Peanut Chicken Power Bowl (Print View)

Tender baked chicken over grains and crisp vegetables with creamy peanut sauce

# Components:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
06 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
07 - 0.25 teaspoon black pepper

→ Grains

08 - 1 cup brown rice or quinoa, uncooked
09 - 2 cups water or low-sodium broth

→ Vegetables

10 - 1 large carrot, julienned or grated
11 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
12 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
13 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
14 - 2 spring onions, sliced
15 - 2 cups baby spinach or mixed greens

→ Peanut Sauce

16 - 0.33 cup creamy peanut butter
17 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
18 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
19 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
20 - 1 teaspoon sriracha or chili sauce, optional
21 - 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

→ Garnish

22 - 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
23 - Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
24 - Lime wedges

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a mixing bowl, toss chicken with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Arrange seasoned chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until fully cooked with internal temperature reaching 165°F. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
04 - Rinse rice or quinoa and place in a saucepan with water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, approximately 25 minutes for brown rice or 15 minutes for quinoa. Fluff with a fork.
05 - Julienne or grate the carrot, slice the bell pepper and cucumber thinly, shred the purple cabbage, slice the spring onions, and measure out the baby spinach or mixed greens.
06 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar or lime juice, honey, sriracha if using, and warm water until reaching a pourable consistency.
07 - Divide cooked grains equally among four bowls. Top each with sliced chicken, assorted fresh vegetables, and greens. Drizzle generously with peanut sauce.
08 - Top each bowl with chopped roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro or parsley, and serve with lime wedges immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It pulls together fast enough for a weeknight but tastes like you put in real effort.
  • The peanut sauce is dangerously good and works on just about anything you have lying around.
  • You can pack it for lunch the next day and it somehow tastes even better cold.
  • It uses simple pantry staples so you are never more than one grocery run away from making it again.
02 -
  • Do not skip resting the chicken after baking, cutting it too soon turns your cutting board into a juice puddle and dries out the meat.
  • If your peanut sauce seizes up or looks grainy, add warm water a teaspoon at a time and whisk hard, it will come back together.
  • Taste the sauce before you drizzle, peanut butters vary wildly in saltiness so you might need to adjust soy sauce or honey on the fly.
03 -
  • Use a microplane to grate garlic or ginger into the peanut sauce for an extra layer of flavor without any chunks.
  • Toast your peanuts in a dry skillet for a minute before chopping them, it makes them taste richer and smell incredible.
  • If you are short on time, use pre-cooked grains or a pouch of microwaveable rice and this whole thing comes together in under twenty minutes.
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