I haven’t tried a copycat recipe in awhile. I prefer “this recipe is the best chicken/meatloaf/steak” (even though best is used a bit liberally online don’t you think) because, you don’t have anything to compare it to. Copycat recipes have a lot to live up to. Let’s face it, if they all nailed the recipe 100% the restaurants we gobble these up from wouldn’t be as successful as they are. So, I go into this saying that this Brown’s Chicken Teriyaki Dragon Bowl copycat recipe is a good substitution when you can’t get to a Brown’s location near you, or are trying to keep an eye on your budget (this recipe serves 4+) BUT, nothing beats the real thing (and someone else cooking and cleaning up for you!)
This recipe is basically a mish-mash of recipes for teriyaki chicken stir-fry, braised cabbage and spicy yogurt – the components of the Brown’s Dragon Bowl – so if you have a favorite recipe for one of those ingredients already, use that to make it your own. Stir-fry is forgiving, you can add or substitute veggies based on what you have on hand. Teriyaki sauce is easy to make at home but you have a favorite brand, use it!
Brown’s Dragon Bowl Copycat Recipe
If you're a fan of the Dragon Bowl (with Teriyaki Chicken) or the Cactus Club Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, give this one a try!
Braised Cabbage
- ½ head red cabbage (cored and sliced thin )
- 2 apples (cored, peeled, and cut into matchsticks)
- ½ cup red onion (sliced thin)
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp olive oil ((1 tbsp butter can be substituted))
Spicy Yogurt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
Stir-Fry
- 1-2 tbsp oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size cubes)
- 1 pepper (yellow, orange or red) (cut into 1" slices (or bite size pieces, whatever!))
- 1 stalk baby bok choy (cut into 1/2" slices)
- 1 cup broccoli (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 6 stalks asparagus (cut into bite-size pieces)
- ½ cup matchstick carrots ((or take 1 carrot and cut into matchsticks))
- 4 green onions (sliced thin)
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 5 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ cup cold water
Rice
- 4 cups cooked rice ((jasmine or basmati are great, but white or brown will work fine too))
Yes, it looks labor intensive, but you can make the braised cabbage and spicy yogurt the day before to help alleviate the steps all at once. Ensure that you make the spicy yogurt at least one hour before so the flavors blend, but making a day ahead is even better anyway! Directions for how to prepare, below!
Braised Cabbage
Add oil (or butter), to a large pot on the stove and once heated, add the apples and red onion. Heat until onion is soft (2-3 minutes), then add the cabbage, vinegar, water and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on the stove for about 1 hour to 1.5 hours (basically you want to simmer and stir until the cabbage is nice and tender).
Spicy Yogurt
Simply mix all ingredients together and pour into a sealed container (small mason jars are great for this!) and store in fridge for at least 1 hour. If you taste test early, you will note that it doesn't seem very spicy just yet. Don't give in to the temptation to add more spice until it has had time to blend for at least an hour – you'll be surprised how spicy it is when made the day before!
Stir-Fry
Heat oil in a large pan or wok on the stove. Add cubed chicken and cook until browned (the chicken in the restaurant recipe typically has some nice crispy pieces, so ensure you brown the chicken well). Remove from pan and set aside.
Add more oil to the pan if needed, then add your remaining vegetables except the green onion slices. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, add chicken and teriyaki sauce back to the pan and combine. Remove from heat, add green onion and give the stir-fry a final stir.
Teriyaki Sauce
Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until nearly heated through, about 1 minute. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cold water together in a cup; stir until dissolved. Add to the saucepan. Cook and stir sauce until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Rice
Prepare your favorite rice as you normally would (I love my rice cooker!)
Build Your Bowl!
Simply add rice to the bottom of your bowl, then layer stir fry, cabbage, and finally the spicy yogurt sauce on top (you can just plop it on with a spoon or use a squeeze bottle to distrubute like I did). Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
That looks great!!
This looks amazing
Copycat recipe are some of my favourites. I always mean to take a stab at some of my own local favourites, but it usually gets pushed to the back burner.
Just made this tonight for dinner and it was so good!! Our grocery store was sold out of red cabbage so I subbed a bag of shredded coleslaw and it worked great. Also used snow peas instead of asparagus. Will definitely make again! Thank you!!
This is the best recipe, thank you so much. I moved to a rural area and there is no Browns close by so this has allowed me to get my dragon bowl fix.
TIP: I use sauerkraut instead of the braised cabbage. You can heat it up in a side dish with butter or oil or just throw it straight into the stir fry. I have tried it with both white or red and both are tasty!
Ohhhhh that sounds like a good substitute, thank you!
Can I make the cabbage dish a day ahead and reheat to save time