Copycat Sweetgreen Crispy Rice Bowl with Spicy Cashew Dressing
Save yourself some money and make your favorite Sweetgreen Crispy Rice bowl at home! This Sweetgreen copycat has the best textures and flavor from the Spicy Cashew Dressing. It's the perfect balanced, veggie-packed, lunch or dinner!
Equipment
- blender or small food processor
- large pan
Ingredients
For the Blackening Seasoning (or use store-bought!)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the Chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins or breast (if you're using chicken breast, beat it down to 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 tbsp blackening seasoning (recipe above)
- cooking spray
For the Crispy Rice
- 1 cup puffed rice cereal
- 2 tsp low-sodium tamari (sub soy sauce or coconut aminos)
- ½ tbsp blackening seasoning (recipe above)
- ½ tsp dried ginger
For the Spicy Cashew Dressing
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (sub honey or date syrup)
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes + more to taste
- juice from 1 lime
- ¼ cup water (plus more to thin as desired)
- salt + pepper to taste
For the Salad
- arugula
- shredded red cabbage
- shredded carrots
- sliced & halved cucumber
- cooked white, brown or wild rice
- chopped almonds
- cilantro
- lime wedge
- crispy rice (recipe above)
- blackened chicken (recipe above)
- spicy cashew dressing (recipe above)
Instructions
- Prepare your rice according to package directions. I used white rice, but the Sweetgreen bowl traditionally uses wild rice.
- Soak the cashews in boiling hot water for at least 15 minutes. Then, drain the water. Add cashews and remaining spicy cashew dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more water as necessary to get it to your desired consistency.
- Preheat a medium sized, dry pan over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix together all of the remaining crispy rice ingredients. Toss until coated. Then, add the mixture to the hot pan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-5 minutes or until the rice is crispy and golden. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add a bit of oil to the same pan you used for the crispy rice. In a medium bowl, combine all of the blackened chicken ingredients. Cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side (for chicken breast it will take closer to 6-8 minutes per side) or until golden and cooked through (at least 165F internal temp). Transfer to a cutting board and chop into cubes.
- Assemble your bowl with arugula, rice, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped cucumber, blackened chicken, crispy rice, chopped almonds, cilantro and a drizzle of spicy cashew dressing. Enjoy!