Chicken and Rice-Noodle Bowl with Sweet and Sour Dressing

In a recent Cooking Light magazine, I read an article praising the virtues of serving salads as individually presented ingredients nestled side by side in a bowl, instead of all tossed together and served on a plate. I like that. As the article noted, we tend to eat less when ingredients are side by side because our eyes are fooled by the variety of foods filling the bowl. But really there are very small amounts of each one.

My favorite part of “bowls” is the freshness and inviting balance of tastes and textures. The magazine’s recipes didn’t include a chicken bowl, so I created this one to include tender, lean chicken breast, shredded into three-ounce portions for each serving. That’s right — only three ounces, and you won’t need (or want) any more because the meat has plenty tasty companions sitting all pretty in the bowl along with it.

The sweet and sour dressing is a cinch to make, but if you have your own favorite light but flavor-packed vinaigrette, go for that instead.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce), divided
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/8 plus 1 tsp sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1-1/2 cups chopped baby bok choy (stalks and leaves)
• sea salt
• 1 cup cooked thin rice noodles
• 6 oz cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1/2 cup matchstick-cut peeled carrot
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 2 fried eggs

Prepared Vegetables

Thin Rice Noodles

Preparation

1. Combine the honey, 1 tablespoon tamari, lime juice, vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil in a bowl, stirring well to dissolve the honey. Set the dressing aside.

Sweet and Sour Dressing

1. Combine the cabbage and red bell pepper.
2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and swirl in the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Add the bok choy and season lightly with salt. Sauté until the stalks are crisp-tender and the leaves wilt, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Toss the rice noodles with the remaining 2 teaspoons tamari.
4. Divide the cabbage-bell pepper mixture, bok choy, noodles, chicken, carrot, and cucumber and arrange side by side in 2 shallow bowls. Place 1 fried egg on top in the center of each.

Bok Choy Beginning to Cook

Sautéed Bok Choy

Drizzle each with dressing and serve right away.

Chicken and Rice-Noodle Bowl with Sweet and Sour Dressing