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This frugal bento costs just $1.80 to make, and is loaded with fresh vegetables and fruit, along with Ginger Chicken and Rice.
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Ginger Chicken Bento

This colorful Ginger Chicken bento box comes together from just twelve simple ingredients that cost about $1.80 per box. With tender chicken coated in a fragrant ginger glaze, Tamagoyaki, and a fresh medley of vegetables and fruit, this bento lunch is a frugal yet flavorful meal that you can take on the go.
Course Entree
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword bento, bento box, lunch
Level Beginner
Main Ingredient Egg, Poultry
Diet Dairy-Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 bento boxes
Calories 513kcal

Ingredients

For ginger chicken

For packing bento

  • ½ batch tamagoyaki
  • 220 grams cooked rice
  • 16 grams frill lettuce
  • 60 grams broccoli (blanched)
  • 2 strawberries
  • 24 grams carrots (sliced, blanched, and cut into flowers)
Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

  • To make the sauce for the ginger chicken, combine the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sake, 1 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar and 1 teaspoon grated ginger in a small bowl and stir together until the sugar has dissolved.
    1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sake, 1 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar, 1 teaspoon grated ginger
    Mixing the sauce for ginger chicken together.
  • Heat a frying pan over medium heat along with a splash of oil, and add the chicken in a single layer. Fry until it's browned on one side (about 2-3 minutes)
    285 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs
    Pan-frying chicken for making ginger chicken.
  • Flip the chicken over and continue cooking until for another minute.
    Pan-fried chicken thighs for ginger chicken bento.
  • Use a paper towel to soak up any excess oil in the pan.
    Wiping the fat out of a pan with paper towels.
  • Add the sauce and caramelize it around the chicken until there's almost no liquid left. Let the chicken cool before packing it into a bento.
    Pan-fried chicken with a ginger soy glaze.
  • To assemble the bentos, add your 220 grams cooked rice to your bento boxes first. This provides a base to arrange all your other ingredients.
    220 grams cooked rice
    Packing a bento starts with rice.
  • Arrange the chicken next to the rice.
    Ginger chicken gets added next to the rice.
  • Add some of the 16 grams frill lettuce to separate the chicken from the vegetables, and if you have a deeper bento box, you may want to pad the bottom of the box with some lettuce too.
    16 grams frill lettuce
    Frill lettuce is used to partition the bento box.
  • Add the slices of ½ batch tamagoyaki using the 60 grams broccoli to fill the spaces around them.
    ½ batch tamagoyaki, 60 grams broccoli
    Tamagoyaki and broccoli are added to the Ginger Chicken Bento.
  • Fill the remaining space with the 2 strawberries and slice them in half if necessary.
    2 strawberries
    A strawberry is added to the Ginger Chicken Bento.
  • Decorate the bentos with the 24 grams carrots cut into flower-shapes.
    24 grams carrots
    Flowers cut from carrots are added to the Bento.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2346IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg