Thai Chicken Bowl with Peanut Sauce
This Thai Chicken Bowl is healthy and flavorful! It's made with grilled chicken skewers, veggies, rice, and a gluten free peanut sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories: 588kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Chicken Skewers:
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika or regular paprika
- ¼ tsp. red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
For The Peanut Sauce:
- 1 inch ginger equals 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Sambal Oelek
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. low sodium Tamari or low sodium soy sauce if not gluten free
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup or sweetener of choice
- 2 bell peppers any color
- 1 8 oz. package mushrooms button or crimini
- 1 cup rice any variety
- 2 cups spinach or leafy greens of choice
- ½ cup cilantro Thai basil or mint are also great
Instructions
For The Chicken Skewers:
- Mince 4 cloves of garlic.
- Place the minced garlic in a large glass bowl, along with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp. each smoked paprika (or regular paprika) and red chili flakes (feel free to add more to make chicken spicier), and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined.
- Cut 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) into chunks. Place the diced chicken into the bowl and toss until completely coated in the marinade.
- Place the bowl of chicken into the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Wipe any dirt from 1 8 oz. package of button mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the mushrooms.
- Cut 2 bell peppers (any color) into chunks. Make sure that all vegetables are relatively the same size to ensure that they cook evenly. Also, make sure not to cut the vegetables too small, or they will fall off the skewers.
- Place the chunks of marinated chicken and diced vegetables on the metal skewers, alternating between the chicken and the vegetables. Make sure not to leave too much room between them, nor pack them together too closely, so that they cook correctly.
- Heat a grill (charcoal or gas) to 400 - 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the chicken skewers directly over the heat and grill for 4 minutes on the first side. After 4 minutes, flip and rotate the skewers and grill for another 4 minutes on the second side.
- Flip the skewers once again and cook for another minute or two, or until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit (this can be checked using a food thermometer) (chicken thighs may take a few more minutes to cook than chicken breasts).Once cooked, remove the skewers from the grill and allow to rest.
For The Peanut Sauce:
- Mince 4 cloves of garlic.
- Peel a 1 inch portion of fresh ginger root. Grate the ginger with a Microplane or small zester and place in a small bowl (this yields 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger).
- Place a skillet on the stove top and heat to medium. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the skillet. Once heated, add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and 1 Tbsp. Sambal Oelek (also known as chili garlic sauce). Sauté these ingredients for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. low sodium Tamari (or soy sauce), 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper to the skillet. Stir all of these ingredients until combined (the mixture will appear clumpy at first).
- Sauté the peanut sauce for 5 minutes or so, stirring often. Continue to cook until the sauce is creamy. Feel free to thin the sauce out with a bit of water if it's too thick.
- Prepare 1 cup of rice (any variety) or grains of choice according to package instructions.
- To serve: Place a scoop of rice in bowl. Remove chicken and vegetables from skewers and place on rice. Drizzle with desired amount of peanut sauce. Add a handful of fresh spinach, some chopped cilantro or fresh herbs of choice, and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
Nutrition information includes the peanut sauce.
Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator, but not more than 2 hours, or it may become tough.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs may be used in place of chicken breasts, but may take slightly longer to cook on the grill.
The peanut sauce may separate a bit after it cooks. Keep it on the stove top on medium-low heat and stir again until combined.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 923mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2468IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg