular rice if you prefer!
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Balsamic Chicken Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
A delicious summer dinner idea this Balsamic Chicken Rice Bowl is packed with flavor and is so easy to make!
Ingredients
Balsamic Chicken:
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1–2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (sub Tamari for gluten-free)
- pinch of kosher salt + ground black pepper
- 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs*
Other Bowl Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked rice of your choice
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 8oz mozzarella pearls
- fresh basil leaves
- balsamic glaze
Tools:
- you will need a small grill pan
Instructions
- Marinate: In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, rice vinegar, lemon zest, garlic, soy sauce and pinch of salt and pepper. Place chicken in a glass container or resealable silicone bag. Pour marinade over the chicken and ensure it is fully coated. Place in refrigerator and let marinate a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
- Prep Grill: Bring grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F) and ensure grill grates are clean.
- Grill Chicken: Grill chicken on direct heat (directly over flame) for 3-4 minutes per side (the bigger/thicker the thigh the longer you will need to cook it), flipping once. Remove from grill once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F (use an instant-read meat thermometer). Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Tomatoes: Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat. While the chicken rests place the tomatoes on the grill pan over direct heat. Move around as they start to char, approx. 5 minutes or so.
- Mozzarella: Once the tomatoes are slightly charred add the mozzarella and close the grill for 1-2 minutes – just until the cheese is bit warmed (you obviously don’t want the cheese to get to the point of melting – we are just looking to warm them up a bit here so keep a close eye on them). Transfer tomatoes and mozzarella pearls to a plate.
- Build Bowls: Divide rice, chicken thighs, tomatoes and mozzarella between 4 bowls. Garnish with fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Notes
- Chicken Breast: feel free to sub in boneless chicken breasts here – just adjust the cook time accordingly.
- Mozzarella Pearls: I would use these right out of the refrigerator so you don’t run into any issues with melting – I was a little nervous testing this recipe (I thought they would melt right away – they were just fine).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 393.3 mg
- Fat: 8.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.4 g
- Protein: 40.8 g
- Cholesterol: 145.2 mg
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