Sous Vide Chicken Teriyaki Meal Prep Bowls
Ultra-tender chicken thighs marinated in homemade teriyaki, sous vide at 149°F then seared for color. Topped with furikake and quick-pickled cucumbers. ~620 cal, ~35g protein per serving.
My Take
It took about 1 hour of prep work prior to cooking the chicken in the sous vide and about another hour afterwards to get everything plated. It was delicious! The recipe originally specifically call out making a slurry with the cornstarch, so if you don't know to do that, you're gonna have a bad time. But apparently claude read this after I wrote it and updated the recipe like a coward. The homemade teriyaki sauce is definitely the highlight.
AI-Generated Recipe
Prep
1 hour
Cook
4 hours
Total
5 hours
Servings
10
Difficulty
Medium
Course
Dinner
Ingredients
- 1800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 80 ml soy sauce
- 60 ml mirin
- 45 ml rice vinegar (for marinade)
- 45 ml honey
- 15 ml sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ml fresh ginger, grated
- 15 ml cornstarch
- 30 ml water (for cornstarch slurry)
- 720 ml jasmine rice, uncooked
- 450 g broccoli florets
- 3 medium carrots, sliced thin
- 30 ml furikake seasoning
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 30 ml neutral oil (avocado or vegetable)
- 4 Persian cucumbers, sliced thin
- 120 ml rice vinegar (for pickles)
- 15 ml granulated sugar
- 2½ ml salt (for pickles)
- 1¼ ml red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar (for marinade), honey, sesame oil, minced garlic, and grated ginger in a bowl to make the teriyaki marinade.
- Place chicken thighs in vacuum seal bags or heavy-duty ziplock bags (use the water displacement method to remove air). Pour the marinade evenly into the bags, coating all the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight.
- Thinly slice the Persian cucumbers. In a bowl, stir together rice vinegar (for pickles), granulated sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) until dissolved. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat. Refrigerate while you cook everything else — they'll be ready by assembly time.
- Set your sous vide circulator to 149°F (65°C). Submerge the sealed bags and cook for 3 hours. The chicken will come out silky, tender, and deeply infused with the marinade.
- While the chicken cooks, rinse the jasmine rice until water runs clear. Cook in a rice cooker or pot with the appropriate amount of water. Fluff with a fork when done.
- Steam or microwave the broccoli florets and sliced carrots until tender-crisp, about 3–4 minutes. Season lightly with salt.
- Remove chicken from bags and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the bag juices. Heat neutral oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking. Sear the chicken 60–90 seconds per side until golden and caramelized. Slice into strips.
- Pour the reserved bag juices through a fine strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with 30 ml cold water until fully dissolved, then stir it into the saucepan. Simmer 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens into a glaze.
- Divide rice, sliced chicken, broccoli, and carrots evenly across 10 meal prep containers. Drizzle glaze over each bowl. Top with furikake and sliced green onions. Pack the pickled cucumbers in small separate containers or zip-lock bags to keep them crisp. Let everything cool completely before sealing and refrigerating.
Notes
If you can't find furikake, DIY it: mix toasted sesame seeds, crumbled nori sheets, a pinch of sugar, and flaky salt. Sous vide tip: Marinate and bag the chicken the night before — it'll be even more flavorful. Keeps in the fridge 4–5 days. Store pickled cucumbers separately so they stay crisp. Freeze the last couple of meals if needed. Add sriracha or chili crisp when serving. Approx per serving: 620 cal | 35g protein | 50g carbs | 20g fat