This Asian inspired ground turkey rice bowl turns a simple weeknight staple into a flavorful, satisfying dinner with 31 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving. The key to great tasting ground turkey is in the cooking method as well as using the right type of turkey. Simple steps like using a super hot pan and removing excess liquid is key! The result is this tender, savory ground turkey one pan meal with plenty of flavor, all in about 30 minutes.
One pan meals are a staple recipe around here, most made with affordable, nutritious and simple ingredients. This one is no different.
The flavorful sauce packs a subtle punch, and the simple tips and recommendations, from choosing the best tasting turkey to prepping the ingredients, makes this one of my favorite recipes. I know you will love this for weekly meal prep or a quick weeknight dinner.
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Why you’ll Love these Asian Bowls
- High in protein and fiber: Each serving has over 30 grams of protein and 3-6 grams of fiber depending on what type of rice you use as your base.
- Ready in about 30 minutes: From start to finish including prep, this is a really quick meal. Gathering the ingredients will likely be the longest step here!
- Savory rather than overly sweet: Fresh lime juice, soy sauce, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce create a bright, savory sauce with just a touch of honey. And it’s a light and well balanced sauce, rather than overly thick and sticky.
- Plenty of vegetables built in: Carrots and edamame cook right in the same skillet with the turkey, so there’s no need to prepare a separate vegetable side.
- Great for meal prep: The turkey mixture stores and reheats well and can be repurposed for lettuce wraps, grain bowls or even fried rice.
Ingredients Needed
For the quick homemade lime chili sauce.
- 1 ½ tablespoons each low-sodium soy sauce and coconut aminos. Using both gives the sauce a better balance between savory and sweet. Low-sodium soy sauce provides the salty, savory backbone, while coconut aminos bring a milder sweetness. If you don’t have both though, just use whichever one you have and reduce to 2 tablespoons.
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 small-medium limes). The lime juice base helps keep the sauce bright and light instead of a heavier rich brown sauce.
- 1 ½ to 3 teaspoons honey (start with 1 ½ teaspoon, add more to taste).
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Huy Fong brand). Because chili garlic sauce retains visible pepper flakes and seeds, it delivers a bolder garlic punch with a balanced, warming heat that doesn’t bite or coat the mouth.
- 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil. This provides a nice warm nutty flavor. You may sub regular sesame oil if you don’t have toasted, but it will be a much milder flavor.
Ground Turkey Bowl Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon canola oil or olive oil to sauté the turkey.
- 1 pound 93/7 or 90/10 lean ground turkey. I much prefer finely ground turkey with an irregular, minced texture, often sold in blocks, rather than the kind formed into long, uniform strands that look like ribbons, which are sold in a tray. The finely ground style stays more tender, breaks into smaller crumbles with no rubbery texture and there’s more surface area for the sauce to cling to.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (about a 1-inch piece). A great tip for grating is to freeze the knob of ginger for at least 30 minutes before using, and grate it frozen, peel and all. It adds all the ginger flavor without the hassle of peeling and the resulting fibrous strands.
- 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots). I much prefer freshly grated carrots done on a boxed grater versus buying the packaged matchstick shredded carrots. I tested it using both types of carrots, and the grated carrots cooked up much more uniform and even than the pre-shredded packaged kind. The packaged carrots did not through well enough in the time it took for the turkey and edamame to heat through.
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed. Either leave out on the counter for an hour before cooking, or place in a strainer and run under water to help give it a quick thaw.
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (green parts only for topping, whites for cooking).
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or a heaping ⅛ teaspoon table salt), plus more to taste
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (about 1 cup uncooked), for serving.
What is Chili Garlic Sauce?
Chili garlic sauce is different from sriracha. It’s chunkier, less sweet, and has a fermented depth that comes from the whole ground chilis and garlic. It’s widely available in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores (Huy Fong Foods is the most commonly sold brand), often near the sriracha. If you can only find sriracha, it works, but the flavor will be a bit smoother and sweeter.
First Make the Chili Lime Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, honey, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Cook the Ground Turkey
Heat the oil in a large skillet (12-inch works best) over medium-high heat. Let the pan get fully hot before adding the turkey, about 1 to 2 minutes. This is key to the meat browning versus steaming. Add the ground turkey just as it comes out of the package in a brick-like shape. Season with kosher salt and let it cook mostly undisturbed for the first 3 minutes so it gets a little color. Use a wooden spoon to break the turkey into small crumbles and stir occasionally for another 3 to 4 minutes until no pink remains. The turkey should look lightly golden in spots.
Add Garlic and Ginger & drain if Needed
Add the garlic and grated ginger directly to the turkey. Stir constantly for about 1 minute, until fragrant. If there’s any visible liquid pooled in the pan from the turkey, carefully tip the pan and blot it out with a paper towel. This small step is the key to getting the sauce to actually cling to the meat rather than pool at the bottom of the pan.
Add Veggies
Add the shredded carrots, green onions (white parts only) and edamame to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes, just long enough to warm the edamame through and soften the carrots slightly while still keeping a little texture.
Add Sauce & Finish
Pour the sauce over the turkey and vegetable mixture. Stir well to coat everything evenly, then let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes without stirring so the sauce can reduce and cling. Taste and add more salt, honey, or chili garlic sauce as needed.
Serve over cooked jasmine rice or brown rice and top with the green parts of the sliced green onions, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a lime wedge on the side. For a low carb option, serve in lettuce wraps.
Important Recipe Tips
- Use the right kind of ground turkey. As noted above, the kind that looks like long ribbons and sold in Styrofoam trays can often take on a rubbery texture when cooked. To avoid this you have to immediately break apart the meat as soon as it heats the pan and be very careful to not overcook it. It also tends to break into larger crumbles, so the sauce doesn’t stick as well.
- Blot out excess cooking liquid. It seems like an unnecessary step but it makes a big difference in preventing the yummy chili lime sauce from getting watered down! I tend to just use my hands when holding the paper towel, but if you’re nervous, hold the paper towel with a pair of tongs and blot out that excess cooking liquid.
- Shred carrots yourself, on a box grater. I am a big proponent of shortcuts and using packaged, prepared proteins and produce to help make healthy eating quicker and more convenient. But because we want to be really careful of not overcooking the ground turkey, plus the edamame only needs to be reheated, we need the carrots to cook up quickly and evenly. Using the matchstick kind results in really crunchy, undercooked carrots and overcooked edamame.
recipe Substiutions or Swaps
Soy sauce – use all coconut aminos (double the amount to 2 tablespoons) for a soy-free, gluten-free option with a slightly sweeter, milder flavor
Coconut aminos – use all low-sodium soy sauce (2 tablespoons total) if coconut aminos are unavailable. The dish will be slightly saltier
Ground turkey – 93% lean ground chicken works as a 1:1 swap. Ground beef or pork will add more fat and change the nutrition profile
Fresh ginger – ¼ teaspoon ground ginger in a pinch, though the flavor is less bright and fresh
Chili garlic sauce – sriracha in equal amounts, or a pinch of red pepper flakes added with the garlic
Honey – pure maple syrup in equal amounts. Avoid agave here as it’s thinner and won’t balance the sauce the same way
Fresh lime juice – rice vinegar works as a substitute in equal amounts; start with 1 tablespoon and taste before adding more
Peanut sauce version – whisk 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter into the sauce along with a splash of warm water to thin it. Skip the chili garlic sauce and use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead for a Thai-inspired twist
Teriyaki style – swap the lime juice and chili garlic sauce for 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce. Add an extra teaspoon of honey for a sweeter, more classic flavor profile
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Storing the ground turkey rice bowls
For best results, store the turkey and vegetable mixture separately from the rice in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If storing in meal prep containers, spoon ground turkey mixture next to the rice instead of on top to avoid the rice getting mushy.
Reheating/Warming
Reheat the turkey mixture in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or low-sodium broth to loosen the sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, microwave in a covered, microwave-safe container for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Reheat the rice separately with a damp paper towel placed over the bowl to add moisture.
Freeze/Thaw
The turkey and vegetable mixture freezes well for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container. Lay freezer bags flat to save space. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as directed above. The edamame may be slightly softer after freezing but still tastes great. Do not freeze the assembled bowls with rice, as the texture of the rice becomes gummy after thawing.
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Did you make this recipe?
If you gave this recipe a try, I’d love your feedback! Any tips or recipe additions you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it! Let’s connect down in the comments below.
Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl
Equipment
- Large 12" Skillet
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 ½ large limes
- 1 ½ to 3 teaspoons honey start with 1 ½ teaspoon, add more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce such as Huy Fong brand
- 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
BOWL
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil canola or olive oil work best
- 1 pound 93/7 lean ground turkey or use 90/10
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (about a 1-inch piece)
- 1 cup shredded carrots about 2 medium carrots, or use a packaged matchstick carrot bag
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame thawed
- 3 green onions thinly sliced (green parts only for topping, whites for cooking)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or a heaping ⅛ teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, start by making the sauce. Whisk together the soy sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, honey, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.1 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons coconut aminos, 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 ½ to 3 teaspoons honey, 1 ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Thaw the edamame by running it under cool-warm water in a colander for about 2 minutes, then set it aside. It doesn't need to be hot, just not frozen solid.1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- Heat the canola or olive oil in a large skillet (12-inch works best) over medium-high heat. Let the pan get fully hot before adding the turkey, about 1 to 2 minutes.1 teaspoon neutral oil
- Add the ground turkey just as it comes out of the package in a brick-like shape. Season with kosher salt, and let it cook mostly undisturbed for the first 3 minutes so it gets a little color. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the turkey into small crumbles and stir occasionally for another 3 to 4 minutes until no pink remains. The turkey should look lightly golden in spots.1 pound 93/7 lean ground turkey, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the garlic and grated ginger directly to the turkey. Stir constantly for about 1 minute, until fragrant. The garlic will cook very quickly here, so don’t walk away.3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- If there's any visible liquid pooled in the pan from the turkey, carefully tip the pan and blot it out with a paper towel held in tongs. This small step is the key to getting the sauce to actually cling to the meat rather than pool at the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the whites of the green onions, shredded carrots and edamame to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes, just long enough to warm the edamame through and soften the carrots slightly while still keeping a little texture.1 cup shredded carrots, 3 green onions
- Pour the sauce over the turkey and vegetable mixture. Stir well to coat everything evenly, then let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes without stirring so the sauce can reduce and cling. Taste and add more salt, honey, or chili garlic sauce as needed.
- Remove from heat. Serve over brown rice and top with the green parts of the sliced green onions, a sprinkle of sesame seeds if using, and a lime wedge on the side.
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