Experience paradise on a plate with these vibrant Hawaiian Bowls that blend tropical flavors and wholesome ingredients. Ready in just an hour, these nutritious bowls pack a perfect balance of protein, fiber, and essential vitamins while keeping the calorie count to a modest 220 per serving.
Whether you’re seeking a light lunch or a refreshing dinner option, these colorful bowls deliver island-inspired goodness with every bite. The best part? They’re incredibly simple to prepare, requiring only 20 minutes of prep time.
Ingredient Section
- Chicken: 6 tenders or 3 breasts, perfect for grilling
- Fresh Produce: 2 zucchini (sliced), 2 bell peppers (chopped), 1/2 pineapple (spears), 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- Base: 1 batch Coconut Rice
- Teriyaki Sauce:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water (slurry)
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions Section
- Prep Rice: Start by preparing your coconut rice base
- Sauce Making: Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stir until thickened enough to coat spoon
- Marinate: Pour ¼ cup teriyaki sauce over chicken, let sit for minimum 15 minutes
- Grill Prep: Heat your grill or grill pan, prepare vegetables with a light olive oil coating
- Grilling Sequence:
- Vegetables: Grill until tender with light char marks
- Pineapple: About 2 minutes per side until caramelized
- Chicken: Grill until thoroughly cooked
- Assembly: Layer bowls with coconut rice, top with grilled vegetables, pineapple, and sliced chicken. Finish with a drizzle of remaining teriyaki sauce
Cooking Techniques
Grilling is the star of this Hawaiian bowl! If you’re new to grilling, here’s a tip: when the chicken releases easily from the grate, it’s ready to flip.
For indoor cooking, a grill pan works beautifully – just heat it until it’s nice and hot before adding your ingredients. The key to perfect grilled veggies is not overcrowding them, so give each piece enough space to get those lovely grill marks.
Easy Variations
Make this bowl your own! Try mushrooms or asparagus instead of zucchini, or swap chicken for shrimp (they’ll cook even faster). No grill? Use a regular skillet – you’ll still get amazing results.
For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with firm tofu or tempeh. The teriyaki sauce tastes great on everything!
Serving Ideas
These Hawaiian bowls are made for mix-and-match fun! Set up a “bowl bar” where everyone can build their own creation. Add some fun toppings like:
- Chopped macadamia nuts for crunch
- Fresh cilantro or green onions
- A sprinkle of sesame seeds
- Extra teriyaki sauce on the side
Serve while everything’s still warm – the contrast between the hot grilled items and the cool fresh toppings is amazing!
Storage Tips
This recipe makes great leftovers! Store the grilled items, rice, and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When reheating, add a splash of water to the rice to keep it from drying out. The teriyaki sauce might thicken in the fridge – just warm it up and add a tiny bit of water to thin it out if needed.
Hawaiian Bowls
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
- vegetable grill basket
- small saucepan
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 6 chicken tenders (or 3 chicken breasts)
- 2 zucchini sliced
- 2 bell peppers any color, chopped
- 1/2 pineapple peeled and cut into spears
- 1 red onion sliced thin
- 1 batch Coconut Rice
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch plus 2 tsp water, mixed together
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Make the coconut rice.
- Make the teriyaki sauce by adding all of the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for about 1 minute. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Pour ¼ cup of the teriyaki sauce over the raw chicken and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes (or longer if using chicken breasts).
- Preheat a grill or grill pan. If you have a vegetable grill basket to grill the vegetables in, then chop them and grill them in the basket. If not, cut the vegetables into large pieces that will not fall through the grill grates.
- Drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and over the pineapple spears. Grill the vegetables for just a few minutes on each side and then remove to a plate.
- Grill the pineapple next by placing the pineapple spears directly on the grill. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side, and remove to a plate.
- Lastly, place the chicken on the grill. Cook for about a few minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate to rest before slicing.
- To Assemble: Add coconut rice to each serving bowl. Top with grilled veggies, pineapple and chicken. Drizzle teriyaki sauce on top.
