Quinoa Chicken Power Bowl
This is one of those fantastic meals that is as healthy for you as it is beautiful to look at.
Tons of fiber, protein and vitamins from quinoa, chicken and crisp cabbage, peppers and edamame. Feel free to add in whatever veggies you have on hand. This is very similar to my Buddha bowl recipe I posted a few months back. This recipe has a mariande you poach the chicken in for deep flavor. Vinegar, lime juice and spicy ginger break down the chicken making it extra tender. You then use the cooked marinade to cook the quinoa and you do not waste a drop of the delicious juices.
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Quinoa Chicken Power Bowl- serves 4
- For the Marinade:
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 TBSP sweet chili sauce
1 TBPS honey
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
2 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
- For the Bowl:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lenthwise
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups purple cabbage-sliced into ribbons and set in 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar for 30 minutes.
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup edamame, thawed
1- 8 oz package of SOBA noodles, cooked according to directions
1/4 cup roasted cashews, optional
- For the Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp honey
Method: Total time 1 hour
- Pre heat oven to 375. Place sliced chicken, in a large oven proof baking dish. Combine marinade- (rice wine vinegar through ginger) in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Remove. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes until golden browned and tender. Let rest for 15 minutes then slice on the diagonal.
Measure and reserve marinade. - In a small saucepan, pour reserved marinade into the pan. Add in an addtional amount of water per directions of your quinoa instructions. Example- If directions call for 2 cups of water and you have 3/4 cup of marinade, add in 1 1/4 cup of water to the pan with the marinade.
Continue to cook quinoa per instructions until fluffy. Cover and keep warm. Set aside. - While chicken is baking and quinoa is cooking, make peanut sauce. Whisk peanut butter through honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
- To assemble: In individual serving bowls, place a helping of the cooked quinoa. Top with chicken. Drain cabbage and add it, red peppers and edamame in a fanned out design. Nestle a small serving of soba noodles in with the veggies. Drizzle with peanut sauce. Top with toasted cashews if desired.
You can quickly cook up the veggies in the same pot after you’ve boiled the noodles with a touch of sesame oil if you do not want them raw.
You can serve the veggies raw, I let the cabbage soak in a bit of vinegar to break down the fibers a bit, or you can quickly steam the veggies in the soba noodle cooking pot.
Just try to save you from lots of dish washing.
To serve- it’s full to lay out a colorful platter with all the ingredients and let folks choose what they want. This is even better served the next day- if you have any leftovers.
You can tweak the peanut sauce recipe to your liking. You may want to add more soy, vinegar or honey just depending on how sweet you like it.
The soba noodles are not necessary, but I find it’s helpful to have an extra carb on the plate when feeding a crowd.
Enjoy!
