This sweet potato Thai peanut bowl with chicken is my go-to meal when I’m craving Thai takeout and want something quick and healthy.
Made with lots of fresh veggies, juicy chicken, and a tangy, savory peanut sauce, this dish is bursting with flavors my whole family loves. It’s one of my favorite beginner-friendly meal prep recipes and stores and reheats well for packed lunches for my family and quick meals for our busy weeknights.
This post was created in partnership with the Northern Pulse Growers Association.
Recipe Highlights
Here are a few reasons why this Thai-inspired peanut bowl is one of my favorite new recipes:
- The prep time is just 10 minutes and the cooking time in the oven is just 15-18 minutes, so this entire meal can be ready to eat in total time of less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal
- For people who eat gluten free and dairy free, this recipe fits their dietary needs without needing to make any modifications
- This recipe is especially nutritious, with a single serving providing 29 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber, as well as plenty of essential vitamins (including vitamin A and vitamin C), minerals, and antioxidants. It’s also a good source of monounsaturated fats and contains a low amount of saturated fat
- All the ingredients bake on a single sheet pan, and the sauce stirs together in one bowl, meaning there’s no need for lots of equipment or dirty dishes
- Made with chicken and chickpeas, this recipe is a great source of high-quality protein
- I love how versatile this delicious recipe is, lending well to a variety of veggies and spices to suit the flavors and dietary preferences in your household
- I find this recipe plenty filling on its own, but it also pairs well with a variety of sides if I happen to be feeding more people
Ingredients To Make This Thai-Inspired Peanut Bowl
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these chicken peanut bowls:
For The Bowls
- Cooking oil – we recommend avocado oil or olive oil
- Sweet potato – peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Broccoli florets – use fresh broccoli, cut into pieces roughly the same size as the potatoes; may sub shelled edamame
- Chickpeas – drained and rinsed
- Skinless boneless chicken breast – may sub chicken thighs if preferred
- Salt and pepper
- Dry roasted peanuts – omit or swap with cashews or almonds is needed
- Fresh cilantro – may sub fresh parsley, or omit completely
For The Peanut Sauce
- Natural peanut butter – use smooth, drippy peanut butter; use almond butter or sunflower butter to keep your chicken bowls nut-free
- Coconut aminos – may sub low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed is best
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh ginger – may sub ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Garlic – you’ll need just 1 cloves garlic, or you may sub ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes – adjust to taste
- Sea salt
- Warm water – use as needed to thin out the sauce
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make Your Bowl
This recipe comes together quickly since you can multitask while the veggies and chicken are roasting.
- Roast the veggies and chickpeas: Arrange the diced sweet potatoes, broccoli, and chickpeas in an even layer on half of a large baking sheet; toss with avocado oil.
- Add the chicken: On the second half of the baking sheet, add the chicken, drizzle it with the remaining oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keeping the chicken separate from the veggies helps ensure it cooks evenly.
- Make the peanut sauce: Whisk all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a small bowl until smooth. Add a little water as needed to create your desired consistency.
- Combine and serve: Divide the roasted veggies and chicken between four bowls. Top each bowl with the peanut sauce, and gently toss to combine and coat the ingredients.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Make It Vegan
To make a vegetarian Buddha bowl recipe, feel free to omit the chicken, and add more chickpeas (or you could even add cooked tempeh or tofu when assembling the bowls). They’ll be 100% plant-based but still loaded with protein like the original.
How To Serve
I love to serve this Thai chicken recipe in gluten-free rice bowls over Thai coconut curry rice, white rice, or brown rice. It’s also great over quinoa, farro, or rice noodles. And, it’s also delish as part of a salad paired with greens and extra veggies like roasted red bell pepper, purple cabbage, green onions, or cauliflower rice for lower-carb options. No matter how I serve it, I often add a drizzle of Sriracha for extra heat!
Then, if I’m serving a crowd or all of my hungry kids, I often add an extra veggie side like asparagus or air fryer Brussels sprouts. And I can’t forget dessert! I love to finish this meal with a chocolate chip cookie or easy baked apples.
How To Store
Store leftovers in airtight meal prep containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If meal prepping this recipe for lunch, I recommend storing the Thai peanut sauce separately from the chicken and veggies, and then drizzling it on top just before serving. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
For longer storage, freeze the chicken and veggies without the sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then whisk together the sauce ingredients.
Thai-Inspired Chicken Sweet Potato Peanut Bowl Recipe
These flavorful bowls are high in protein, thanks to both chicken and chickpeas, as well as fiber, thanks to the veggies and peanut sauce. It’s a naturally gluten free and dairy free recipe, and provides a full delicious dinner made on a sheet pan.
Ingredients
For The Bowls:
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed to ½ -inch pieces
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 lb raw chicken breast, cubed into 2-inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup dry roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
For The Peanut Sauce:
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (may sub tamari)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (may sub ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (may sub ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Warm water if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To a large baking sheet, add the sweet potatoes, broccoli, drained chickpeas, and 2 teaspoons avocado oil. Toss to coat then spread out on one-half of the baking sheet.
- On the other half of the baking sheet, add the cubed chicken and remaining avocado oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss to coat then spread out evenly.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork-tender with crispy outer edges and chicken is cooked to 165°F internal temperature. Remove from the oven.
- While sweet potatoes and chicken are baking make the peanut sauce. In a small jar or bowl combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Add a little water if needed (this will depend on the consistency of the peanut butter you use).
- Divide the roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, chickpeas, and chicken between 4-6 bowls. Top with peanut sauce and toss to lightly coat. Top with dry roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro and more sauce, if desired.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 431
- Fat: 24 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 584 mg
- Carbohydrate: 28 g
- (Fiber: 7 g
- Sugar: 8 g)
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 54 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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