Thai Pasta Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Again with the bowls! Yes, but the flexibility you get from making a bowl-based dinner — picking your protein! Pick your sauce amount! Pick how much salad you want! — offers a less-argument laden family dinner, especially if not everyone is as onboard with all of the components as you might be (read: the veggie components, probably). And, it makes for a fun dinner project because you can assign different parts to each family member helping to prepare the meal (because of course they are helping, right?!).

A couple thoughts before we get to it: you can use what protein you have on hand and prefer. The chicken is optional. You can use boneless skinless thighs, too. You can swap in shrimp or tofu, if you’d like. Or if you have a rotisserie chicken, you can definitely use that meat, shredded, too.

Thai Pasta Bowls With Peanut Sauce

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

Chicken

1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into 3 large chunks each

2 T soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

Pasta

1 T olive oil

1 tsp bouillon, optional

2 cups Israeli couscous

Salt and pepper to taste

3 green onions, sliced thin (soak in cool water for 5 minutes to make less onion-y; drain well before using)

Salad

3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 pepper (red or orange), quartered lengthwise and sliced

1 large tomato, quartered and sliced

3 T rice wine vinegar

1 T sesame oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems (thicker stems can be chopped and added to the pasta)

Sauce

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

6 T unseasoned rice vinegar

1 T sugar

6 T soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 T chili crunch

1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp fish sauce

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Marinate chicken

In a large bowl, toss chicken with the soy and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate while starting the pasta.

Cook pasta

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add bouillon, if using, and the add pasta. Toast until fragrant. Add 5 cups water — careful, it will boil up initially — and stir well. Lower heat to medium and allow to boil, until all of the water is absorbed. Once cooked, stir in cilantro stems and green onions. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan and brush with olive oil or grill spray. Cook the chicken until cooked through. Once cooked, put in a dish and cover, until ready to use.

Make the salad

In medium bowl, toss the celery, pepper, and tomato with the cilantro, 3 T rice wine vinegar, and 1 T sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the sauce

In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter with 6 tablespoons of the vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, chili crunch, ginger, and fish sauce.

To serve, scoop couscous in a bowl, top with chicken, salad and then a scoop or two of peanut sauce. Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!