A Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl is exactly the kind of dinner I reach for when the week gets away from me. It’s ready in 35 minutes, uses one skillet for everything but the quinoa, and still feels like a real meal instead of a thrown-together plate.
I started making this on Sunday nights years ago, back when I was trying to get ahead of the week before it started. My husband would come home, see the quinoa already cooling on the counter, and know exactly what was coming. My kids weren’t sold on kale at first. I usually charred it a little longer than most recipes call for, since that’s what finally got them to eat it without complaint. Now it’s one of the few vegetables they’ll ask for by name. Somewhere along the way this bowl turned into a regular Tuesday dinner, not just a meal-prep project. Here’s how I make it.
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Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Here’s what I use, along with a few swaps that work if your fridge looks different than mine. Nothing here is hard to find, and most of it keeps well if you want to double the batch. Contains tree nuts (almonds).
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups chopped kale
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup toasted slivered almonds
- Chopped parsley, for serving
My go-to swap when I’m out of chicken tenders is boneless thighs, sliced thin so they cook at the same speed. In my experience, pre-washed chopped kale from a bag saves a good ten minutes on a weeknight and nobody notices the difference once it’s charred.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
I always start the quinoa first since it needs the least attention, then build everything else around it in the same skillet. Here’s the order that keeps this at 35 minutes start to finish.
- Place the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, stir together the paprika, coriander, onion powder, turmeric, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken tenders and olive oil and toss until every piece is coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest 5 minutes before slicing. Resting the chicken keeps the juices in instead of letting them run out onto your cutting board.
- Add the kale to the same skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened with a few charred edges.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the same skillet, season again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they soften and blister.
- Divide the quinoa, chicken, kale and tomatoes between four bowls. Top with toasted almonds and parsley and serve right away.
Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Stir together the paprika, coriander, onion powder, turmeric, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken tenders and olive oil and toss until coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.Resting the chicken keeps the juices in instead of letting them run out onto your cutting board.
- Add the kale to the same skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened with a few charred edges.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the same skillet, season again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they soften and blister.
- Divide the quinoa, chicken, kale and tomatoes between four bowls. Top with toasted almonds and parsley and serve right away.
Nutrition
Notes
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What to Serve With Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl
This bowl is filling on its own, but a few sides round it out if you’re feeding a hungry table.
- Warm pita or naan: Good for scooping up the last bits of quinoa and sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
- A simple cucumber salad: Cool and crunchy, which balances the warm spiced chicken.
- Roasted sweet potatoes: Adds natural sweetness and extra fiber if you want a heartier plate.
- Sparkling water with lemon: Light and refreshing alongside the warm spices in the chicken rub.
Storage & Serving Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I keep the almonds and parsley separate until serving so they stay crunchy instead of going soft in the container.
To reheat, warm the chicken, quinoa and vegetables together in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, or microwave in 30-second bursts until just warmed through. I don’t recommend microwaving the almonds since they lose their crunch.
This bowl is easy to change up depending on what’s in the fridge. Swap the quinoa for brown rice, use salmon or chickpeas instead of chicken, or wrap the whole thing in a tortilla for a quick lunch the next day.
My Favorite Sauces for Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl
A good sauce is what turns this from a weeknight fallback into something I actually look forward to. Here’s what I reach for, depending on my mood and who’s at the table.
- Lemon Tahini Sauce: My default. I whisk this together while the chicken rests, and it’s the one my family asks for most.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce: I make this when I want something richer, usually on a night I’ve got extra sun-dried tomatoes leftover from another recipe.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette: My go-to when I want something lighter and I’m short on time, since it’s just a shake of a jar.
- Honey Lime Dressing: This is the one I pull out when the kale needs a little help winning over picky eaters.
- Creamy Ranch Dressing: What I serve when it’s a kid-heavy dinner and I don’t want any complaints about the spice rub.
Conclusion
This Healthy Chicken Quinoa Bowl has earned its spot as one of my most-repeated dinners, and it’s not hard to see why. It comes together in one skillet, holds up well for lunch the next day, and gives me an easy way to get my kids to eat kale without a fight. When I want to switch things up, I’ll make my Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl instead, or go with a roasted vegetable spin on the same quinoa base. On nights I skip meat altogether, a chickpea and avocado bowl covers the same craving. If you try tonight’s version, though, I’d start with the lemon tahini sauce first. It’s the one my family asks for most.
