These colorful Spring Roll Bowls have all the classic flavors and textures of your favorite Vietnamese spring rolls, just deconstructed. Rice noodles are topped with crunchy veggies, grilled chicken, and a sweet and spicy peanut sauce!
Bowls like this are great for meal prep and are so easy to throw together for a fresh and healthy dinner. You can easily customize these vermicelli bowls to your tastes with your favorite ingredients.
“This was quick, simple, and full of flavor. The fresh veggies add the perfect crunch, and the sauce is delicious. Thank you for this one.” – Sarah, So Much Food reader
Table of Contents
Your Favorite Spring Rolls, in a Bowl!
I love ordering fresh spring rolls any time I’m dining at a Vietnamese restaurant. They’re so fresh and light, and this easy captures their textures and flavors!
This is the perfect recipe for when you’re looking for a filling, balanced dinner. While we love eating indulgent meals, we tend towards light and balanced meals 80% of the time. It’s all about balance, right?
The coconut milk-marinated chicken is tender and juicy and pairs perfectly with the rice noodles. All you have to do is top your bowl with your favorite crisp veggies and peanut sauce and dinner is served!
Tools I Recommend Using
Ingredients Overview (+ Substitutions)
- Chicken. I am personally a chicken thigh person, but you could also use chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Coconut milk. Opt for full-fat canned coconut milk as you’ll need it for the peanut sauce and the chicken marinade. You can’t use the refrigerated coconut milk that comes in a carton for this recipe.
- Red curry paste. Red curry paste gives the marinade and peanut sauce amazing flavor. My favorite brand is Mae Ploy.
- Peanut butter. I like using crunchy peanut butter for a bit of texture, but you can use smooth, too.
- Garlic and ginger. Fresh garlic and ginger are best, but you can use ginger or garlic paste.
- Lime. Lime juice and zest add freshness to the peanut sauce and the chicken marinade.
- Rice noodles. I like rice vermicelli, but you can use any rice noodle you like.
- Veggies. This part is super customizable, but I like to use shredded carrot, cabbage, cucumber, and edamame.
- Herbs. Thai basil, mint, and cilantro are classic here! You can use any combination of the three.
- Chopped peanuts. I love topping these bowls with chopped, toasted peanut for texture.
How to Make Deconstructed Spring Roll Bowls
- Marinate the chicken. I mix the marinade in a big bowl so I can add the chicken straight to it without dirtying any unnecessary dishes. Ideally you’d marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours so the meat has time to tenderize and soak up the Vietnamese-inspired flavors, but even 30 – 45 minutes is better than nothing!
- Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce. Peanut butter is super thick and I find it hard to whisk to a super smooth consistency with the coconut milk. That’s why I always gently heat the peanut sauce ingredients in a saucepan! The sauce turns out super smooth and drizzlable this way.
- Cook the rice noodles. You’ll need to follow the package instructions here. Make sure to rinse the noodles under cold tap water to stop them from overcooking!
- Cook the chicken. I love grilling up the chicken when it’s nice outside, but you can easily bake the chicken or use a grill pan indoors. Do whatever is easiest for you!
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the chicken. Top with veggies and herbs as desired and drizzle with peanut sauce before topping with chopped peanuts.
Ways You Can Customize Your Bowls
The best part about making these rice vermicelli spring roll bowls is that it’s a blueprint for a recipe that you can easily customize to your tastes! Here are some of my favorite ways to customize these bowls:
- Switch up the protein. I love chicken thighs, but you could easily swap in chicken breast, shrimp, thinly sliced pork, or beef.
- Change the nut butter. Peanut sauce is the classic choice, but if you’re out of peanut butter or have an allergy you could swap in almond butter or even sunflower butter for a nut-free option.
- Toppings, toppings, toppings. I think one of the reasons I love bowl dinners so much is because I LOVE toppings! While I went simple and classic here, you could add shredded cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, mango, roasted broccoli, etc.
If you do give them a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Bowl Dinner Recipes Using Chicken
- Chicken Vermicelli Bowls
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Harissa Chicken Bowls
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Spring Roll Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Peanut Sauce
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger (or ginger paste)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Bowl Ingredients
- 8 oz rice vermicelli noodles
- 2 Persian or baby cucumbers, sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shelled edamame, steamed
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- cilantro leaves
- mint leaves
- Thai basil leaves
- chopped toasted peanuts
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Mix the marinade. Whisk the coconut milk, red curry paste, turmeric, garlic, ginger, honey, lime zest and juice in a mixing bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Marinade the chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss well to coat. Cover and transfer to the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
- Make the peanut sauce. Whisk all the peanut sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Cook the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until completely cool.
- Cook the chicken. Preheat a skillet, grill pan, or outdoor grill to medium heat. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the noodles between bowls and top with the chicken. Top with veggies and herbs as desired and drizzle with peanut sauce before topping with chopped peanuts.
Notes
Nutrition
You might also like...
-
30 Minute Meals Chicken Vermicelli Bowls
-
30 Minute Meals Chicken Larb
-
Grilling Thai Grilled Shrimp
Rate & Review This Recipe
This was delicious! Our family loves bowls. We have 5 boys ages 22- to almost 12 and they know how to eat. This was quick, simple, and full of flavor. The fresh veggies add the perfect crunch, and the sauce is delicious. Thank you for this one.