It only takes 30 minutes total to cook and assemble these rainbow-hued Chicken Quinoa Bowls. They’re drizzled with homemade peanut dressing, which jazzes up the flavors of the bowls a ton and is quite frankly so delicious you may just want to drink it!

a close up of chicken quinoa bowl with peanut dressing

Table of contents

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Why We Love This Recipe For Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Call it a chicken Buddha bowl, power bowl or nourish bowl, but whatever you call them, I LOVE them! One of the best things about grain bowls like this chicken and quinoa bowl is that they’re easy to make, super versatile, and you can easily switch the ingredients around (see FAQ section).

I also love finding new quinoa recipes as quinoa is a great protein-rich food and relatively easy to cook, making it a great addition to easy weeknight dinner recipes. It also goes really well with all meats and vegetables.

Recipe Highlights

  • Bowls are great for meal prepping! You can double the portion and store in individual containers.
  • This chicken and quinoa recipe only takes 35 minutes to make.
  • You can easily make it your own by adding fun new vegetables and other toppings.
  • Each serving has a whopping 35 grams of protein!

Key Ingredients

For the Quinoa Bowls

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts: This is the best kind to use when poaching chicken.
  • Chicken broth: Cooking the quinoa in broth adds so much extra flavor to the quinoa. You could use vegetable or beef broth instead.
  • Quinoa: Make sure to rinse it or buy pre-rinsed. Can be swapped out for brown or white rice, or any other grain.
  • Vegetables: Carrots, purple cabbage and sugar snap peas.
  • Unsalted peanuts: Sprinkled over top for added crunch and flavor.
  • Seasonings: Salt, cilantro, and lime for squeezing over.

For the Dressing

  • Creamy natural peanut butter: Natural peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. (Or just peanuts if you like unsalted peanut butter.)
  • Seasonings: Grated garlic and ginger and orange juice.
  • Tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos: Instead of using salt, I use tamari to add salt and flavor to peanut dressing.
  • Rice vinegar or white vinegar: I like to use either rice vinegar or white vinegar in my peanut dressing. It really perks it up! A little goes a long way though. I only added one 1 tablespoon.
  • Dark pure maple syrup: I also add in maple syrup because it is a liquid sweetener, and the flavor of maple goes fantastically well with Asian ingredients. 
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An overhead view of a farm table with two buddha bowls with quinoa and chicken

Step-by-Step Instructions To Make This Chicken and Quinoa Bowl

Step 1: Cook chicken

Place the chicken in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add ¼ teaspoon salt then bring the skillet to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and slice.

Step 2: Make dressing

Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter and orange juice until smooth. Add in garlic, tamari, vinegar, maple syrup and ginger and whisk until smooth. This can be made up to 5 days in advance.

Step 3: Cook quinoa

Meanwhile, combine the quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, then bing it to a simmer over high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to low or to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the quinoa cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the germ of the quinoa has started to burst, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble

Layer the quinoa in the bottom of four large bowls. Top with the chicken, carrots, cabbage and snap peas. Drizzle the loaded quinoa bowls with the dressing and top with peanuts and cilantro.

A side view of chicken quinoa bowl
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FAQs and Expert Tips

Storing instructions:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You could easily meal prep this ahead for the week as well. The dressing lasts for 5 to 7 days.

How to tell if the chicken is cooked:

Check to see if your chicken is cooked through by using an instant-read thermometer. Hold the chicken with tongs, then insert the probe of the thermometer into the center of the breast. I like to do so horizontally so I am sure the sensor ends up in the center of the meat and doesn’t come out the far side! Look for 165 degrees! Read more about food safety and how to thaw chicken here.

Other Variations to Try

There are so many possibilities with these bowls. If you’re not a fan of peanut dressing, you can sub in another salad dressing instead. There is no wrong way to build a bowl!Here are a few add-ons or swaps:

  • Alternative Proteins: Try with Shrimp, Salmon, Ground beef or Steak instead of chicken. Or try our meal prep Italian balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs.
  • Roasted Veggies: You can even use left-over roasted brussels sprouts or butternut squash instead of raw veggies.
  • Try another flavor profile: Try Mexican-inspired ingredients with the chicken and quinoa: Top with Salsa, Guacamole or Avocado, Beans, Tomato and Red onion. Dress with lime, olive oil and cilantro instead of the peanut dressing. Or try with Greek flavors, Italian and beyond!
  • Different Veggies: If someone in your family hates cabbage, you can swap in another veggie. Add in finely chopped Kale or diced Cucumber instead of the cabbage and carrots. Or try your favorite raw veggie instead!
  • Grill The Chicken: You can also grill the chicken if you have a grill and want to use that instead of the poached chicken. To grill the chicken, make sure your grill is preheated to high. Then grill the breasts for 4 to 6 minutes per side and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. If you want to take this recipe to flavor town sub in this garlic herb marinated grilled chicken or use our Island Chicken Marinade.
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Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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a close up of chicken quinoa bowl with peanut dressing

Chicken Quinoa Bowl Recipe

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5 from 18 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

These healthy chicken quinoa bowls are easily customizable to use what ingredients you have on hand. Here we topped the quinoa with chicken, cabbage, snow peas and carrots. Drizzle with simple home-made peanut dressing. Feel free to sub in cooked left-over chicken, rotisserie chicken. To make this recipe vegan, sub in cubed baked tofu for the poached chicken, and sub vegetable broth for the vegetable broth.

Ingredients

Scale

Dressing

1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter

1/4 cup orange juice

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, or coconut aminos *see ingredient note

1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar

2 teaspoons dark pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Quinoa Bowls

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

2 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed *see ingredient note

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded purple cabbage

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thirds

1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Add ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring the skillet to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and slice.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter and orange juice until smooth. Add in garlic, tamari, vinegar, maple syrup and ginger and whisk until smooth. Can be made up to 5 days in advance.
  3. Meanwhile, combine quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, and reduce heat to low or to maintain a gentle simmer. Let cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the germ of the quinoa has started to burst, 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Assemble Chicken Quinoa Bowls. Layer quinoa in the bottom of four large bowls. Top with the chicken, carrots, cabbage and snap peas. Drizzle with the dressing and top with peanuts and cilantro.

Notes

  • Ingredient Note: Tamari is Japanese wheat free soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is an alternative. If you prefer a soy-free alternative, try coconut aminos, which is available in health food stores.
  • Ingredient Note: Quinoa contains a naturally occurring substance called saponin which coats the outside of the quinoa seed. Before cooking, remove the saponin by placing the dry quinoa in a sieve and run cold tap water over it continuously until it is no-longer foamy.
  • Tip: To make these chicken quinoa bowls even faster, sub in cooked left-over chicken and/or quinoa. To cut down on chopping time, buy bagged shredded cabbage or matchstick carrots.
  • Tip: Feel free to sub in your favorite vegetables for these bowls. Chopped raw broccoli, radishes and cucumbers would also be great.
  • Make Ahead: The peanut dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and whisk before serving. The quinoa and chicken can be made in advance and served chilled if desired. I do not recommend reheating the chicken breast however because it will become dry.
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Asian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 1/2 cup bowl plus 3 tablespoons dressing
  • Calories: 389
  • Fat: 22 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 34 g

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A plate of Quinoa bowl
A meal of Chicken and Bowl
 

A meal of Chicken and Bowl