School lunch made easy with this Chicken Teriyaki Bento, serve along with cucumber salad, apple bunnies, tomatoes, and furikake on top of rice. Cooking a double batch of chicken teriyaki for dinner makes your bento making so much faster.
TGIF! How was your week? I cannot believe we are already at the end of September. Didn’t schools just start not long ago? Just like any other families with children, I sometimes find it difficult to prepare dinner with everything that’s going on. I cook dinner almost every day, so quick and easy recipe like Chicken Teriyaki comes in handy. It’s especially tasty with the homemade sauce.
If your rice cooker has a timer, you can wash rice and set it to be ready for your dinner time. I defrost chicken in the morning before I drop off my children at schools. And when I come home for lunch after picking up my daughter, I quickly marinate the meat. If you are working full-time, you might have to plan ahead so that you can marinate the chicken before going to work.
About 40 minutes prior to dinner time, you can start cooking the chicken. While you are doing so, you can make quick Miso Soup and a simple salad. If you still have some time, you can make another quick side dish like Sunomono (Cucumber Salad). There you go, healthy homemade food!
I wish everyone a fantastic weekend. I definitely need to catch up some sleep as well as some blogging work, and of course, have some fun with my family. Enjoy!
Previous Dinner was:
Chicken Teriyaki (I used chicken thigh WITHOUT skin this time), and quick side dish Sunomono (Cucumber Salad).
Lunch Next Day:
- Chicken Teriyayaki Bento
- A small size box of fruits: strawberries.
- Water bottle
Other Homemade Bento Ideas:
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- Cooked Japanese short grain rice
- Chicken Teriyaki (pre-cooked)
- Lettuce (for garnish)
- Tomatoes
- Sunomono (Cucumber Salad) (pre-cooked)
- 2 Apple Bunny/Rabbit
- furikake (rice seasoning)
- Fill up half of bento box with Japanese rice. Let it cool so that hot/warm rice will not warm up other cool food.
- Reheat leftover Chicken Teriyaki in a frying pan until it's warm thoroughly.
- Wash lettuce and tomatoes and pat dry. Place nicely in the bento box.
- Pack cooled Chicken Teriyaki on top of lettuce.
- Put Sunomono in a silicone cup and put it in the bento box. Make sure you do not include any liquids.
- Pack Apple Bunnies in an open space in the bento box.
- Sprinkle furikake on top of slightly cooled rice.
- Cool down completely before closing the bento box.
[Please read FOOD SAFETY TIPS .]
If you are using a thermal bento box like Thermos, you do not need to cool down before closing lunch box.
This lunch is for my 6-year-old son.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Click here to see how to make Apple Bunnies (Apple Rabbits).
Enjoy making bento!
I love chicken teryiaki, I think this is my favorite bento so far! Those apple bunnies are adorable! 🙂
Love chicken teriyaki and this has to be my favorite bento.. I so want to make chicken teriyaki using your recipe but I can’t find few ingredients where I live 🙁
yummy!
Helooo Nami! what a wonderful lunchbox. It looks too delicious, and the cucumber salad as well. I’ve been canal boating through beautiful English countryside these last two weeks with my sister from Canada, cooking like crazy and loving it all. Have a lovely restful weekend!
Your bento boxes are always so inviting. Love these cute apple bunnies. 🙂 If I pack them in my baby girl’s lunch, those would be the only thing she wants to eat. hahaha…she adores bunnies. Happy Friday, Nami.
Marvelous! A perfect bento.
Cheers,
Rosa
Your bento boxes always look so beautiful! I would be just happy to bring one with me to work for lunch…
Ciao.
My brother’s favourite bento ever 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Beautiful and delicious; and even the apple being cut out so nicely! The cut out looks like a tulip flower! Your son’s schoolmates must be full of ‘jealousy’ after looking this delicious bento. Does your hb request for bento set too? 🙂
I am once more in awe of your bento! So beautiful and so inventive. I love the apple bunnies 🙂 I don’t have to mention I adore chicken teriyaki, because who doesn’t???
I love your apple bunnies. What a great looking lunch box. Chicken teriyaki is one of my most favourite Japanese meals. Have a great weekend Nami xx
So cute!! Love every aspect of this bento. For a long time the only thing I would eat at Japanese restaurants was chicken teriyaki. I’ve become much more adventurous since then, but it’s still a favorite and yours looks amazing 🙂
Adorable apple bunnies! And I love this bento!
I love chicken teriyaki. Sweet, salty and delicious.
I’m so impressed by the effort you put into your son’s lunches. No slapping peanut butter on a piece of bread at your house!
This is too cute! I discovered apple bunnies a while back, but have never had the chance to use them yet..
bento boxes rule!! I wish I lived closer so you could make me one, Nami! 🙂
I LOVE these bentos. I am getting so inspired by all your ideas. I have never made my own teriyaki sauce before but now I must.
Well, I have ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Bento before and it didn’t look near as pretty as this! 🙂 What a beautiful box of healthy and delicious food! I wasn’t familiar with Furikake so thanks for introducing me to a new seasoning! I do love the simplicity of sprinkling rice with a blend of herbs and spices. Of course I do love your recipes for all of the ingredients in this box. what a gorgeous lunch!
I love these bento dishes that you are coming up with. It also give busy mom and dad ideas on how to manage their meal and meal that they can take to work. My son would love this teriyaki bento to take to school. Thank you, Nami and wishing you a very nice weekend! 🙂
Yum Yum! So delicious, I’m a big fan of chicken teriyaki 🙂
Nami… I would love the Teriyaki chicken, but those apple bunnies….. AWESOME! I feel like I’m just putting bland, boring stuff in my kids lunch boxes… your bentos are so beautiful and fun! I need to up my game and do more cute stuff with veggies and fruit. My kids would really love the apple bunnies. I finally got them some good thermoses so they are finally taking a hot lunch to school from me. Next…. apple bunnies! Yay! Have a great weekend. ~ Ramona
Healthy and beautifully presented! I wish restaurants would make boxes like this.
I love Bento box – they always look sooo pretty, just like yours!
Aw those apple bunnies are so cute 🙂 It’s so funny what bento packing does. The original dinner was gorgeous but then you repackaged it in a bento and it seems like a whole new meal!
Aw! What cute apple bunnies!
My Friday was awesome! I met Eva and had lunch with her and her husband in Paris (Korean barbecue! Soooo good!) 🙂
I bet your son has the best damn packed lunch in the whole class with this Nami – certainly the most flavoursome and healthy. Some of the junk kids eat these days….. 🙁 I see people walking to school munching candy bars and potato chips, washing it all down with a can of Coke… and this is at 8am – breakfast time! 🙁
Our kids love teriyaki chicken and I make the sauce myself to, but I’ve never considered making leftover into bento boxes for the kids, just Mr. I am going to make some bunny apples for their crunch and sip box! Thank you for the inspiration!
i love the apple bunnies, they are so cute! such a yummy bento!
I love chicken teriyaki! I would love to eat this for lunch!
Oh, your apple bunny look so so cute..
Thanks for the instructions on making the apple bunnies!! Recently, I’ve been packing a banana and some grapes with my lunch, but it’s time for some variety. =) I usually use a little lemon juice to keep apples from browning, but I’m going to try the salt water technique you mentioned!
Hi Kimmi! Japanese use salt water for apples, and I didn’t know about lemon juice until I came to the US. 🙂 Salt water always work perfectly, so please give it a try when you don’t have a lemon! 🙂
You are a bento master! Wow. So pretty. and I’m fairly certain that chicken teriyaki will be the best I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to try the recipe.
It’s sounds like you’ve got everything down perfect and are on a great schedule. I remember those days. They were a repeat of the day before and went clock work. If something got in the way I got all off course.
Love this chicken and the nice way you organize it Bento style. I saved this recipe before but never made it. Glad you posted again so I can make it this time.
I am feeling the same about the shock of how fast September just disappears!! I am so ready for my vacation in November. Your little apple bunnies are adorable, my niece would love them.
Lovely bunnies…!!! Incredible the year is over, just 3 months and we will be on the 2013. Sometimes I have a hard time with Adriana, well, not me because she has lunch at the school, so her teachers have to deal with her. The food at school is excellent, but not for her, so she always asked me for a lunch box, but I can’t, I can’t make something like your bentos.
Aww the apple bunnies are so cute! That looks fantastic and I love bentos because they are a bit of everything! 😀
Hope you aren`t being too overwhelmed! 🙂
This looks amazing~ I love the apple bunnies! ♥ Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
bento looks wonderful
My son loves chicken teriyaki more than anything! If he could, he would eat it for breakfast, lunch and diner!
I am amazed by the creativeness of your Bento boxes! They always look so colorful and fun.
So when are you coming over to pack me this amazing bento lunch? 🙂
Who does not love teriyaki, the sweet and savoury flavours of that sauce is amazing in any meats
ok I think so I ll so that once and serve some miso soup before the chicken teriyaki. I dont think so that I had asked u that before, but whats Furikake?
Pretty, little perfect bento. 😀
Another great bento with beautiful presentation. This might be the best yet, mainly because I love Chicken Teriyaki. Those apple bunnies are really cute – great idea. Fun post – thanks.
Hi Nami,
You are such a wonderful mom and cook. This looks amazing!
Hi Nami,
I hope you’ve had a great weekend! I have been extremely busy so this recipe is great for me too. Love love teriyaki and the bento box is so cute:)
My, you are disciplined. A lot of times I don’t know what I’m having for dinner until right before I make it. Then I still have to go to the store to pick up the ingredients, LOL! I need that kind of schedule in my life. 🙂
I can go for this meal anytime. Comforting and tasty all at once! 🙂
So here’s the funny thing, I just had dinner an hour ago and I feel hungry all over again looking at your gorgeous bento box! Oh my goodness… that teriyaki chicken in homemade sauce… please send it express! ;-). The apple bunnies stole my heart though; too cute!
I need to make myself bento boxes for lunch. I have to try your teriyaki soon. I am sure homemade version will be a whole lot better than the take out!
Always enjoy checking out your recipes, Nami. Reminds me how much I miss living in Tokyo, and looking forward to every meal.
I did have a nice weekend with so many activities going on in Richmond because of Culture days. And the good thing is that weather is still warm with cool evenings.
You make wonderful lunches for your kids from the day before dinner.
My son Nami is a big fan of teriyaki sauce. He eats his salmon only like this and he loves every bite! I am sure he would love the chicken as well!
At the moment I mostly sit at home and study for my exams, but next year when I start a PhD I’ll work at an office mostly and then I’ll make a lot of lunch boxes for myself. I love the bento concept because it’s so balanced and fresh, and everything is so organized and kindly arranged. I think my bento would have vegetables, fish or chicken, and brown rice or legumes. Looking forward to that already! 🙂
You are an artist Nami, and your son is so lucky to have you. My kids would swicth loyalties in a heartbeat of they saw this bento. I love the chicken teriyaki idea, and I am going to try this one for sure.
happy making bento for lunch! hearty and delicious!
Latest: Little Tiramisu Dream
We will love this Chicken Teriyaki! I will make this right away for my family. I used to pack a lot of lunchboxes for my kids – wish I had known you then. What a great idea with the Apple Bunnies, too — so cute! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful recipes, Nami!
Those apple bunnies are adorable!!
Time is flying… God we are already into holiday zone…
You know I have to try Bento soon, I love love the idea of such creative;y packed lunch, just I dunno why I am scared to do it myself.
Another great bento Nami! I’m definitely going to make this chicken teriyaki very soon. It will be a sure fire winner around here. 🙂 (Bonus if there are leftovers for Mr. N’s lunch too!)
I’m a huge fan of teriyaki, and the idea of a teriyaki bento meal sounds utterly delicious!
I wish I had a chicken teriyaki Bento right now for dinner! It is so hot outside I don’t want to cook dinner tonight, wouldn’t a lovely Bento be perfect right now, I wish you delivered these Nami;-) Chicken thighs without skin are my favorite part of the chicken, they look good with the teriyaki sauce;-)
Very nice Chicken Teriyaki for dinner and it’s a great choice for a bento box. You are getting really good and developing your own style.
Your bento creations not only looks delicious, but presented beautifully! I hope I get to sample a packed bento from you one day 🙂
Hi, Nami! I’m only now feeling better from my flu 🙁 The good news is, I have my tastes and appetite back! Your food never fails to make me drool! I’m always amazed at the cute and wonderful things you do with your bento lunches! So creative, so Japanese! My school lunch boxes are just plain and blah…! You really inspire me!
I love apple bunnies, always make me feel like a little kid when I eat them. 😛 Also love chicken teriyaki, one of my favourite and most versatile Japanese recipes!
The apple bunnies are so cute! I’ve heard bento is popular among moms trying to get their children to eat more, by making food into cute shapes, etc. My sister uses tricks to get her daughter to eat, and says to me, “We never needed extra incentive to eat when we were little.” lol I think chicken terayaki and apple bunnies would definitely do the trick.
Hey! I just love how you explain how to make these pretty bentos. I’m not a Japanese, and how these pretty and tasty things are made are such a mystery to me. Maybe one day I’ll try sprucing up my bento like this. 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
I just stumbled upon your site and I love your bento recipes. They are not too kiddie for me which I can also prepare for dinner. I have bought lovely traditional bento boxes here: http://www.katachiware.com.au/bento-boxes.html which I haven’t any idea yet what food should I put there. And your recipes were prefect to try out with my new babies <3 Thanks
Hi Cee! You have very nice traditional bento boxes. Hope you enjoy making bento! So happy to hear you like my bento posts. 🙂