Japanese salmon chicken bowl (Printable)

A vibrant bowl with salmon, chicken, avocado, and fresh veggies, featuring a clever ice cube reheating trick.

# What you'll need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 skinless salmon fillets (10.6 oz)
02 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (8.8 oz)

→ Marinade

03 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
04 - 1 tablespoon mirin
05 - 1 tablespoon sake or dry white wine
06 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
07 - 1 teaspoon 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, thinly sliced
14 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
15 - 1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips (optional)

→ Sauce

16 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
18 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
19 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar

→ For Reheating

20 - 4 ice cubes

# Method:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pan, so cleanup is fast and you can use the fond from the chicken to flavor the salmon.
  • The ice cube trick actually works—I was skeptical until I reheated a bowl three days later and the rice came out fluffy, not dry or rubbery.
  • You can prep the proteins and chop the vegetables ahead, then assemble bowls in under ten minutes when you're ready to eat.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the rice, the first time I forgot, the rice turned into a gummy mess that stuck to the bottom of the pot and ruined the texture of the whole bowl.
  • Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking or all the juices run out when you slice it, leaving the meat dry and less flavorful.
  • Don't overcook the salmon, it keeps cooking a little after you take it out of the pan, so pull it off the heat when it's just barely opaque in the center.
03 -
  • Pat the salmon and chicken dry with a paper towel before marinating, it helps the marinade stick better and the proteins brown more evenly in the pan.
  • Use the ice cube on the rice even if you're not reheating the whole bowl, just one cube in the microwave for thirty seconds brings leftover rice back to life.
  • Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they smell nutty and start to pop, it only takes two minutes but the flavor difference is huge.
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