Thai Peanut Chicken Power Bowl
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
- 160g brown rice (dry weight)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, plus 2 tbsp for the sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200g red cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 50g natural peanut butter
- Juice of 1 lime
- 60ml warm water
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 20g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
- Fresh cilantro leaves, to serve
Instructions
Toss the chicken strips with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the garlic, ginger and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Marinate 10 minutes while you start the rice.
Cook the brown rice in salted boiling water for about 35 minutes until tender, then drain and keep warm.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Sear the chicken in a single layer for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until caramelized and cooked through.
Whisk the peanut butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1/2 tablespoon honey, lime juice and warm water until silky. Add a splash more water if too thick.
Warm the sauce gently in a small pan for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until pourable.
Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Top with the cabbage, carrots, cucumber and seared chicken.
Drizzle generously with peanut sauce and finish with spring onions, crushed peanuts and cilantro.
This Thai peanut chicken power bowl is the kind of lunch that makes you forget you are eating healthy. Tender strips of chicken breast marinated in soy, garlic, ginger and honey get a quick sear in a hot pan until the edges caramelize, while fluffy brown rice soaks up every bit of flavor underneath. Crisp red cabbage, sweet julienned carrots and cool cucumber bring crunch and color, and a generous drizzle of warm peanut sauce — whisked silky with lime juice, a little more honey and a splash of water — ties everything together with that sweet-salty richness Thai food does so well. Crushed roasted peanuts and sliced spring onions on top add the final crunch, and fresh cilantro keeps it bright. The whole bowl comes together in about fifty-five minutes, and the peanut sauce keeps for a week in the fridge, so this is one of those lunches that gets easier every time you make it. Each serving delivers 44 grams of protein for 470 calories, alongside 41 grams of carbs, 14 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber. It is naturally dairy-free, endlessly customizable — swap the chicken for shrimp or tofu, the rice for quinoa — and it holds up beautifully as a meal-prep lunch that actually tastes better the next day once the flavors settle in.
