Veggie Peanut Rice with Teriyaki Chicken
During quarantine times while we are all trying to limit our trips to the grocery store, I’m all about making delicious meals with ingredients we have in our freezer and pantry. I’ve never been one to use frozen vegetables, but I’m finding a newfound love for them during this time. I’m not necessarily saying I’ll choose them over the fresh option when given the choice, but they absolutely have a newfound place in my heart and a potential permanent spot in our freezer. One of my favorite staple meals to throw together when I’m not sure what I’m in the mood to make and trying to utilize whatever I have on hand is a sauteed rice and veggies. Have a grain, some veggies, a sauce, and a protein on hand? Well then, in my mind, you’ve got yourself a delicious meal waiting to happen!
Given that I am trying to use whatever we have on hand before our next grocery run, I headed into our freezer to see what I could find and the result is a dish we will absolutely be recreating (again, since we’ve already had it twice now). Joe has specifically requested that it stays in our “post-quarantine real life” rotation. For this dish I used frozen broccoli, bell peppers, and a variety bag of snap peas carrots and onion. However, I share the recipe below with fresh ingredients. If you have access to fresh vegetables, use em! If frozen is your only option right now, I promise this will still be just as delicious!
Turning to our pantry to find the makings of our sauce, I grabbed my favorite ingredient: peanut butter. I am someone who consistently tries to find ways to incorporate PB into my meals. Once, when I was still at my corporate job, I got in an argument with a trader regarding my obsession for PB and determination to fit it into every meal possible. He convinced me that PB was a morning staple and that it is not something I could incorporate into a dinner, so I obviously had to prove him wrong. While I’ve incorporated into many of dinners since, this is hands down my favorite way. With the mixture of the saltiness from the coconut aminos or soy sauce and the tartness of the fresh lime juice, it is the perfect combination.
To make this dish, simply saute the veggies on a skillet with some olive oil while cooking the rice in a covered pot. I grilled the chicken in this instance, but it can also be cooked in the oven or on a skillet; however you prefer. To provide some extra flavor to our protein of choice, we marinated it in teriyaki sauce for around an hour. If chicken isn’t your thing, no worries, simply omit it! This dish would also be delicious with a fried egg on top. While the veggies are sautéing and the rice is cooking, mix the coconut aminos, peanut butter, avocado oil, and lime juice together to create a sauce. Eventually, once everything is finished cooking, toss the ingredients all together in your skillet or wok and pour on the dressing. Mix well so that it is equally distributed and enjoy!
Veggie Peanut Rice with Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast (2)
- Carrots (4)
- Broccoli (1 head)
- Bell pepper (1)
- Onion (1)
- Lime (1)
- Snap peas (2 cups)
- Rice (2 cups)
- Teriyaki sauce (1 cup)
- Avocado oil (2 tablespoons)
- Coconut aminos or soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
- Peanut butter (1/4 cup)
- Red pepper flakes (1 teaspoon)
- Cayenne pepper (1 teaspoon)
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- In a bowl or plastic bag, marinate the chicken with 1 cup of teriyaki sauce for at least 1 hour
- In a small pot, add the 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and cover cooking on low until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked
- Chop all of the vegetables into ½ inch pieces and set aside. If using frozen vegetables, ignore this step
- On a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and, once hot, add all of the chopped vegetables
- Season the vegetables with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper
- Sauté the vegetables, stirring continuously, for at least 15 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are crisped on the exterior and cooked through
- Bring the grill to high heat (450 degrees) and cook the chicken on each side for around 7 minutes, or until fully cooked through
- In a bowl, combine ¼ cup of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos or soy sauce, juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, and salt and pepper and mix well
- Once the rice is finished cooking, add it to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables
- Pour the peanut butter dressing into the skillet and stir to combine
- Dice the chicken and serve alongside or on top of the skillet with the stir fry and enjoy hot
- Dairy Free