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I made this last night and it was great! It was my first time trying curry paste – the flavor was great and it also was very easy. Yum!
Lily
And so it begins!
This recipe was lovingly cooked, photographed, and snarfed down in .3 seconds from the very new, very bright, and very extra delicious Pinch of Yum kitchen! WELCOME FRIENDS. ā”
In honor of the awesomeness of bright colors popping out of our bowls right up in the face of old man winter – POW! – can we branch out today and do the Healthy Quinoa Chicken Curry Bowls thing together? Because these quinoa chicken curry bowls are not only colorful and healthy and delicious to the core (veggies! spices! hurrah!), but they also come together quickly, which is basically a must-have in my life these days as any and all of my spare minutes are spent geeking out on Instagram instead of moving boxes of stuff up into the new kitchen. Very super important.
I’m just so good at life right now.
I also need need NEED these quinoa chicken curry bowls today because, I’m going to say it in three, two, one: I am getting tired of Thanksgiving food. NO! I don’t mean it. But I sort of do don’t hate me don’t hate me don’t hate meeeee.
I know, I get it, all the Real Bloggers have to make things in advance of holidays in order to give recipe-searchers enough time to find them before the big day. Yes, okay, pats on the backs for all the Real Bloggers of the world — including myself, sort of, because I had a rah-rah start with a few Thanksgiving recipes that were actually “on time” this year. Hey! Party!
But at this point, I’ve actually eaten so many crockpots full of garlic mashed potatoes in the last few weeks that I might — *might* — be ready for a break, which is saying A LOT because hello: garlic mashed potatoes.
So even though I can never get too much of the stuffing-and-mashed-potatoes-and-gravy combo, today is a good day for a rest. This mini-break involves bowls piled high with veggie freshness, filling power foods quinoa + chicken, and the warm spicyness of curry, and you guys. I am so there. Front row, edge of chair, fork in hand, go time.
And about the new kitchen?
Yeah, I LOVE IT. Mostly what I love is that now I get to do my food thing while Bjork sits and does his techno-thing at the counter and I don’t feel like I’m hibernating in a closet in the back of the house all by myself. I mean, there just used to be a big fat wall there, and now there’s two computers and a bar stool and Bjork’s face.
Also, I love having an oven that is normal. I love having a stove that is SUPER high powered to the point where I get a little scared every time I use it. I love having a FULL SIZE fridge, and dishes that don’t have layers and layers of dust on them. And lights! I love having lights. And taking these pictures right on our new countertops? Yeah. I can’t even.
Right now as I type this the floor guys are finishing the final flooring something (what are they even doing? should I know? sometimes I just take a second to sit back and be thankful that I have nothing to do with the actual WORK of this remodel) and we are also waiting on appliance panels and a backsplash. When that’s all set, you can expect a blast of words, pictures, and videos in a Kitchen Tour post! I am literally smiling, alone, to no one right now. It just makes me that happy to think about virtually inviting you into the new space.
Until then, curry bowls! I used tomato and eggplant again because the combo of those two lovers in the Spanish Chicken and Potatoes was whoa good, and once again, even for the non-eggplanters in the house, the veggies delivered.
Make them curry bowls as spicy as you want, top them with everything, and enjoy eating well.
Healthy Quinoa Chicken Curry Bowls
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
These Quinoa Chicken Curry Bowls are vibrant, fresh, and come together in a snap. Full of nutritious ingredients like quinoa, chicken, and veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs (breasts are also good)
- 2 tablespoons curry paste
- 2 teaspoons garam masala (cumin or roasted coriander are also good)
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups diced eggplant (peel removed)
- 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- toppings: crushed almonds, rice, noodles, cilantro, green onions, almond butter
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the chicken, curry paste, garam masala, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry for another 3-5 minutes to get the chicken pieces browned.
- Add the tomato puree, broth, eggplant, tomatoes, and quinoa. Cover and smmer for 15-20 minutes (check the quinoa package for cook time – mine was a sprouted quinoa that cooked in 15 minutes). When it’s done, it will look like the picture above – sort of like a stew.
- When the chicken and quinoa are both cooked through, serve in big bowls topped with ALL THE THINGS. We like rice, cilantro, green onions, and crushed almonds for crunch.
Notes
Slow cooker variation: dump everything in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Also delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: healthy quinoa curry bowls, curry bowls, quinoa bowls
Can i make this in the instant pot?
Hi there, Nabila! We haven’t tested this one out in the Instant Pot yet, but if you give it a shot, we’d love to hear!
Hi! Can i make this in the instant pot?
Hello, can i make this in the instant pot? For how long? š
Hi! We haven’t tested that out before to know how it’ll turn out or timing, but we’d love to hear if you give it a try!
For this recipe did you cook the thighs whole or did you chop them into bite size pieces before cooking them?
Hi Mandy, we chopped the chicken into bite-size pieces prior to cooking.
Hi Lindsay,
If one does not have an affinity for egg plant, what other vegetable can be used as a comparable substitute?
How much is one serving of the curry?
I canāt believe I found this over 4 years later after it was posted. I made this today and it was delicious. I changed a few things to lower the sodium intake, regardless it was amazing. It is so filling. Canāt wait to make it again!
Hi there ! I’m not sure if anyone will read this comment, but I made this recipe last night and it was so amazing! Glad to find healthy recipes with lots of international flavor here. I did use cauliflower instead of eggplant and used a little bit of light coconut milk at the end. Loved it and going to make it again this week.
Glad you enjoyed it, Casey!
What curry paste did you use??
Can you please post a way to make this in the instant pot?
How much carbs is in each serving by cups?
Love it!!! Quick question though…about how much are you calling one serving size?
Just made this in the crock pot and couldn’t be happier! I through the thighs in whole and shredded them after about 5 hours on high. I made the following adjustments:
– approximately doubled the garam masala (this may be due to the brand I’m using as I find I need to do this often)
– added a generous amount of cayenne pepper to increase heat
– salt and pepper to taste
Glad to hear it! š
This was posted a while ago, but I am not happy with the result unfortunately. I feel like the title is a bit misleading as well. “Quinoa bowl” usually makes me think of a salad bowl, not a stew. Thanks for sharing anyways!
Sorry to hear that, Stephen. Thanks for the feedback!
I made this the other day and my husband and I really enjoy it! We added red pepper because we love spice! After we had a bowl of it, my husband and the strange and brilliant idea to add golden raisins to it! I added about a cup of them and let it cook on high for about a half hour or so and oh my goodness did it just amp up the deliciousness!!
Since we have so much of it for the two of us, I toasted a Greek flat bread with garlic butter and made a flat bread pizza with it! i just put that on top and put cheese and cilantro on top!! ohh my goodness I was in heaven!!!
Thank you for this recipe! We will be making it again in the future && will also add more chicken! š
Sounds amazing! Thanks for the comment!
Do you cut the chicken thighs into pieces before you add them to the pan? Or do you cook them whole?
We’d recommend cutting them!
Hi! I am making this tonight and really looking forward to it! When you did the nutrition facts, did you count rice in with the caloric values? Or does the calorie per serving represent the chicken curry alone?Thanks!
Hi Millie! The label includes the quinoa.
How would you modify this to use something like Trader Joe’s curry sauce from a bottle? I’m thinking take out 1/2 cup of tomato puree and the curry paste and replace with 1/2 cup sauce.
Hi Jonathan! That could work. The curry paste is a little stronger and more concentrated than the sauce, so you can make it to taste and see if you need to add more curry sauce. Enjoy! š
What curry paste did you use?
We used red curry paste!
Hi
This recipe looks super yummy but I’m wondering what kind of curry did you use?
Thanks
This recipe uses red curry paste!
This will be my first time using my crockpot!! Anything I should know? I really just dump it all, no specific order, into the pot??
That’s correct! Just dump everything in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8.
Hi is it possible to just use fresh ginger instead of ginger paste?
Hi, Rachelle! I think grated or finely minced ginger root would work fine. š
Curry! And Chicken! What’s not to love? Thank you for this recipe. I left the chicken skin on for added flavor, and because hey, having a bit of cholesterol sometimes gives me that yay-I’m-cheating-death kind of rush. Your blog is inspiring. I am soooo thankful to whoever made the Winston App that led me to your site.
Hi! This looks delicious but I don’t like eggplant – what can i use instead to replace it?
Hi, Diana! I think either potatoes or sweet potatoes would be a great replacement for the eggplant.
What’s the serving size?