Thai Chicken Buddha Bowls
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Packed with whole grains, fresh veggies, and a crave-worthy peanut sauce — so healthy, hearty and full of flavor!
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why i love this recipe
- Great for meal prep. Buddha bowls is a nutritious recipe where you can conveniently meal prep and assemble everything ahead of time to get you through the week.
- So customizable. This recipe is a great starting point, and you can easily substitute your favorite grains, protein and veggies to what you have on hand, and based on seasonality + personal preference.
what exactly is a buddha bowl
Buddha bowls, sometimes referred to as glory or hippie bowls, are hearty, filling dishes made of various greens, raw or roasted veggies, beans and a healthy grain like quinoa or brown rice. It’s essentially a hearty bowl filled with nutrients and vitamins that aid in weight loss and/or overall health.
power ingredients for thai chicken buddha bowl
- Whole grains. Farro is a far superior whole grain with more protein and fiber than other grains such as brown rice or white rice.
- Protein. Chicken thighs (or breasts) get cooked in a saucy, umami-garlicky-gingery mixture until perfectly golden brown, adding protein and bulk to your buddha bowl.
- Vegetables. We have leafy greens, purple cabbage, bean sprouts and carrots, a rainbow of veggies here – the more colors we have, the more nutrients we are getting.
- Bonus sauce. This recipe includes the dreamiest peanut sauce that you’ll want to put on anything and everything.
buddha bowl variations
Grains
Farro, quinoa, couscous, brown rice, white rice or even cauliflower rice can be used.
Protein
Use chicken breast or thighs, chicken or turkey meatballs, or substitute tofu, tempeh or hard boiled eggs for a vegetarian option.
Vegetables
Mix up the veggies and swap in different options such as butternut squash, sweet potato, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, green beans and snap peas.
Leafy greens
This is a great opportunity to sneak in some leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard or arugula are all great options.
Fruits
There are also many fruit options available for a sweeter touch such as strawberries, blueberries, oranges and apples.
tips and tricks for success
- Make ahead of time. Save time by prepping the farro, chicken and peanut sauce 1-2 days in advance, and dicing the vegetables 1-2 days prior and storing all the contents in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
- Fish sauce is a hero. Fish sauce is a key ingredient here, balancing out the flavors, and adding saltiness and umami without overpowering it. A little bit goes a long way.
- Make it mild. Need a toned-down peanut sauce for the littles? Skip the sambal oelek!
- Add the sauce right before serving. Drizzle the peanut sauce prior to serving to preserve the texture and prevent sogginess.
more favorited thai recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Thai Chicken Buddha Bowls: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Fish sauce has a strong, pungent “fishy” smell but when cooked, it brings in savory, salty, umami goodness.
Sambal oelek is a type of chili paste from Indonesia, and can be found in most grocery store chains in the Asian foods section.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Thai Chicken Buddha Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 ½ tablespoons sambal oelek, ground fresh chile paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded kale
- 1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
For the spicy peanut sauce
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek, ground fresh chile paste
Equipment
Instructions
- To make the spicy peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek and 2-3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cook farro according to package instructions; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, sambal oelek, brown sugar and lime juice; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, cornstarch and fish sauce, tossing to coat and letting the chicken absorb the cornstarch.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, shallot and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock mixture until slightly thickened, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Divide farro into bowls. Top with chicken, kale, cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro and peanuts.
- Serve with spicy peanut sauce.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this last night and luckily we doubled everything- this is such a delicious recipe!
I made this last night and am currently eating the leftovers for breakfast! It’s just that good!!!! I subbed Brown Rice for the Faro and added green onions to the to topping. Was nice, fresh and crispy with all my favourite flavours. I love how many vegetables are in the dish, super healthy!!
We loved this recipe! We used vermencilli noodles instead of faro, but it was great! My husband and son (3) loved it too! Thank you!
This dish was so delicious! I used quinoa instead of farro since I already had that, and I used a packaged fresh “Asian Salad” with the veggies listed already shredded. It was a great time saver. Will make again and double the recipe next time.
I was a bit wary of making this because I’m new to cooking but it was super easy to follow and absolutely delicious! Only tweaks I made were, no fish sauce, and I swapped the chili paste in the peanut sauce for sriracha. Perfect kick without your mouth being on fire. Will make again!
YUMMY!!!!
I made this as-is except that I didn’t use bean sprouts (although I love them) to mitigate the risk of food-born illness. I thought it was both beautiful and delicious. The cabbage added the perfect crispy crunch and the peanut sauce was so good. I love the fish sauce to give it that added Thai flavor. In my opinion it was the perfect amount of spice. Definitely had a kick but not so spicy that it took away from the other flavors in the dish. Great textures too. Thanks for the recipe! Im looking forward to my leftovers 🙂
We enjoyed this recipe but would make some changes the next time around and definitely do some prep ahead of time. We found that a tablespoon of ginger was way too much for the chicken, maybe using half a tbsp for next time. We also find that sambal oelek is a bit salty, maybe the brand we buy. So we may try to sub for sriracha for a similar kick without the added salty taste. Overall, we loved the addition of farro and once all the flavours were mixed in it was a big hit!
This recipe is fantastic! We’ve made this numerous times now and it comes out great every time! Only adjustments are makes 1.5x the peanut sauce, because well it’s amazing and who doesn’t want more sauce!? Other adjustments are replacement of faro with brown rice and addition of watermelon radish. Keep up the great recipes!
Chungah, your recipe looks amazing, and I hope to make it sometime soon, but I have a couple questions first. Do you do anything to the kale. In the pictures, it looks cooked? Did you do anything to the kale other than shred it? Massage it? I love how your carrots look! What did you use to get them like that? This Buddha Bowl sounds right up my alley. Can’t wait to try it!
I made this and it was very good however the farro was a total fail for me. I used Bob’s Red Mill pearled farro and followed the directions for an Intstant Pot. It came out super mushy like over cooked oatmeal in water! In the trash it went and I used frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s instead. This was my first attempt at farro and probably my last. Other than that the recipe was very good!
I Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. I love it so much that I had my husband prepare it in bulk in order to use it as a staple in my meal prep. We have made it numerous times as the original recipe, and currently for our lower carb diet we removed the ferro and replaced it with cauliflower rice. Regardless amazing recipe. The only reason it does not have five stars is I am diligent about counting my Macro nutrition, and would really like more nutritional info per one bowl and or the break down of each individual item that way if / when I make changes I can adjust my Macros. I am going to attempt to see if I can create the Macros myself, however I am not sure how accurate I will be. That aside, a AMAZING recipe and a true staple in our kitchen.
Very yummy! Prepared as written except I didn’t use bean sprouts because I couldn’t find any fresh. Delicious!!! Damn Delicious!
What in the world did I do wrong? The chicken coating just stuck to the pot. I used plenty of oil, and a hot pan. My chicken ended up shredded and not browned at all. The end result was still tasty, but I’m amazed no one else had this problem.
I had the same problem, next time I’ll use a non-stick skillet and hope it cooks proper. My chicken didn’t brown and after I added the sauces it did create a creamy sauce and cooked the chicken but it certainly didn’t crisp up.
This was delicious and very fresh! I made it with rice instead of the farro because it is all I had in the house. My 5 and 6 year old loved it. It was a bit spicy for my kids, so I’d probably decrease the sambal oelek a little next time. I also used crunchy PB (natural) and it worked well in the recipe. Will definitely be making this again. I might cut the chicken up a little smaller next time as well. Great flavor, family staple with a few revisions!
Awesome!
Everyone commented that the recipe is a keeper.
It looked like a lot of ingredients, but really wasn’t- when you consider it’s a couple different sauces, plus veggies.
Will probably double the peanut sauce next time.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Michelle, I have been making this dish regularly since I found it last June. It’s my absolute favorite and I could eat it every day! How do I do this in the instant pot? I’m new to instant pot and have been using your recipes which are delish! But I need to get this one in the instant pot because I’m always worried about over or undercooking the chicken.
Sorry was just seeing I addressed my note wrong! Chungah! My apologies.
Thank you for sharing this sensational recipe….it is indeed damn delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent recipe and rave reviews from all that ate it. I used already chopped purple cabbage and kale from Trader Joe’s, and just chopped it up more. I loved the sauce that is used for the chicken and the yummy peanut sauce. I tripled the amount of chicken and sauce (not the peanut sauce) for five people and didn’t have much chicken left…yep, we really liked it. I also had some zucchini I need to use up, so I sauted that with onion (didn’t have shallots), great addition. I had a had time finding fresh bean sprouts and stumbled upon canned bean sprouts in the Asian section of my market. They worked out just as well. We will definitely be making this again.
This looks amazing! Just wondering: for those of you who meal prep this for the week, do you put the dressing on or keep it on the side? And do you reheat it or eat it cold?
Very tasty recipe! I did use quinoa instead of farro since I already have a big batch I wanted to use and spinach instead of kale. I also added shredded carrots, roasted cubes of sweet potato and chick peas. I will have plenty for a few meals. The peanut sauce is delicious