Chicken Nourish Bowl
Wonderfully balanced, this chicken nourish bowl makes a delicious lunch or dinner.
Nourish bowls, as the name suggests, are wonderfully balanced meals that include all the elements of a nourishing meal: protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fibre.
In this version, I've combined juicy grilled chicken breast and grilled vegetables with quinoa, chickpeas and avocado on a bed of baby spinach. However, the possible combinations of vegetables, fruits, protein, legumes, nuts, and grains is practically infinite. So, feel free to mix and match as desired.
Nourish bowls are often mistakenly called Buddha bowls. The latter should be considered exclusively vegan or vegetarian whereas nourish bowls contain meat or other non-vegetarian sources of protein. Beware when ordering at restaurants as the terms Buddha bowl and nourish bowl are often treated interchangeably.
If you want to try a Buddha bowl for yourself, just follow the same principals as a nourish bowl, only without any animal products. I'll have my favourite Buddha bowl combination posted in the days to come.
Ingredients
(Makes 2 servings)
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and sliced
1 red sweet bell pepper, sliced and grilled
6 Brussels sprouts, halved and grilled
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup quinoa (bi-coloured or tri-coloured work well)
1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 large avocado, sliced
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
pinch each black and white sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
Place the chicken breast on a plate and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle both sides with salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder coating both sides evenly. On a grilling pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken breast and grill, flipping to brown both sides, until cooked (internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C) about 12 to 15 minutes per side. Once chicken is almost done, add the sweet red bell pepper slices and halved Brussels sprouts. Grill until the vegetables start to soften.
While the chicken cooks, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Rinse the quinoa then add it to the boiling stock and cook as per package instructions until done.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. Slice the avocado just before assembling the nourish bowl and serving.
To assemble, line the bowls or deep plates with a bed of baby spinach. Slice the chicken breast and divide it and the vegetables across both servings. Add one cup of cooked quinoa to each serving. Add chickpeas and sliced avocado. Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds (optional). Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 374 | total fat = 10.1g | saturated fat = 1.66g | cholesterol = 51mg | sodium = 1373.13mg | net carbohydrates = 30.86g | dietary fibre = 9.3g | sugars = 6.92g | protein = 32.07g
