Chinese Scallion Chicken Meal Prep
Servings: 8 meal-prep containers
Calories: Approximately 550–600 calories per serving
Protein: Approximately 45–50 g per serving
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 30–40 minutes
Mama Mel would be proud of me for this one! I’m making Chinese scallion chicken, a dish I grew up eating and one that instantly reminds me of home.
There’s something so comforting about taking a dish from your childhood and turning it into something you now make in your own kitchen. And since I’m on this meal-prep journey, I thought — why not bring a little taste of home into my weekly meals?
This is definitely a meat-heavy meal prep, which means you’re getting tons of protein in every serving. The chicken is juicy and coated in a savory scallion and ginger sauce, paired with jasmine rice loaded with shiitake mushrooms, carrots and spinach to make it a filling and satisfying meal.
Meal prep doesn’t always have to mean reinventing the wheel or eating “diet food.” Sometimes it can simply be taking the dishes you already know and love and making them work for your goals.
And for me, it doesn’t get much better than opening my meal-prep container and getting a little taste of home.
Chicken
1.5 kg boneless, skinless chicken breast
Water or chicken broth, enough to gently poach the chicken
Scallion Ginger Sauce
8 scallions, finely sliced
3 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp sesame oil
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
¾ cup reserved chicken broth
Chili or chili flakes, optional
Vegetable Jasmine Rice
3 cups dry jasmine rice
2 cups carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
Water, according to your rice cooker's instructions
Instructions
1. Cook the Chicken
Place the chicken breasts into a large pot or deep pan.
Add enough water or chicken broth to create a shallow poaching liquid.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F.
Avoid aggressively boiling the chicken. Keeping the heat gentle helps the chicken breast stay tender and juicy.
Once cooked, remove the chicken and allow it to rest before shredding or slicing
Do not throw away the cooking liquid. Reserve at least ¾ cup for the scallion sauce. And skim out any of the impurities floating.
2. Make the Vegetable Jasmine Rice
Rinse 3 cups of jasmine rice until the water runs mostly clear.
Add the rinsed rice to your rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water or low sodium chicken broth for your rice cooker.
Add directly on top:
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped spinach
Close the rice cooker and cook everything together using the normal white-rice setting.
Once the rice is finished cooking, gently fluff and mix everything together so the carrots, shiitake mushrooms and spinach are evenly distributed throughout the rice.
This is such an easy way to add more vegetables to your meal prep without having to cook another side dish or dirty another pan.
3. Make the Scallion Ginger Sauce
Add the sliced scallions and minced ginger to a large heat-safe bowl.
Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil until hot.
Carefully pour the hot oil over the scallions and ginger. You should immediately hear everything sizzle.
Add:
1 tsp sesame oil
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
¾ cup reserved chicken broth
Mix everything together until well combined.
Add chili or chili flakes if you want a little heat.
4. Combine the Chicken & Sauce
Shred the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
Add the chicken to the scallion ginger sauce and toss until every piece is well coated.
Let the chicken sit in the sauce for a few minutes so it can soak up all of that savory scallion and ginger flavor.
Meal-Prep Portioning
Divide the recipe evenly between 8 meal-prep containers.
For the most accurate portions, weigh the entire cooked chicken-and-sauce mixture and divide the total weight by 8. Then do the same with the finished vegetable rice.
As a general guide, each container will have:
Scallion chicken + sauce: 1/8 of the finished batch (140–150 g)
Vegetable jasmine rice: approximately (250–300 g per container)
Estimated Nutrition
Per serving (1 of 8):
Calories: approximately 550–600 calories
Protein: approximately 45–50 g
Servings: 8
*Bonus Dipping Sauce:
I love making this sauce to dip my chicken in and it’s more on the salty side. Salty, umami and spicy!
Ingredients:
1 tsp fish sauce
splash of lime juice
pinch of pepper
chopped red chili
1 tsp maggie seasoning (this is optional for a difference type of sauce)
Why I Love This for Meal Prep
This is exactly the kind of meal I want to keep making throughout this journey, something that feels nostalgic and comforting but still works with what I'm trying to accomplish.
You get a generous amount of protein from the scallion chicken, carbs from the jasmine rice, and vegetables cooked right into the rice. It's simple, filling and actually looks like a meal I would be excited to eat.
Most importantly, it tastes like home.
Meal-Prep Tip
Store the containers covered in the refrigerator and enjoy refrigerated portions within approximately 3–4 days.
Since I'm meal prepping twice a week, 8 servings gives my husband and me four meals each.