this spicy chicken grain bowl is my go to when I want something easy, healthy and can last me a few days. it’s full of spicy chicken, coconut milk quinoa, sweet potatoes, berries, pecans and a balsamic glaze. This bowl is incredibly customizable, so now one can say, “ew, i don’t eat that” cause honey, yes you can!
This recipe may look difficult due to the long ingredient list, but I promise you it is so easy to make! You can always purchase premade alternatives to save you time overall!
trulocal
i created this recipe for trulocal aka my all time favourite meat company. trulocal works with local farmers to provide you with the highest quality meat. i notice the difference of quality in my food and i highly recommend you check them out! if you decide you want to give them a try, you can use my link trulocal or my code at checkout (trusaltedsunday) and you will get 4 chicken breasts and 1lb of bacon free in your first 2 orders! they have the best bacon around so i recommend grabbing that while you can! if you have questions about them, send me a message!
spicy chicken grain bowl alternatives
Chicken – There’s a couple alternatives you can have for the chicken in this recipe. You can skip it completely, you can swap if for fish. If you do not eat meat at all, you can swap it out for halloumi cheese – which I would highly recommend!
Coconut Milk Quinoa – In my opinion, the quinoa component makes this bowl, its my favorite part. However, if you’re not a fan of quinoa, you can swap it out for another grain such as wild rice, brown rice or couscous! You can also omit the coconut milk in the recipe and use a vegetable or chicken broth to cook your grain.
Pecans – Walnuts or almonds would be my top alternatives to pecans for this bowl because they has the most similar flavor profile. However, you can really add in or take away any nut of your choice.
Feta – You can swap the feta cheese out for goat cheese, cheddar cheese, halloumi, even a small bit of parmesan would work.
Balsamic Dressing – This dressing is one of the best parts of this bowl, it compliments flavors so well! Even ones that were not in the main recipe. If you’re not a balsamic kind of person then maybe try a dijon or honey based dressing!
Vegetable alternatives
Sweet Potatoes – For the sweet potatoes, you can swap them out for butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin or even carrots will work!
Field Greens – You can swap out field greens for any prefered lettuce! I personally love field greens for the variety, but you can stick to a basic romaine if you would rather.
Berries – I use blackberries + blueberries in my bowl because I find they compliment the flavors well and I love blackberries. You can swap these out for strawberries, raspberries, grapes or even apples would pair really well with this bowl!
Tomatoes + Cucumber – If you are not a fan of either of these things, you can omit them completely. You can also swap out the cucumber for a grilled zucchini if that’s more your vibe.
Dried Cranberries – You can get rid of these completely or swap them out for dried cherries!
if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram or leave a comment below!
spicy chicken grain bowl
Ingredients
Spicy Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts boneless + skinless, I recommend
truLocal - 4 tsp paprika
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt + pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Sweet Potatoes
- 3 lrg sweet potatoes peeled + cut into 1" cubes
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp ginger
- olive oil
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa I use tri coloured quinoa
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt to taste
Candied Pecans
- 1 pkg pecans raw + unsalted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- dash cayenne
- salt to taste
Balsamic Dressing
- 3 tbsp balsamic glaze I use nonna pia's balsamic glaze
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- dash onion powder
- salted to taste
Additional
- 1 pkg field greens
- 1 pkg blackberries
- 1 pkg blueberries
- ½ cup cherry tomatos cut in half
- ½ cup cucumber cut into thin slices
- ½ cup feta cheese
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1” cubes. Spray a 11×14” glass pan and place sweet potatoes into it. Drizzle olive oil on them and toss to coat. Add cayenne, cinnamon + ginger and toss to coat. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until soft, stirring occasionally.
Candied Pecans
- Lay raw pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and salt, toss to combine. Place butter around the baking sheet. Bake in the same oven as the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F, for 10-20 minutes or until browned and candied. Stir them occasionally to allow butter to coat the pecans.
Spicy Chicken
- Clean and prepare chicken. Lay flat on a baking sheet or plate, drizzle olive oil on both sides of chicken. Sprinkle salt on either side. Mix all of your dry ingredients in a small bowl sprinkle it on either side. Massage seasoning into chicken and set aside for 20 minutes or longer to marinate.
- Preheat the grill to 375 degree F. Cook chicken for 7 minutes on either side or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Coconut Quinoa
- In a small pot over medium heat, add 2 tsp of olive oil, let heat up for a minute then add in your dry quinoa and salt. Cook over medium/medium low heat for about 5 minutes or until the quinoa has a toasted, nutty smell to them, stirring regularly, if you leave it too long it will burn easily. Once toasted, pour in coconut milk and stir, it will come to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes at a simmer or until fluffy, stirring regularly – this keeps it creamier. If quinoa is not cooking through, add a bit of water to pot.
Balsamic Dressing
- For balsamic dressing, add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
Assembly
- Place field greens into a large bowl and toss with some of the balsamic dressing. Divide into 4 separate bowls. Top each bowl with quinoa, sweet potatoes, sliced chicken, blackberries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta and candied pecans. Finish with a drizzle of your favourite balsamic glaze.
