Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls have the signature flavors of Chicken Pad Thai in protein-packed, gluten-free form. Quick, easy, and delicious!
I confess to making a ton of bad Pad Thai in the past, your honor. It was thick, gloopy, and the furthest thing from appetizing. After finally mastering the homemade recipe though (made without Tamarind paste, no less!) I decided to toss the savory, homemade sauce with cooked quinoa to create this healthy, protein packed, gluten free version of Pad Thai.
Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls are fresh, flavorful, and fast. A truly fun take on Pad Thai that will leave you full and satisfied for hours after eating!
Made with nearly all fridge, freezer and pantry staples, too! Raid the cupboards to get this gorgeous and flavorful meal on the dinner table tonight.
Start by rinsing quinoa under cold running water.
Quinoa is naturally coated in a bitter substance called saponin which needs to be rinsed off. Just add the quinoa to a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water. I go an extra step and line my sieve with cheesecloth because hate to lose even a single seed through the mesh!
After rinsing the quinoa, add it to chicken broth then bring to a boil, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to low, and simmer until all the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork then set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile get the Thai Peanut Sauce ready. To a bowl add:
- Gluten-free tamari
- Rice vinegar
- Water
- Sugar
- Creamy peanut butter
- Gluten-free chili garlic sauce
Microwave for 20 seconds then stir with a fork until smooth. Set aside. Sauce = done!
Now get the rest of the ingredients ready including:
- Thinly sliced chicken breast
- Coleslaw mix
- Frozen shelled edamame
- Green onions
- Egg whisked with sesame oil
- Chopped roasted peanuts
My #1 rule for stir frying is to make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. The actual stir fry process goes too quickly to be chopping or measuring in the middle of it!
Time to start cookin’! Heat peanut oil (or vegetable or coconut oil) in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add to the wok and stir fry until no longer pink. Remove to a place then set aside.
Heat another teaspoon peanut oil in the wok then add the coleslaw mix, shelled frozen edamame, and green onions. Stir fry until just becoming tender then push to the outsides of the wok.
In the center of the wok add the egg whisked with sesame oil then stir until just barely scrambled.
Finally, add the cooked quinoa and chicken back into the wok along with the chopped peanuts and sauce.
Toss to combine, then serve topped with (LOTS of) extra chopped peanuts!
So savory from the peanut sauce, and I just love all the vegetables mixed with fluffy quinoa, and stir fried chicken. Oh and the chopped peanuts!! They’re not to be missed. I hope you enjoy every single bite of this truly delectable take on Chicken Pad Thai!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 chicken breast, ~1/1lb, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup coleslaw mix
- 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped and divided
For the Thai Peanut Sauce:
- 1/4 cup gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons gluten free chili garlic sauce
Directions
- Add quinoa to a small saucepan with the chicken broth then bring to a boil, place a lid on top, turn heat to low and cook until quinoa has absorbed chicken broth, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 20 seconds. Stir until smooth then set aside. Whisk together egg and sesame oil in a small bowl then set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to wok and stir fry until no longer pink. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Heat remaining teaspoon peanut oil in wok then add coleslaw mix, frozen edamame, and green onions. Stir fry until tender, 2-3 minutes, then push to outsides of wok, creating a clear space in the center. Add egg whisked with sesame oil to center of wok then stir fry until soft scrambled.
- Add cooked chicken, quinoa, sauce, and half the chopped peanuts to wok then toss to combine. Serve with remaining chopped peanuts.
Notes
- Throw in any leftover veggies when you stir fry! You can also make extra quinoa earlier in the week to be ready to make this.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Peanut chicken is a win for me and this recipe brings in a twist to it. Cant wait to try it out.
Hey Kristin! I know this recipe is a few years old now, but I realized I never left a review for it, and I’ve made it AT LEAST 15 times since you posted it! This is one of my very favorites from your blog – I never change a thing except to double it so I have lots of leftovers throughout he week. Everytime I heat up leftovers at work I get several people asking me for the recipe. Love it!
Would this be a good dish I could make, portion out and reheat during the week?
For sure! This dish reheats really well.
I made a version of this last night that was delish BUT I am posting to say – make your quinoa in a rice cooker!! I did that last night and WOW! I’ve never really enjoyed quinoa but it made it so good. Light and fluffy. I had to share!
Is Chili Garlic Sauce the same as Sweet Chili Sauce or can I use
Sweet Chili Sauce in place and omit the sugar? Not sure my grocery store carries Chili Garlic Sauce.
Hi Colleen! They are different – sweet chili sauce, like you mentioned, is very sweet with not a ton of heat. If you can’t find chili garlic sauce, you could sub in Siracha, or here’s a link to order chili garlid sacue online: Here’s a gluten-free version too: http://amzn.to/1TL8QOk
Made this for my wife and I tonight, turned out quite salty. Actually to the point where we couldn’t eat it. I’m curious if you use low sodium soy sauce and chicken broth in your recipes? I definitely will not use salted peanuts next time either.
I’m sorry to hear that, Tristan! I have used both regular and low-sodium soy sauce/Tamari in this recipe in the past. Usually the water in the recipe takes care of the saltiness if I use regular.
Is this something that you could eat cold like a salad? Should I still stir fry all of the veggies first?
Hi Mandy! Leftovers are still very good but I personally enjoy it hot vs cold!
I just tried this recipe and it is amazing! totally satisfied my craving for takeout but a lot more healthy :) Thank you!
Beautiful food photography!
Made this tonight. Amazing. We added water chestnuts to it to give a little crunch to it….Also added cilantro on top, delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You wouldn’t happen to have the nutrition stats for this, would you? Thanks..looks amazing!
Hi Grace! I don’t calculate nutritional information for my recipes but recommend Livestrong’s recipe calculator if you need that information! >> http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/create/