Wild rice topped with chicken, vegetables, and crunchies, and dressed with the most delicious Yum Yum Sauce EVER, this Yum Yum Bowl is an adventure to dive into!
If I could eat one thing for dinner for the rest of my life, it just might be this Yum Yum Bowl.
Top to bottom, it is an absolute adventure to dive into. My heart skips a beat just thinking about it.
You might be thinking, “Marci swooning over another ‘bowl’ meal that she piled way too many toppings on . . . seen that a million times”.
And I get it. Chipotle Chicken Bowl, Bahn Mi Bowl, Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl . . . I’m almost embarrassed by how many recipes popped up when I searched “bowl” on my site.
But a “bowl” means a variety of textures, flavors, and temperatures, all doused in some to-die-for sauce, and I have HERE FOR THAT any time!
So let’s dive into this new “bowl” meal:
Perfect chewy Wild Rice, topped with chicken, charred peppers, creamy black beans and avocados, fresh cucumber and tomato, melty cheese, crispy wontons, and then dressed with the tastiest Yum Yum Sauce that, BTW, is my new “must have in the fridge all the time” condiment. Add a few drops of Chili Crunch on top, and you have now entered Marci’s Happy Bowl Place.
This is a “bowl” meal to trump all bowl meals! I love it so dang much!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS YUM YUM BOWL
- EASY PEASY: While the ingredient list might seem long, the preparation is simple. And if you don’t have every single ingredient, just use what you have! As long as you’ve got the Wild Rice and the Yum Yum Sauce on hand, you can whip together a bowl.
- YUM YUM SAUCE: Have you tried this sauce before? I’ve had a strangely sweet version from a restaurant before but this version is downright drinkable! I’ve even used it as salad dressing and that is also amazing.
- ADVENTURE BOWL: I call these meals an “adventure” because each bite differs from the last.
- FAMILY FRIENDLY: My kids FLIP for this meal! I put all the toppings out on the table, we each make our own bowl, then we fight over Yum Yum Sauce. It’s real bonding time.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST YUM YUM BOWL
- Whisk up the Yum Yum Sauce (takes all of 2 minutes)
- Roast the baby bell peppers (I love doing this in the air fryer but there are more options below)
- Get your toppings ready, then create your own masterpiece bowl
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- SAUCE IT UP: The magic of this recipe is the Yum Yum Sauce. It’ll make your bowl shine no matter how you assemble it. Mix it up a day or 2 in advance; it gets even better as it sits in the fridge!
- WILD RICE: Most Yum Yum Bowls use white rice but I’m going to argue that Wild Rice makes it even better! It’s healthier for one thing, but the fun texture of wild rice makes this bowl really shine.
- ROASTED MINI PEPPERS: I’m having a major obsession over air fried mini peppers right now. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and S&P, then air fry til the skins blacken just a bit. They’re so tasty! If you don’t have an air fryer, there are oven directions included in the recipe.
- DINNER IDEA: This makes a great get-together kind of meal. Just prep your rice, toppings, and Yum Yum Sauce, and serve it buffet style so everyone can build their own bowl.
- CHILI CRUNCH: How I love this spicy little condiment. This Momofuku brand is forever my favorite and little dollops of this over the creamy Yum Yum sauce are so delightful! I highly suggest you give it a try.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE
- STORE: Put each element into a different storage container and place in the fridge. The next time you want to enjoy another bowl, it will come together very quickly! Store the Yum Yum Sauce in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to 5 days.
- REHEAT: Add a splash of water to the wild rice to reheat (this will soften the rice and bring back the moisture). Everything else can be enjoyed cold if you like, or you can reheat the peppers and chicken in the microwave or air fryer if you prefer.
- FREEZE: Rice can be placed in a Ziptop container and frozen for up to 3 months. I have not tried freezing the Yum Yum Sauce.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
- YUM YUM SAUCE: Make the sauce a day or 2 in advance and store in a jar or other sealed container.
- RICE: I prefer to make the rice the night I serve it, but it can be cooked and reheated before the meal if needed.
- CHOP: Fresh toppings can be chopped and stored in the fridge a day or 2 in advance.
VARIATIONS
- GRAINS: Don’t have any wild rice? You can use a base of White or Brown rice or I can imagine Mashed Potatoes or Farro would also be delicious!
- TOPPINGS: Feel free to mix up the toppings for what you have at home. Other things you can add/substitute are nuts, steak, any roasted vegetable, garbanzo beans, etc. Just don’t nix the Yum Yum Sauce, please 🙂
Are you ready to join the “bowl” bandwagon?!
I ate this dish 6 times in 3 weeks, and every time, my kids would say, “When can we have this one again?”
Being the selfless mother that I am, I was happy to serve until the Yum Yum Sauce jar ran dry. I will never tire of this meal!
Give it a try, friends. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Enjoy!
EVEN MORE BOWL RECIPES
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE YUM YUM BOWLS
PrintYum Yum Bowl
Wild rice, chicken, vegetables, and LOTS of Yum Yum sauce, this Yum Yum Bowl is an absolute adventure to eat!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
For the Yum Yum Sauce
- ¾ cup mayo
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt (Fat Free or 2% work)
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
For the Roasted Mini Peppers (see note)
- 1 pound mini sweet peppers
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Yum Yum Bowl (add as much or as little of each ingredient as you like)
- Cooked wild rice (see Instant Pot recipe in notes)
- Baby spinach, torn
- Rotisserie chicken, warm
- Shredded pepper jack cheese
- Roasted mini peppers (recipe included above)
- Black beans, rinsed and drained
- Chopped avocado
- Chopped tomato
- Chopped cucumber
- Packaged wontons strips
- Yum Yum Sauce (recipe included above)
- Chili Crunch, optional but delicious
Optional garnish: chopped cilantro
Instructions
For the Yum Yum Sauce:
- In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk all of the ingredients (except the butter) until smooth.
- While whisking, drizzle melted butter into the bowl and whisk for another 30 seconds until it’s well incorporated and smooth.
For the Roasted Mini Peppers:
- Coat peppers with a light amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Air Fryer directions: Air fry at 400°F for 3-5 minutes until peppers are slightly blistered.
- Oven directions: Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes until peppers are sizzling and blistered.
- Slice each pepper into 2 or 3 pieces. Discard the stem and seeds.
How to assemble an amazing Yum Yum Bowl
For each individual bowl:
- Place a scoop of rice onto one side of a bowl.
- Place spinach leaves on the other side of the bowl.
- Top with rotisserie chicken.
- Top with shredded cheese (melt in the microwave for 30 seconds if you like).
- Top with slices of mini peppers, black beans, avocado, tomato, cucumber, and wontons.
- Spoon a generous amount of Yum Yum Sauce over the top.
- Dollop a few small drops of Chili Crisp over top.
- Garnish with cilantro, if you like, and dig in!
Notes
- This is a fantastic “make your own bowl” meal. Lay out the toppings and let everyone make their own.
- This recipe is flexible. The ingredients listed are how I like to make my Yum Yum Bowl. Feel free to add as much as you want of each ingredient and swap out the ingredients as you see fit. The Yum Yum sauce is the main component that ties everything together, so don’t skip that!
- For the Instant Pot Wild Rice, pressure cook 1 cup wild rice with 1 ¼ cup water for 30 minutes with a natural release. For a more detailed recipe, go here. May substitute the wild rice with a different grain like quinoa or farro.
- Roasting the mini bell peppers makes them taste amazing! Roast in the oven or air fryer until you get a few blistered black marks. This recipe will roast more than you’ll likely need. Extras can be stored in the fridge to add to eggs, tacos, etc.
- Note: Nutritional facts will vary depending on the toppings you add.
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