You know I love an everything-in-a-bowl dinner, and this recipe is no exception. Juicy chicken, fresh salad, and yummy sauce? These bowls have it all.
Say hello to my new grilled peanut chicken bowls with perfectly marinated chicken and a fresh, crunchy edamame cucumber salad. They have a creamy, sweet, and savory peanut sauce you’ll drizzle on top, and pack in over 40g of protein.
I like to assemble these bowls with fluffy coconut rice (try the recipe from page 217 of my cookbook!), but there are tons of ways to customize them to your preferences. Fire up the grill a beautiful summer weeknight dinner that will have your taste buds dancing.
Everything you’ll need to make these peanut chicken bowls
These flavorful bowls are packing the flavor, protein, and plenty of freshness. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- For the chicken: I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for the best flavor, but you can also use chicken breast. You’ll marinate it in a mix of full fat coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, fresh garlic and ginger, honey, sriracha, and turmeric.
- For the salad: get bites of a cool, crunchy salad made with edamame, cucumbers, shredded carrot, scallions, rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and garlic.
- For the sauce: every bowl needs a flavorful sauce for drizzling. The peanut sauce is made with almost all of the same ingredients as the chicken marinade, except with peanut butter in place of the coconut milk. So easy!
Make these bowls your own
There are plenty of delicious ways to customize and assemble these peanut chicken bowls:
- Add a grain: I love completing my bowls with cooked rice or quinoa. Try the fluffy coconut rice from page 217 of my cookbook!
- Top with garnishes: I also top my bowls with chopped roasted peanuts, cilantro, and extra scallions. Feel free to add extra hot sauce or red pepper flakes if you like an extra kick of heat.
- Choose your salad: if you don’t have edamame, feel free to add my easy Smashed Cucumber Avocado Salad for your fresh salad element.
Can I skip the peanut butter?
Because these are peanut chicken bowls, they’re really meant to have that rich peanut flavor. Feel free to try one of these recipes if you’re looking for a different flavor profile:
- Grilled Turmeric Lime Chicken Bowls
- Sweet & Spicy Sesame Chicken Meatball Bowls
- Spiced Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
- Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowls
Grilled peanut chicken bowls in 5 steps
- Marinate the chicken. Start by whisking together your marinade ingredients in a large bowl, then add your chicken, cover, and marinate in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
- Make the salad. While the chicken marinates, toss all of the salad ingredients together in a separate bowl. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
- Prep the grill & sauce. Let your chicken come back to room temp, preheat your grill, and whisk together the sauce ingredients.
- Grill the chicken. Grill the chicken on each side, then transfer it to a cutting board to rest before chopping it into pieces.
- Assemble the bowls. Add your grains (if using), chicken, and salad to your bowl, then drizzle with sauce and top with your garnishes. Enjoy!
Looking to bake the chicken instead?
You can! After marinating the chicken thighs, bake them at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Make-ahead and storing tips
- To make ahead: Feel free to make the salad and peanut sauce the day before, and store them in separate, airtight containers in the fridge. You can also marinate your chicken up to 4 hours before grilling it.
- To store: I recommend storing each component (chicken, salad, rice, and sauce) in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. That way you can heat up the chicken and rice before assembling your bowl with the salad and sauce when you’re ready to eat.
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my fav kitchen tools here!
More grilling recipes you’ll love
- Firecracker Salmon with Peach Avocado Salsa
- Grilled Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables
- Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Sesame Chicken
- Grilled Tahini Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Get all of my grilling recipes here!
I hope you love these grilled peanut chicken bowls! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Grilled Peanut Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
- Chicken marinade
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Edamame Cucumber Salad
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 2 persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 3 large scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
- Peanut sauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- ½ medium lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (optional)
- 2 tablespoons warm water to thin
- For serving & garnish
- Cooked rice or quinoa, for serving (my coconut rice from my cookbook is amazing!)
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Add all the marinade ingredients (not the chicken) to a large ziploc bag or bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the chicken and stir to ensure it is well coated in the sauce. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- While the chicken marinates, make the salad: In a large bowl, add the edamame, cucumbers, carrot, scallions, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Toss with tongs until well combined. Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Bring chicken to room temperature: Before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and bring to room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to 425°F and scrape off any leftover bits from the grates.
- While the grill preheats, make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, honey, sriracha, and water. Set aside.
- Grill the chicken: Grill the chicken with the lid closed until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, about 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes to retain the juiciness of the chicken. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks.
- Assemble: Add a scoop of rice to shallow bowls, then a scoop of chicken next to the rice, followed by a scoop of the salad. Drizzle the chicken and rice with the peanut sauce. Top with chopped peanuts, then garnish with cilantro and scallions. Enjoy.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Due to allergies can’t use peanuts but still wanted to try the recipe. Do you think almond butter might be a good substitute for the peanut?
If you read her comments above the actual recipe she gives several peanut free options