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.
I made this for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious! My husband, who’s normally a meat and potatoes kind of guy, said this was “comfort food” and asked for it to be put in our regular rotation! Thanks for the great recipe!
This recipe is AMAZING. So glad I clicked on the link. Made it for lunch twice last week!
This sounds really good! I love Thai Peanut Chicken and making it with quinoa would be so much healthier! I am always looking for more quinoa recipes so I am pinning this.
Hi, just wanted to say thanks!! My boyfriend is having a really tough week at work, loves thai, and is trying to eat healthier, so you can imagine how perfect this was to make! My first experience cooking with quinoa and it could not have been easier or more delicious. You’ve got a new loyal fan in me!
This looks awesome! How can I find out the nutrition information for this recipe?
Hey Tonee! I don’t calculate nutrition information for my recipes but would recommend Livestrong’s recipe calculator tool if you need that info!
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/create/
I made this tonight & fell in love. This is such a good recipe with amazing flavor! Thanks for posting.
This recipe looks amazing! I love Quinoa but have never cooked it myself before. For the sauce part of the recipe where you state to microwave all of these ingredients, do you have a stove top option? Would simmering these on the stove for a few minutes suffice, or would this have to be more that than? I try to stay away from the microwave as much as possible, so wanted to find out if you had tried this on the stove top as well, and what worked best?
That’d be just fine!
What could I sub for sugar? Honey? Thanks!
Sure!
I just recently found your blog and I’m loving it. I’m living in Iowa, DM, I think you should have a meet and greet!!
I’m obsessed with quinoa! I can’t wait to try this!!
Made this earlier in the week and got rave reviews from me, hubby and the 16 month old babe. I should however mention he may not be the typical toddler, his favorite foods include edamame, kale chips and Brie!
Now this is my kind of quinoa bowl!
I made this for my fiance and I this week and we both loved it! It’s definitely a great winter “sticks to your ribs” kind of meal. I also didn’t hurt that I could throw it together in 20 minutes :)
I picked up all the ingredients for Thai Peanut Chicken Bowls this weekend, but HyVee in West Des Moines was all out of Chili Garlic Sauce:( I have a feeling all your readers had the same idea I did…looks so tasty, I’ll have to improvise!!!