Like any grain bowl, this one is made up of lots of individual parts, many of which (the quinoa, the pickled onions) have to be cooked before you even start. On COOK90 there’s a very good chance you’ll have a lot of this stuff in your fridge already, but if not, don’t be discouraged—instead, just think about how well stocked your fridge will be after your grain bowl is done.
Ingredients
For the Chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Dressing
- 1½ cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ¾ cup fresh mint leaves
- 1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For Assembly
- 4 cups cooked quinoa, farro, barley, or nextover’d basmati rice
- 1 (2½-pound) rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups shredded chicken)
- 2 mini seedless cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
- 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced
- 4 cups watercress or baby arugula
- ½ cup Pickled Red Onions
- 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
How to Make It
- First, make the chickpeas. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chickpeas, cumin, and cayenne and cook, shaking to coat, until heated through. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and season immediately with the salt.
- Now make the dressing. Pulse the parsley and mint in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the oil, lemon juice, honey, and salt and pulse until combined.
- In a large bowl, toss the quinoa with ½ cup of the dressing. Divide the quinoa among four shallow bowls. In that same large bowl, toss the chicken with another ¼ cup dressing. Arrange the chicken, cucumbers, avocados, and watercress over the quinoa. Top with the crispy chickpeas, pickled onions, and sesame seeds, and serve the grain bowls with the remaining dressing on the side.