Recipe: Peanut Chicken Power Bowls
These nourishing peanut chicken bowls are packed with quinoa, a rainbow of veggies, and finished with a creamy peanut sauce.
Serves4
Prep15 minutes to 20 minutes
Cook15 minutes
If power bowls and Buddha bowls aren’t already part of your weekly meal plan, this is the recipe that will convince you they should be. The crispy chicken bites are coated in a soy sauce-spiked peanut sauce, and served in a bowl with a rainbow of vibrant, crisp veggies. It’s a nourishing meal you may just start making every week.
Meal Prep These Bowls
One of my favorite things about Buddha bowls is how well they lend themselves to meal prep. This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes from beginning to end, and everything in these bowls — the chicken, the quinoa, the vegetables, and the peanut sauce — can be made in advance during your meal prep session. While the quinoa cooks, whisk together the sauce and cook the chicken in a skillet. You can also use pre-shredded carrots and cabbage to cut down some of the prep work.
Assemble and store the bowls in lidded containers, and keep the dressing stored separately. Then, pour it over your prepped bowl before heading out the door in the morning so the peanut sauce can seep into the grains and over the veggies. Or, take the sauce with you and add it just before digging in.
More Delicious Buddha Bowls
Peanut Chicken Power Bowls
These nourishing peanut chicken bowls are packed with quinoa, a rainbow of veggies, and finished with a creamy peanut sauce.
Prep time 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the peanut sauce:
- 3 tablespoons
tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 1 tablespoon
rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons
honey
- 1/2 teaspoon
sambal oelek or Asian chili-garlic paste
- 1/3 cup
creamy peanut butter, preferably regular and not natural
- 2 tablespoons
toasted (Asian) sesame oil
For the bowls:
- 1 cup
quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 3/4 cups
water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups
finely shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup
shredded carrot
- 1/2
medium English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup
coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1/4 cup
unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Make the sauce:
Place the tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, honey, and chile-garlic paste in a pint-sized glass jar, seal, and shake to combine. Add the peanut butter and sesame oil. Seal again and shake vigorously until well combined, about 30 seconds; set aside. (Alternatively, whisk together in a medium bowl.)
Make the bowls:
Place the quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to steam for 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with the pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the peanut sauce and stir to coat the chicken; set aside.
Divide the quinoa between 4 bowls. Top with the chicken, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and peanuts, then drizzle with the remaining peanut sauce. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The sauce, quinoa, and chicken can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated in separate airtight containers.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 4 days.
