Hot Honey Chicken Bowl (Printer-friendly)

Vibrant bowl with spiced chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, red cabbage slaw, quinoa, and hot honey mustard dressing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Roasted Sweet Potatoes

08 - 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Quinoa

12 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
13 - 2 cups water
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Red Cabbage Slaw

15 - 2 cups shredded red cabbage
16 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
17 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
18 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
19 - 1 teaspoon honey
20 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Hot Honey Mustard Dressing

21 - 3 tablespoons honey
22 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
23 - 1 tablespoon hot sauce
24 - 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
25 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
26 - Salt and pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 425°F.
02 - Toss the diced sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and tender.
03 - Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
04 - In a mixing bowl, toss chicken pieces with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
05 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
06 - In a mixing bowl, combine shredded cabbage, julienned carrot, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly and let sit for at least 10 minutes to soften.
07 - In a small bowl, whisk together honey, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among four bowls. Top each with roasted sweet potatoes, cooked chicken, and red cabbage slaw. Drizzle generously with hot honey mustard dressing and serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's a complete meal that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did.
  • The hot honey mustard dressing is genuinely addictive and works on everything else you make afterward.
  • You can prep most components ahead and assemble in minutes when hunger hits.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and high in protein, so it keeps you satisfied without the afternoon crash.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the quinoa or it tastes strangely bitter and slightly soapy, which immediately ruins the whole dish.
  • The hot honey mustard dressing is the entire personality of this bowl, so don't hold back on drizzling it generously instead of treating it like it's precious.
  • If your sweet potatoes are very large, cut them smaller so they roast evenly; uneven pieces mean some are burnt while others are still hard.
  • The slaw actually gets better if you make it 30 minutes ahead because the cabbage softens and absorbs the flavors more completely.
03 -
  • Make a double batch of the hot honey mustard dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge for up to a week; it gets even better as the flavors marry.
  • If you're batch prepping for the week, keep the slaw separate from the other components until you're ready to eat, or it gets soggy and loses the magic.
  • Toast your pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet for 3–4 minutes right before assembly if you go that route; it takes barely any time and makes them taste infinitely better.
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