These rice balls (onigiri) are filled with chicken seasoned with turmeric and mayo, then toasted crispy in a pan.
Turmeric mayo chicken
Usually chicken is a hit or miss with Munchkin (and with many toddlers). I believe it’s the texture of chicken that throws her off sometimes. This turmeric mayo chicken paste is soft and creamy making it toddler-friendly. I also sneaked in some zucchini.😉 Munchkin loves the filling and would eat a bowl of it straight with a spoon. Ok, I am not a master of making rice balls. I used to pick them up, ready-to-eat, at a convenience store while growing up. So when I was trying to make perfectly round balls with the filling completely wrapped in the rice, I got frustrated pretty fast. I almost gave in and thought of just giving a bowl of chicken along with a bowl of rice.
The solution: rice ball sandwich
But the vision of cute rice balls, toasted, sitting in a lovely lunchbox lined with a beautiful green leaf got me going. Eventually, I found a solution. I took out the rice ball mold from the cabinet and made a sort of a sandwich instead. Traditionally, fillings are entirely covered with rice, but I would end up with too much rice and a little chicken this way. And most of the flavor and the nutrition is in the chicken here. So I tried to pack in as much filling as I could. It was so much easier to make it this way too.
Crispy rice
You need short grain sticky rice such as Japanese sushi rice to get the balls in shape. I used Korean “sweet rice” also called “glutinous rice.” It’s actually not sweet but has a very sticky texture, not quite fluffy as sushi rice. But that was ok because I was going to toast the rice until golden and crispy. I think the crispiness gave a nice contrast to the soft filling. (You can refrigerate the rice balls right before toasting them. Crisp them up when you are ready to eat.)
Putting them in a lunchbox
Putting in the lunchbox was my favorite part as the inspiration for this recipe came from an image of rice balls sitting on a green leaf. I used a pumpkin leaf, but any green leaf would work. To add a color contrast, I filled the rest of the lunchbox with pomegranate seeds. Between, munchkin loved the pomegranate seeds so much that I gave an extra serving for dinner too.
If you enjoyed this recipe also check out my tomato-y chicken recipe.
Products used here
LunchBots Uno Stainless Steel Food Container: I’m in love with the simple, sleek design of this lunch box.
Inomata Triangle Sushi Mold: This is not the brand I used, but you can find a similar one through this link.
(If you buy from these links, it won’t cost you a penny more, but I’ll get a small compensation. 😙)

Crispy rice balls with turmeric mayo chicken
These rice balls (onigiri) are filled with chicken & zucchini seasoned with turmeric and mayo, then toasted crispy in a pan. Turmeric mayo chicken paste is soft and creamy making it toddler-friendly.
Ingredients
- 0.8 lb chicken breast
- 1/2 zucchini chopped
- 1 tbsp mayo
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 5 cups cooked short grain sticky rice
- 5 cloves garlic optional
- 1/2 onion optional
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
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Place chicken, garlic, onion in a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add zucchini and simmer for additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
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Take out the chicken and zucchini. Discard the onion and garlic, and reserve the broth for later use. (I used it to make egg noodle soup.)
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Chop the chicken, and place it in a food processor along with the zucchini, mayo, soy sauce, and turmeric powder. Blend until the mixture turns into a soft paste.
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Wet your hands with water. Place a layer of rice into a rice ball mold. Spread the chicken mixture evenly across the rice. Add another layer of rice on top. Gently press the rice sandwich and take it out from the mold.
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Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Toast the rice balls on both sides until golden and crispy.
9 Responses
Rice ball sandwich is a brilliant idea and the crispy rice sounds delicious! Have a great week Hee Jee!
Thank you so much Leanne. I think it’s much better when toasted cripsy. 🙂
Thank you so much, Leanne, I will try today…
Hey Hee Jee Your Post is Amazing . Keep Sharing it
Very yummy recipe for rice lovers. Especially for those who want to eat rice in a unique way, just like a sweet.
Looking like a delicious recipe must be tried on the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
thank you so much. Hope you give it a go.
My 3 yo daughter ate this without any hesitation ! I added a little bit more mayo for more creaminess. Thanks for the wonderful recipe !
I’m so happy to hear that. Extra mayo is definitely going to make it even yummier. My daughter eats just mayo sandwich sometimes. lol