Hi everyone! Gosh this weekend went by in the blink of an eye, didn’t it?! The Midwest is facing a serious arctic blast. Schools and business are closed today – I think the entire state of Minnesota is cancelled – so I spent the past few days indoors working, playing with my sweet babe, and laying low. It was fabulous!
Oh, we rented The Heat with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock on Saturday night. I laughed out loud the entire two hours while Ben proclaimed it to be one of the worst movies he’s ever seen. What?! I’m calling shenanigans. If you’re in need of a laugh, definitely rent it. You’re welcome.
Anyway, the frigid temps are supposed to continue this week (today’s high is negative two. Yes. High.)Â making leaving the house, even to go to the grocery store, very unappealing. If you’re in the same boat I’ve got an awesome recipe for you to try:Â Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls!Â
Made with nearly all fridge, freezer and pantry staples, Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls channel my favorite recipe for Chicken Pad Thai, swapping rice noodles for quinoa. This recipe is fantastic!
I’ve professed that in the past I made a TON of bad Pad Thai. Like, really, really bad. It was thick, gloopy, and the furthest thing from appetizing. After Ben politely put the kibosh on my peanut noodle problem, I went back to the kitchen and re-mastered the sauce once and for all. The result was a perfectly peanutty, savory sauce that doesn’t coat the noodles, rather, gets absorbed by them. So, so delicious.
Since I’m on a quinoa kick right now (see Quinoa with Caramelized Butternut Squash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts, California Crab and Quinoa Salad, and Crunchy Quinoa Granola!) I thought I’d re-make the dish using my favorite superfood instead of rice noodles, and it turned out awesome. Really hope you’ll give this filling, fast, and flavorful dish a try – no special grocery store run required!
Start by rinsing 1 cup quinoa under cold running water.
Quinoa is actually a seed and is very healthy. In addition to cooking it in chicken broth with a hit of garlic and parmesan cheese as a side dish for dinner, I like to occasionally use it in place of rice or pasta, like in this dish, since it’s high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Quinoa is very easy to cook, too, and is ready in 15 minutes.
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 I’m insane and hate to lose even a single seed through the mesh!
After rinsing the quinoa, add it to 1-1/2 cups 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. Simply combine 1/4 cup low-sodium gluten-free tamari or soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon each sugar and peanut butter, and 2 teaspoons gluten-free chili garlic sauce in a bowl then microwave for 20 seconds and stir with a fork until smooth.
Now get the rest of the ingredients ready including 1 large chicken breast thinly sliced, 1 cup coleslaw mix, 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame (not thawed,) 2 chopped green onions, 1 egg whisked with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts.Â
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 1 teaspoon 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!
free email bonus
Dinner Made EASY
5 days of simple yet flavorful recipes that take the stress out of dinnertime!
Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Description
Gluten-free Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls have the signature flavors of Chicken Pad Thai. Quick, easy, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
- 1 large chicken breast, 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 salted peanuts, chopped and divided
- For the Thai Peanut Sauce:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free chili garlic sauce
Directions
- Add rinsed 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. (Can be done ahead of time.)
- 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
SHN Favorites + Link-Love 1-10-13 - Diary of a Semi-Health Nut 01.10.2014
[…] Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls by Kristen at Iowa Girl Eats […]
Top Five Friday Favorites | Ali Damron 01.10.2014
[…] Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls.  I have been having a thing for Thai food in general, but pad thai to be more specific lately.  I just can’t get enough.  I feel like I need to have it at least once a week lately.  Kristen substituted quinoa for rice noodles in this popular dish.  I think it’s calling my name this weekend. […]
Emily 01.09.2014
Shared this one with my yoga peeps. Delicious and can be made Vegan with vegetable broth and tofu:) Made it tonight. Yummy Yummy!!!!! Next time I may garnish with cilantro like in your picture. Happy heat wave starting tomorrow:) Yippee!!!
Trisha 01.09.2014
Eating this right now, with a few swaps due to pure laziness and a sudden obsession with Brussels sprouts, and it is DIVINE! I could eat it every night.
Kim 01.09.2014
Made this tonight- SO GOOD! Adding this into my monthly rotation of recipes for sure! Love that all the ingredients are staples, too!
calliope 01.09.2014
This is such a great recipe, thanks for posting! :D
Mary 01.09.2014
I will have to try this. I pretty much love anything covered in peanut sauce. I made another quinoa recipe with peanut sauce recently that you might like. I like to cheat and precook quinoa in my ricecooker so I can take a cup for lunches, add different veggie & sauces so I don’t get sick of eating a big batch of something.
http://vegangela.com/2013/09/27/asian-cashew-quinoa-salad/
Stefani 01.09.2014
This looks delicious! I am wondering how long things like balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, white cooking wines etc keep for once opened? I know they are not all in this recipe it just reminded me I meant to ask:-)
Iowa Girl Eats 01.09.2014
Olive oil can last 2 years if kept tightly capped – balsamic vinegar up to 5 years if kept in a cool dry place (per Old Town Oil: I’d go by the “use by” date on the soy sauce bottle!
Hannah 01.08.2014
Super good and quick! Very easy to change and swap ingredients
Laura 01.08.2014
Delicious, made this tonight and substituted grated carrots and green beans as no slaw mix on hand. But delicious. Loved the sauce and am going to marinade some chicken in it for my daughter. Thank you for how to cook quinoa properly – came out perfect! Yum yum!
Jennifer 01.07.2014
Made this today – totally delicious! My husband and I WOLFED this down…kinda embarassing, actually, but it was so amazing! Subbed in peas (that’s what I had) and I just finely sliced green cabbage and grated some carrots out the garden since I didn’t have the mix. It’s a keeper!
Kristy @ Southern In Law 01.07.2014
Oh yum! This looks delish!
Brooke 01.07.2014
Eating a bowl of this right now! So delicious and pretty simple to make once everything is prepped. I love the quinoa instead of heavy rice or noodles and the peanut sauce has a great consistency and flavor balance. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Layla 01.07.2014
Made this last night and it was delicious! Didn’t have edamame in the freezer so I used peas, but otherwise the same. Kids loved it too!
Karla K 01.07.2014
Eating this for lunch right now – it’s so delicious! Glad to have another option to add into my quinoa lunch rotation!
Karla K 01.07.2014
Also wanted to note that I subbed broccoli slaw for the coleslaw mix because that’s what i had on hand and it works great here.
Links I Like | Seeking Joy 01.07.2014
[…] Thai Peanut Chicken Quinoa Bowls […]
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life 01.06.2014
I saw this while eating my bordering-on-boring salad with quinoa for lunch at work today – and did I sure wish it was this delicious looking bowl instead! For some reason in our house we love Asian-inspired meals, but only think to make them every now and again. Lucky for us, when the craving hits we already have a bunch of the ingredients (sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce etc.) on hand!
Michelle 01.06.2014
I can’t wait to make this! It looks amazing!! Thanks for always having such great recipe ideas. My husband gets excited if I say I am making an “IowaGirlEats” recipe for dinner! :)
Ruth 01.06.2014
I have a soy allergy. What would you suggest using in place of the edamame?
Iowa Girl Eats 01.07.2014
Peas, zucchini, or chopped broccoli would be good!
robin 01.06.2014
so so yummy looking! I am so pumped I just bought a huge organic Bolivian quinoa at Costco. Super cool. Yep.