Perfect for a healthy lunch or protein-packed dinner, these Honey Chipotle Salmon Bowls layer smoky-sweet baked salmon bites, avocado, and creamy chipotle mayo over rice.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Flavor explosion! A sticky honey-chipotle marinade infuses the baked salmon with so much flavor, while the chipotle mayo adds a spicy kick.
Easy meal prep bowls – This recipe makes 2 bowls, meaning tonight’s dinner easily doubles as tomorrow’s delicious, stress-free lunch!
Make them your own – These bowls are so customizable. Change the rice, add your favorite toppings, turn up the heat, etc.
These Honey Chipotle Salmon Bowls have everything I could ever want in a grain bowl: savory-sweet marinated salmon, a creamy-spicy chipotle mayo sauce, avocado, and fluffy rice.
But let’s take a moment for the salmon bites, shall we? Just like my cilantro lime salmon bowls and my teriyaki salmon bowls, they are hands-down the best part. Marinated in a spicy-tangy-sweet blend of chipotle in adobo, honey, lime, and warm spices, they bake up with delightfully crisp, caramelized edges and incredible depth of flavor.
In short, these bowls check all of the boxes: ✅ quick to cook, ✅ high in protein, and ✅ packed with serious flavor.
Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowl Ingredients
Salmon – Use any variety of salmon you like. If you use frozen salmon filets, make sure they’re thawed completely before cutting them into small bites.
Salmon marinade – I whisked chipotle in adobo sauce, honey, avocado oil (or olive oil), lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, and salt together for a well-balanced sweet, smoky, and tangy marinade.
Chipotle mayo – This is just mayo, chipotle in adobo, and a splash of lime juice whisked together. Feel free to swap the mayo for plain Greek yogurt to give the sauce a slight protein boost.
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Fresh topping ideas – Fresh, crunchy vegetables, like red cabbage, shelled edamame, and shredded carrots, are the way to go. Pickled red onions and a scoop of this fresh pineapple salsa are good, too!
- Or add cooked vegetables, like roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed kale or spinach.
- Instead of plain white rice, use cooked quinoa, farro, brown rice, or cilantro lime brown rice.
- Change the sauce – Ditch the chipotle mayo and add a drizzle of cool cilantro-lime crema, zesty cilantro-lime vinaigrette, or my spicy avocado dressing for a different kind of kick.
How to Make Honey Chipotle Salmon Bowls
Step 1: Marinate the salmon. Whisk the salmon marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the salmon bites to the bowl and stir to coat. Set it aside to marinate.
Step 2: Bake the salmon. Arrange the marinated salmon on a prepared baking sheet, then bake until the pieces are cooked through and the edges are caramelized.
Step 3: Make the chipotle mayo. While the salmon is baking, whisk the mayo, chipotle in adobo sauce, and lime juice together in a small bowl.
Step 4: Assemble and serve. Divide the cooked rice between 2 serving bowls. Top each one with the salmon, avocado, and your vegetables of choice. Drizzle the chipotle mayo on top, then garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- I recommend marinating the salmon for at least 15 minutes before baking. If you have extra time, cover and refrigerate it for up to 12 hours. The longer it sits, the deeper the flavor!
- You can air fry the salmon instead of baking if you’d prefer. Just use the directions from my air fryer salmon bites recipe.
- You’ll know the salmon is done cooking when it turns opaque and flakes easily when scraped with a fork.
- I always finish the salmon bites under the broiler to get their edges nice and crisp.
My Pro Tip
Multi-Tasking Saves Time
I like to keep the prep moving by working in stages. I’ll soak the salmon in the marinade while the oven is preheating, then cook the rice, make the chipotle mayo, and prepare any other toppings while the salmon bakes.
Chipotle Salmon FAQs
Yes, frozen salmon works here. Just make sure to thaw the fillets completely in the refrigerator overnight before patting them dry, cutting them into bite-sized pieces, and tossing them in the marinade.
That’s totally up to you. I personally prefer to remove the skin because, without it, the salmon is much easier to slice into uniform bite-sized pieces.
Storage
Make Ahead: Marinate the salmon up to 12 hours in advance. Cook the rice and make the chipotle mayo a day or two ahead.
Refrigerator: When I’m making these bowls for meal prep, I’ll pack the cooked rice, salmon, and any cooked veggies into airtight containers for 3 to 4 days. Before serving, I’ll top the bowls with avocado, fresh veggies, and the chipotle mayo.
Reheating: Microwave the salmon and rice in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
More Salmon Recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
-
Whisk the salmon marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl: chipotle in adobo sauce, honey, avocado oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and salt.
-
Cut the salmon into one inch pieces, then place it into the bowl with the marinade and stir so that it’s coated. Allow the salmon to marinade while the oven preheats. Alternatively, you can cover the bowl and place the salmon in the refrigerator and let it marinade for up to 12 hours.
-
Preheat the oven to 450° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. At this point, you should also cook the rice according to the package instructions if you plan on serving this over rice.
-
Once the oven is heated, use a slotted spoon to transfer the salmon to the prepared baking sheet. Bake the salmon for 12-15 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon), then broil for 1-2 minutes; remove from the oven.
-
Last, make the chipotle mayo: whisk the mayo, chipotle in adobo sauce and lime juice together in a small bowl.
-
Assemble the bowls: divide the rice into two bowls, then top it with the salmon and avocado, along with any other vegetables you want to add. Drizzle with some of the chipotle mayo, then sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation
Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 890mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 3mg
