Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl

4.74 from 1208 votes

Ground turkey and finely chopped vegetables simmered in a sweet homemade teriyaki sauce and served over rice. It's a one-skillet weeknight dinner that comes together in about 35 minutes and reheats beautifully for lunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: servings

Author: Kristin Maxwell

Ingredients

Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar or less as desired
2 tablespoons granulated sugar or less as desired
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons warm water

Ground Turkey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup broccoli finely chopped
2 large carrots peeled and grated
2 green onions diced, for garnish
4 cups cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

Teriyaki Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and warm water until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and no grit remains at the bottom. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently whisk the soy sauce, water, red wine vinegar, sugars, minced garlic and ground ginger until the sugars are completely dissolved.
Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture and simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.

Ground Turkey

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Turn the heat down if the onions begin to scorch.
Stir in the minced garlic. Add the ground turkey and break it apart with a spatula. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is about halfway cooked, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the grated carrots and chopped broccoli and continue cooking until the turkey is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes.
Pour the teriyaki sauce over the turkey and vegetables and stir to coat. Simmer about 5 minutes.
Divide the cooked rice into bowls and top with the teriyaki turkey. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately.

Notes

Use low-sodium soy sauce: The sauce reduces as it simmers, so regular soy sauce will taste noticeably salty in the finished bowl.
Sugar is adjustable: Cutting both sugars in half still gives you a sweet-savory sauce and is the most common adjustment readers make. One tablespoon of each works well if you prefer savory.
Dissolve the cornstarch completely in the warm water before adding it, or the sauce won't thicken evenly.
If the sauce won't thicken, whisk another 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water and stir it in. Pull the pan off the heat once it coats a spoon, since cornstarch sauces thin out if cooked too long.
Vinegar swap: rice wine vinegar is the closest substitute for red wine vinegar.
Lean ratio: 93% lean ground turkey stays juiciest here. 99% lean works but dries out quickly.
Chop the vegetables small: Grating the carrots and finely chopping the broccoli lets them cook into the meat, which is what makes this kid-friendly.
Other vegetables that work: bell peppers, snow peas, water chestnuts, bok choy, bean sprouts, zucchini, corn and cauliflower.
Other bases: noodles, riced cauliflower, lettuce cups or flour tortillas all work in place of rice.
Storage: refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Freeze up to 6 months, keeping the rice separate from the meat.

Nutrition

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