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!
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