Easy and quick. If I had to guess, those are probably the two most important things people look for in a recipe when they’re in need of meal inspo. Well – this meal checks both of those boxes, in addition to what I think is the most important recipe criteria: amazing flavor.
Seriously, this meal couldn’t come together any easier: the marinade takes about 2 minutes to make, and once that’s ready all ya gotta do with the chicken is let it hang out in the fridge for the day while you, ya know, live your life. The veggies require no prep aside from a rough chop but, if you don’t have time or patience for that, you can buy ’em pre-cut from the store. When I prepare the marinade for the chicken in the morning, I just pop all the cut veggies in a zip-top bag and stick ’em in the fridge until I’m ready to cook. I make my own sweet potato noodles (who doesn’t love a good sesh with the spiralizer?), but if you wanna buy those from the store, that’ll work just fine. If you can’t find sweet potato noodles at your market, traditional low mein noodles would work well here, as would whole wheat pasta.
Cooking this dish is a breeze. Just pop the chicken and veggies on a baking sheet and roast, and while that happens, sauté your sweet potato noodles on the stove-top for about 5 minutes.
Given that this meal requires pretty minimal effort, it’s packs a ton of flavor (especially given that it’s only got 450 cals per serving). It’s salty and earthy in that distinctly Asian-cuisine-way, with hints of lime and sesame that keep it light and bright. It’s definitely filling, but not overly so. Plus, it couldn’t be prettier to look at: the orange noodles, the brightly colored vegetables…you could serve this up at a party and no one would think you’d spent half an hour preparing it. Oh, and it can be served cold. How’s that for quick and easy? This dish is absolutely going to to snag itself a spot in my weekly dinner rotation. Here’s how I made it.
Ingredients {for the marinade}:
1.5-2 lbs chicken breast tenders {serves 3-4}
1/3 cup avocado oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Mirin seasoning
1 tsp sesame oil
Juice and zest of 1 lime
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
crushed red chili flakes, to taste
Other Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and spiralized {or store-bought sweet potato noodles}
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head each broccoli and cauliflower, chopped
1 red and 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
Avocado oil
Mirin seasoning
Sesame Oil
Crushed red chili flakes
Chopped peanuts
Cilantro
Soy Sauce
Directions:
Prepare chicken in the morning by combining all ingredients for the marinade and pouring over the chicken in a zip-top bag. Store in the fridge for 6-8 hours,.
Prepare veggies by chopping them and storing them in the fridge until it’s time to cook.
When it’s time to cook the meal, preheat an oven to 375 degrees and place the chicken tenders and veggies on baking sheets . Dress the veggies with a drizzle of avocado oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are fork tender and have browned a bit on top.
While the chicken and veggies bake, sauté the noodles on the stove top for 5 minutes with the additional two cloves of garlic, and a light drizzle of avocado oil, Mirin and sesame oil, about 1 tsp each. Add about 2 tsp soy sauce. Add crushed red pepper and salt and pepper, to taste.
Before serving, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and combine the chicken, veggies and sauteed noodles. Top with chopped peanuts, cilantro and a drizzle of soy sauce, if desired.
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Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: approx. 450 calories per serving
Dietary Info: Gluten-Free.