Chicken and Avocado Bowl

If you hadn't guessed by my ode to donburi, I'm a big fan of rice bowls. They're easy to prepare, they scale to feed any number of people, and most importantly, they're the kind of meal that leaves you feeling full, with a smile on your face. This chicken and avocado bowl is a perfect example of why the format works so well.

The star here is the sauce. It was inspired by my ginger scallion sauce, but I've punched up all the flavors so the topping seasons the rice below. It's nutty from toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds, sharp with fresh ginger and scallions, and it clings to every hunk of chicken and avocado, carrying all that savory richness down into the bowl.

For the chicken, I poach a boneless breast in salted water. Poaching is such a great method for breast meat because it cooks slowly and evenly, leaving the chicken supple and tender rather than dry and mealy.

The technique is simple: bring generously salted water to a rolling boil, add the chicken, let it return to a boil, then cut the heat and cover.

The only tricky part is judging the timing, since it depends on the size and thickness of your breast, and how cold it is going in. For a large breast straight from the fridge, I usually give it about 25 to 30 minutes. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you can check the temperature. I aim for about 150°F and let it rest before cutting it up.

I know this is lower than the recommended temperature for chicken, but making chicken safe to eat requires a combination of time and temperature. If you can get it to 150°F and hold it there for at least 5 minutes, it should be safe to eat.

Then, you just chop up the chicken and avocado, toss them in the sauce, and serve it all over rice. Finish with cilantro for freshness and a squeeze of lemon for brightness, and you've got yourself a ridiculously satisfying meal.