I created this recipe when my athlete son was home from school and wanted to “clean bulk”… once I figured out what that meant (!) this was the resulting lunch creation. It’s now a firm favourite with us all. Whether it’s actually “clean bulking” fodder, I’m not sure – I’m not a nutritionist – but it’s athlete-son and trainer-dad approved, so I’m happy with that! This is a great recipe to meal prep; its quick to prepare, can be made in bulk and portioned up, the ingredients are very easily scalable, and it’s delicious hot, warm or cold – making it a super option for lunches at work or on the go. Each bowl contains more than 38g of protein which will satisfy your hunger and keep you fuller longer.  The ingredients list looks long, but don’t be put off – this really is a quick one!

Recipe:  Satay Chicken Protein Bowls.  300cals  38.4g of protein

Makes 4 lunch-sized bowls

Ingredients:

For the Satay Chicken:

• 2 medium chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthways to make four slimmer fillets
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp olive oil for cooking

For the edamame:

• 120g frozen edamame beans (out of the pod)
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp sea salt

For the rice:

• 1 bag coconut basmati

For the Sauce:

• 40g peanut butter
• 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 3 tsp lime juice (bottled is fine)
• Generous twist of freshly ground black pepper
• 3-5 tsp water (depending on how thick/runny you want the sauce to be)
• Note: I usually make double or triple this quantity and keep it in the fridge for another time.

And:

• 4 eggs to be hard-boiled and served with the bowls.

Method:

⦁ Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to get four thinner fillets.

⦁ Mix the spices together in a small bowl, then dust the chicken on both sides and press the spices into the chicken to stick well (you can do this in advance and keep in the fridge or freezer till needed).

• Make the peanut sauce, I use a clean jam jar so I can easily close it till it’s ready to be used (it’s a good idea to double or triple this quantity as it keeps for ages in the fridge). Add 40g peanut butter, a teaspoon each of light soy, and sweet chilli sauce, and 3 tsp lime juice to a jam jar. Add one or two teaspoons of water till it’s stir-able, mix well and add more water a little at a time till it’s a pourable / drizzle-able consistency. Set aside till the last step.
• Put 4 eggs in a pot of water to hard boil.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan, add a very little olive oil (or omit if you have a really good non-stick pan) and cook the chicken, turning regularly, till cooked through and charred. Remove from the pan and cover with tin foil to rest.

⦁ Meanwhile, add 120g frozen edamame beans to a saucepan, cover with boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Then drain well, and return to the warm pot to steam dry.

⦁ Add the sea salt and chilli flakes, and toss well.

• Heat the rice (the bags are usually 2 mins in the microwave).
• Now you can assemble your bowls – or Tupperware containers if you’re keeping / transporting.
• Divide the rice and edamame beans between the 4 containers.
• Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, and divide between the bowls.

• Drizzle 3 teaspoons of peanut sauce over the chicken. Add an egg, halved, to each bowl.
• Serve immediately or keep refrigerated to eat cold or at room temperature another day (like I did in the photo below when I was going to be on the road all day – feeling very proud of myself for being so prepared!).