Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Crispy Chickpeas & Garlic Aioli
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Crispy Chickpeas
- 1, 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Roasted Garlic Aioli
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice divided
- 1½ cups avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons water , as needed to reach desired consistency
For the Honey Chipotle Chicken
- 1 tablespoon ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Quinoa
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 1½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the Fresh Veggie Salad
- 1 cup yellow tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 small red onion, slivered
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Bowls
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- Fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions
- Using a strainer, drain and rinse the can of garbanzo beans completely, then spread the garbanzo beans out evenly on a clean kitchen towel (or paper towel) and allow them to dry for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and peel the outer layers of the garlic skin off, leaving the cloves still attached. Cut the top of the bulb off, making sure to also cut the tops of the cloves hiding on the side, then wrap the prepped garlic bulb in aluminum foil with the cut side up. Roast the wrapped garlic (balanced in a muffin pan if needed) for 30-45 minutes, and then remove the garlic from the oven and let cool before handling.
- Add the chicken tenders, chipotle chili powder, honey, lime juice, and salt to a large container or baggy. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours if you're looking for ways to get ahead).
- Soak the quinoa for 2 minutes, then rinse it thoroughly and add it to a pot with the water, salt, and oil, then bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Add the halved yellow tomatoes, sliced cucumber, slivered onion, fresh dill, grated garlic, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, sea salt, and red pepper flakes to a large bowl and stir to combine. Store in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the bowls.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Add the ghee to a cast iron pan on the stovetop over high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken and cook for 5 minutes per side. Once done, let the chicken cool on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, toss the chickpeas in the olive oil, and cook in the air fryer for 12 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- While both the chicken and chickpeas are cooking, make the aioli. Place the egg, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt, and then avocado oil into a large mason jar (the order of ingredients is important here!). This recipe works best when all of the ingredients are at room temperature. Place an immersion blender at the very bottom of the mason jar and blend for 30 seconds, then slowly move the immersion blender wand up and down until all ingredients are incorporated. Blend in the rest of the lemon juice, water (1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency), and garlic until smooth.
- Once the chicken is done resting, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble the bowls, layering the quinoa, chicken, veggie salad, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, garlic aioli, and fresh dill. Enjoy!
Notes
The chicken in this recipe is VERY spicy. If you want a milder version, use paprika instead of chipotle chili powder.
Meal Prep Tip:
To get ahead on the components for these chicken quinoa bowls, prep the following components in advance:-
- Crispy chickpeas: up to 3 days in advance
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- Roasted garlic aioli: up to 2 weeks in advance
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- Marinated chicken: up to 5 days in advance
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- Quinoa: up to 3 days in advance