Tahini Marinated Chicken Buddha Bowl

This buddha bowl has it all… lean protein, whole grains, and nutritious veggies!  The cucumber and tomato salad compliments the tahini chicken perfectly!

If you think eating healthy has to be boring and bland, you definitely need to try this buddha bowl.  Tahini marinated chicken thighs (can use breasts if you’d prefer), healthy tri-color quinoa, and a mouthwatering cucumber and tomato salad… eat the rainbow, and love how it tastes!

One thing I love about this buddha bowl, aside from the fun name, is how easy it is to change things up to fit your tastes!  In place of the tricolor quinoa, feel free to use any grain you like.  And in place of the chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts, or even try different proteins like pork or turkey!

I personally love using the boneless skinless chicken thighs for several reasons.

• They’re affordable
• They’re more flavorful than breasts
• Their size is perfect

You could also switch it up and turn the marinated chicken into kebabs, served on the bed of quinoa and cucumber tomato salad.  Sometimes, a kebab gives things a perfect summer touch!

Speaking of summer, that colorful cucumber tomato salad is the PERFECT way to take advantage of the amazing summer tomatoes that are in season right now.  I used a medley of ripe cherry tomatoes and sweet gold tomatoes, for amazing flavor as well as a pretty color palette when combined with the crisp green cucumbers!

It’s hard to get a completely accurate calorie count on these, because most nutritional calculators assume all the marinade will be consumed, when most of it is actually discarded… but I would say these are pretty healthy and full of nutrients!

Oh, and if you have any tahini paste leftover, whip up this fantastic Roasted Garlic Hummus (made in minutes in the food processor!).

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Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light

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Tahini Marinated Chicken Buddha Bowl

4.78 from 9 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes minutes

Calories: 597

Servings: 4 servings

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This buddha bowl has it all... lean protein, whole grains, and nutritious veggies! The cucumber and tomato salad compliments the tahini chicken perfectly!

Ingredients

CHICKEN MARINADE:

• ▢ 1/4 cup tahini paste (make sure to stir the tahini well while it's in the container before measuring)
• ▢ 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 Tbsp water
• ▢ 2 Tbsp fresh parley, finely chopped
• ▢ 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tsp lemon zest
• ▢ 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
• ▢ 1 shallot, finely minced
• ▢ 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (roughly 1 1/2 lbs)
• ▢ pinch of kosher salt

CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cucumber, chopped (I used mini seedless cucumbers)
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cherry/gold tomatoes, sliced in half
• ▢ 1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ▢ 3 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 2 cups cooked tricolor quinoa (or equivalent amount of another grain - rice, couscous, bulgur, etc)

Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag.  Remove 1/4 cup of marinade and place in an airtight container and refrigerate.  Add chicken to plastic bag, seal tightly, and massage to coat chicken in marinade.  Refrigerate 4 hours, up to overnight.
• Remove plastic bag from refrigerator while preheating grill (or a large skillet) to MED.  Set container of reserved tahini marinade on the counter to come to room temperature.  Lightly oil grill grates and gently pat excess marinade from chicken. Grill chicken about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through, and remove to a plate.
• Add all cucumber tomato salad ingredients (except quinoa), in a mixing bowl, tossing to combine. 
• To serving bowls, add 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup salad, and 2-3 chicken thighs. Drizzle with reserved tahini marinade and serve!

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Chef Tips

TO MEAL PREP:

Separate cooked quinoa among several meal prep containers (I like these!).  Arrange quinoa on one side of the container, and tomato cucumber salad on the other.  Lay the chicken over the top.

Divide leftover tahini sauce and pour into condiment cups with lids (these are great), and add one to each meal prep container.  Refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.

Video

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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