Thai-Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl.
Say hello to your stereotypical trying-to-be-healthy Monday recipe.
Like the many Mondays that have come before, I attempt to lure you in with the promise of half-assed vegetables and a balanced meal. Only to finish you off with a bowl full of butter and a glass of tequila on Friday.
I guess it doesn’t have to be Monday… but it is. And the truth is that even though I like quinoa, one of my main goals in life is seeing how many unhealthy things that I love can be stuffed inside the same bowl so I can dub the entire thing health food. Bacon grease, cheese and brown butter breadcrumbs? Instantly because healthy with the added quarter cup of quinoa. Yessss.
I love how that works.
And I want to tell you that this is another one of my cop-out Thai recipes because it sort of is, but I just love that sauce soooooo much. It first appeared on my thai chicken wings and then later on this thai crunch chicken salad, and it’s not a stretch to say I whip it up nearly once a week just to see what else I can thai-afy. Thai nachos? Check. Thai burgers? Check. Thai noodles? Check. Thai sauce on a spoon? Check.
Don’t worry. Thai cookies are not next. You may have thought otherwise with how much I talk about this. I know. I’ll just shut up.
Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1/3 cup chopped carrots
- 1/3 cup shelled edamame
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canned coconut milk
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter, it mixes in easier if it’s melted, FYI
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 lime, juice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa according to directions, which will most likely call for 1 cup of liquid. I prefer to use low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, so if you have that, use it!
- While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Once quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, stir in the sauce and toss well to coat. Add in chicken, carrots, edamame and green onions, stirring to combine. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper if needed. Toss in half of the peanuts and cilantro, then serve in a large bowl, topped with remaining peanuts and cilantro. I like to serve this with a salad, soup or even a little sandwich!
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I appreciate you so much!
So many veggies for me!
273 Comments on “Thai-Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl.”
Amazing!! We loved it…so did the kids!! -V
yum! this was super delish — thanks lady!
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I want to make this, looks delicious! I have a question though…do you cook the carrots? It doesn’t seem like it but wanted to check!
I made this tonight for my boyfriend and myself – we both gobbled it up. It was really delicious. Had to use lemon juice and forgot edamame, but it was still very good – a lot of the thai flavors we love! I will for sure make it again.
I was eating this sauce with a spoon before adding it to the quinoa! So delicious!
Just made this for dinner. So tasty! I substituted the sweet chili sauce for some habenero mango chili sauce for some extra kick.
This was our dinner tonight – loved it!! I served it with some homemade pork spring rolls. Delicious!
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Just made this. IT IS SO FREAKIN’ GOOD. Seriously just make it. Also the portion sizes are pretty generous which is great!!
I just made this and it is so good! I used tempeh for the protein and stir fried all of the veggies with a bag of shredded cabbage from TJ’s! Awesome! Will definitely make this again
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Why is this dish called “Thai”? I’m Thai and we NEVER eat quinoa in savory dish. So out of my curiosity why the dish that I never seen in my country was labeled “Thai” to start…lol…we also don’t cook with edamame or using peanut butter in cooking too. We do eat edamame but only in Japanese restaurant and peanut butter would sit under thick dust on the shelf in the groceries hahaha. We do eat a lot of roasted, fried crushed peanuts though. I lived in CA and I use peanut butter where I should use crushed penury in cooking and most of my Thai friends call me “lazy”…lol…I don’t mean to insult your recipe or anything and I’m sure its delicious but so curious why my nation cuisine name has to do with the dish.
Because the combination of peanut flavors, a little spice from the chili sauce and the addition of ginger or another pungent spice (oh and coconut milk!) is acossoated with Thai cooking in the United States. And the name of the dish is not referring to te quinoa as Thai, but the flavor profile of the dish. Same with something, like say, Mexican casserole (casseroles aren’t a common cooking technique in mexico). It’s a form of fusion when you combine flavor profiles associated with a style of cultural cooking with food items uncommon in the same area. Like I make an Italian burger where I add on roasted tomatoes, pesto mayo mozzarella and basil leaves, but burgers are in no way Italian. It’s just an easy way to describe the flavor profile you’re presenting, not a claim that the food is from the country of origin.
This is a great way to respond to a good question. When I search for “Thai” cuisine online, I am looking for a flavor profile. At the same time, I like to make use of what I have in my house: peanut butter, chicken, quinoa, carrots… I want to taste flavors similar to Thai restaurants without having the capacity to cook a good, Traditional Thai meal. Or, I want to taste the flavors of Thai food in something that is not authentic. I’d make authentic Thai if I have the accessibility to the correct ingredients, though.
Also, I just made this dish, with a few variations, and it was lovely. I added wilted cabbage for some color and threw mushrooms into the chicken since I had them.
maybe it is because you are a moron
Uh, just who is name calling? I believe “K” came to the practical explanation.
Made this last night for dinner and we loved it. It’s going into my recipe book. It’s good with the chicken, but we’re working towards vegan and I don’t think the recipe would miss it. Thanks!
My boyfriend and I are currently eating a vegan diet and it is just as delicious wihtout the chicken!
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I want to know what is in the ball jar glasses?
Um water…Idiot
It could just as easily be iced lime juice, which is a great flavor combination with Thai. Do people really find it fulfilling to make rude, useless comments on food blogs?
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Oh this was heaven! I used a spicy sweet chili sauce so it was a little on the hot side but all the flavors were spot on. What a great recipe. Thanks so much for posting it!!
Made this 2 nights ago and it was such a hit that I made it AGAIN last night for more friends. It also refrigerates so well and I’m counting down the minutes to feast on it round three for lunch.
2 comments- either I have an unusually large appetite or 1/2 C quinoa is a little too small. My boyfriend looked at the bowl of 1/2 C cooked with a stink eye (quinoa was enough of a leap..), and I ended up doubling the recipe, which worked perfectly. Would rather have more left over than leave us hungry!
I also used fresh grated ginger instead of ground last night and it added a great flavor to the dish over ground.
Love your recipes and can’t wait to make more.
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So I LOVE your recipes and this looks amazing… hubby and I are working toward a more plant-based diet, so i’ll leave out the chicken and see what happens.
Oh, and those thai cookies? try this: http://www.cooksrecipes.com/cookie/thai_coconut-ginger_sticky_rice_jumbles_recipe.html
Not EXACTLY thai; it’s really just because of the ginger. but they are delicious!
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love this combination of a salad!!! I’ll definitely try the quinoa version!
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Love the recipe idea! I made it on the weekend and it was a hit with the hubby :) For extra “Thai” flavour I added keffir lime leaves.
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Has anyone made this without using coconut milk?
I am thinking of eliminating the coconut milk too, to reduce the fat..a bit too high for 17 g. I think with the peanut butter, it should be ok.
I made this without both coconut milk and peanut butter. I thought it worked out totally fine! However, I would probably add one of them next time to make it a bit less dry.
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This recipe is wonderful with a good variety of ingredients. We used couscous instead and we loved it!
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Made this tonight for the first time and it was so. good. It was a hit with my picky boyfriend, too. Love this recipe!
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My husband sent this recipe to me months ago. I finally got around to making it and he loved it!!! He said that i have permission to make this recipe whenever I want and as much as I want! Thanks for all the great recipes! Keep the coming!