Chicken + Broccoli Rice Bowls with Maple Garlic Sunflower Sauce
This super simple grain bowl uses the easy sheet-pan method for a quick, nourishing meal. Broccoli and chicken get roasted in the oven together while you whip up the creamy maple garlic sunflower sauce (and rice if that’s not already prepped!). Do not skimp on that sauce! Top with toasted nuts and lots of fresh herbs.
Ingredient Highlight
Broccoli! This mighty cruciferous veggie is packed full of nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, fiber, iron and calcium. It’s also loaded with antioxidant compounds like sulforaphane, kaempferol, and quercetin. Plus, it’s large tree-like flowery heads absorb sauces extremely well, making it one of my favorite veggies for things like stir-fry’s and anything with a sauce or dressing!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 heads broccoli (about 1 ½ lbs), cut into florets (about 5 cups)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups short grain brown rice
- 1 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, green scallions, basil, or mint)
- ½ cup toasted nuts or seeds
- Sriracha (optional)
For the sunflower sauce:
- 1 cup Sunflower Cream
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- Note: This recipe calls for 2 cups of rice, which may be more than you need (or maybe not), but I always like to have extra on hand. Use leftovers to make fried rice or store it in the freezer to use in future rice bowls.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add chicken and broccoli to the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and salt and toss to coat. Spread out into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- In a medium-large pot, add the rice and enough water to cover by 2 -inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a rapid simmer for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sunflower cream, maple, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.
- Serve chicken, broccoli, and rice topped with lots of sauce, herbs, toasted nuts or seeds, and sriracha (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make sunflower sauce
- Prep broccoli florets (about 5 cups)
- Cook 2 cups short grain brown rice
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, substitute the chicken with 1 block of cubed tofu.
- Broccoli can easily be substituted with another veggie or a combination of different ones.
- Use any grain in place of the rice or make it a noodle bowl.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Chicken and broccoli: up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Rice: up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
- Maple garlic sunflower sauce: up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover chicken, broccoli, and rice. Top with lots of sauce, lots of herbs, and lots of nuts and/or seeds. Give it a final topper of lime and sriracha.
- Top leftovers with a fried egg.
- Turn it into a stir-fry or fried rice if you have other veggie odds and ends lying around. Cook the other veggies, then stir in the chicken, broccoli and rice at the end to warm them up. Top with sauce, etc…
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