Chicken
$1.17per plate
Prep
10 min
Chicken · Ground Chicken
Ground Chicken Rice Bowls
Ground chicken is mild and eager, taking on whatever you season it with, which makes it a quiet workhorse for a cheap weeknight bowl. Here it gets a quick sweet and savory glaze of soy sauce, garlic, and a little honey, then goes over rice with broccoli and shredded carrot for a bowl that tastes like takeout at a fraction of the price. Everything comes together in about 25 minutes in one skillet plus a pot of rice. It is a flexible template: swap the vegetables for whatever is cheap.
$1.35per plate
Estimated recipe total
$5.39 · serves 4
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
1 How to make it
1
Start the rice
Get the rice cooking first so it is ready when the chicken is. One cup of dry rice and about two cups of water makes four servings. Leftover rice works too and speeds this up to about 15 minutes total.
2
Brown the ground chicken
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it into small crumbles, until it is cooked through and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Browning is where the flavor is, so let it sit undisturbed for a bit before stirring.
3
Glaze it
Push the chicken to one side, add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then stir in the soy sauce and honey. Let it bubble and coat the chicken for a minute. The sugar helps it caramelize into a glossy glaze.
4
Steam the broccoli and build the bowls
Add the frozen broccoli to the skillet with a splash of water, cover, and steam two to three minutes until bright and tender. Spoon the rice into bowls, top with the chicken and broccoli, then finish with shredded carrot, green onion, and sesame seeds.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey or pork for the chicken. Both work the same way and cost about the same. Use whichever your store has cheapest that week.
- Any vegetable you have. Frozen peas, green beans, cabbage, or a stir-fry mix all work. This bowl is a good place to use up odds and ends from the fridge.
- Brown sugar for the honey. A spoon of brown sugar gives the same glaze for less. Skip it entirely if you want a plain savory bowl.
- Cauliflower rice or noodles for the rice. Serve the chicken over whatever base is cheapest or already cooked. Egg noodles turn it into a quick stir-fry.
3 Budget tips
- Ground chicken often costs less per pound than ground beef or turkey. Check the family pack price and freeze what you do not use.
- A cup of dry rice makes four servings and costs pennies. Cook extra and keep it for tomorrow's bowls or fried rice.
- Frozen broccoli is cheaper than fresh, keeps for months, and steams right in the pan with no waste.
- A single bottle of soy sauce seasons dozens of dinners, so the flavor here costs almost nothing per bowl.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Store the chicken, rice, and vegetables in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Keeping them separate makes for quick grab-and-go lunches.
Freezer
Freeze the cooked, glazed chicken for up to 3 months. Rice freezes well too. Add fresh vegetables after reheating for the best texture.
Reheating
Reheat the chicken and rice in the microwave with a splash of water, or in a skillet over medium heat. Refresh with a little extra soy sauce if it needs it.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
350
Protein
25g
Fat
10g
Carbs
40g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Is ground chicken hard to cook?
No, but it is lean, so it can dry out if overcooked. Brown it over medium-high just until cooked through, then glaze it. The soy and honey sauce keeps it moist and flavorful.
Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Yes. Use about a cup of small florets and steam them the same way with a splash of water in the covered skillet. Fresh takes a minute or two longer.
How do I make this taste like takeout?
The glaze does most of the work: soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a little sugar caramelized onto the chicken. A few sesame seeds and green onion on top finish it like a restaurant bowl.
How is $1.35 a bowl worked out?
The batch is about $5.39 for four bowls. Ground chicken is the main cost, and rice bulks the bowls so a single pound stretches to four.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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