crispy rice spring roll salad

healthy + whole food with all the textures + flavors of your dreams

This salad is not a regular salad. It’s a salad that’s actually filling because it has a base of crispy seasoned rice and includes the juiciest marinated sesame chicken. The veggies add a brightness and crunch, and the peanut sauce is the icing on the cake. It’s SO GOOD. Plus, it has all the makings of a holistic and hormone healthy meal. Protein, fiber, tons of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants), and healthy fats. A meal that’s dreamy for your taste buds and your body? It sounds too good to be true. But it’s not. It’s a Crispy Rice Spring Roll Salad.

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Crispy Rice Spring Roll Salad
Serves 6
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes + 4 hours marinating time

Ingredients
(don’t let the long ingredient list intimidate you, most of the ingredients are repeated, I just broke it down like this for simplicity and clarity while cooking!)

For the marinated sesame chicken
2 lbs chicken breast
½ c tamari or low sodium soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ c brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the crispy rice
1 ½ c uncooked jasmine rice
2 ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sriracha

For the spring roll bowl
1 English or hothouse cucumber, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 c shredded carrots
1-2 avocados, chopped
1/3 c fresh basil, chopped
1/3 c fresh mint, chopped
Lime slices

For the peanut sauce½ c creamy natural peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
1-2 tsp sriracha
½ tbsp sesame oil
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
3-5 tbsp water, for thinning as need

Instructions

1. In a large bowl or Ziplock bag, combine the ingredients for the chicken and marinate for 4+ hours for best results. In a pinch, an hour will still do!

2. During the last hour of the chicken marinating, make the rice as usual. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the rice is done cooking, spread it out evenly across the baking sheet to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and sriracha to the rice. Mix it all together until all the rice is coated in sauce. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through for an even cook.

4. While the rice cooks, preheat the grill to 450F. Chop your veggies and herbs. Set aside.

5. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. When you remove the chicken from the grill, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

6. While the chicken cooks and rests, mix together the ingredients for the sauce.

7. If you follow the timings, the rice will finish up at about the same time as the chicken, and you’re ready to build your bowls! Build each bowl with crispy rice, all the veggies, the fresh herbs, chicken, and top it off with the peanut sauce.