Name: Spicy Cashew Chicken Lunch Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Gluten-Free
Ingredients: 2 cup lettuce, chopped; 2 cups shredded chicken; 1 tomato, chopped; 1 bell pepper, chopped; handful olives; jalapeno, chopped; 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 3 hours; 1 tbsp water; 3 cherry tomatoes; 1 tbsp pickled jalapeno slices; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp lemon, juice of; 1 tbsp basil and arugula or cilantro; Salt and pepper

These spicy cashew chicken salad bowls are what you need if you’re looking for new healthy lunch ideas that are filling and full of nutrients!

These healthy lunch bowls with chicken and vegetables are spicy, flavorful and satiating. They’re also high-protein, rich in fiber, magnesium, iron and vitamin C and are gluten-free and paleo. This lunch recipe combines different flavors and textures and the result is something you’ll be coming back to again and again!

Cashew Chicken Lunch Bowl Ingredients:

Cooked shredded chicken. The main protein source here. You can cook it any way you like and you can also use leftover or rotisserie chicken.
Cashews. Cashews are the other main ingredient of these healthy chicken lunch bowls. We’ll use them to make a creamy flavorful cashew sauce with garlic, jalapenos, tomatoes and basil that will bring everything together! Make sure to soak the nuts for a few hours or place them in hot water for 20 minutes before making the cashew sauce.
Vegetables. You can add whatever fresh vegetables you like! In these bowls I had lettuce as the base, then peppers and tomatoes. Cucumbers, scallions, spinach, kale or arugula would also be great here.
Olives and pickled jalapenos. For more flavor and some saltiness!
Olives – A great topping.
Jalapenos – This is for the people who like to turn up the heat!
Spicy cashew sauce – The bowls are practically incomplete without it – it just brings everything together so well! It’s creamy, super flavorful and easy to prepare:

How To Make Spicy Cashew Chicken Lunch Bowls:

If you’ve got shredded chicken and soaked cashews, assembling these will be a breeze! In that case, you can make the spicy cashew chicken lunch bowls in no more than 15 minutes, and that’s if you’re taking your sweet time.

To make the cashew sauce add soaked cashews, tomato, basil, lemon juice, some water, garlic and pickled jalapeno, some salt to a blender cup. Close it and process until smooth and creamy. Have a taste and add salt if you feel it’s necessary.
Once you’ve got the chicken and the cashew sauce, pour 3/4 of it on top of the chicken and mix well until all the chicken is coated with sauce.
Grab your bowl and start assembling. Lettuce on the bottom, then chicken, tomatoes, peppers, olives and pickled jalapenos.
Drizzle the rest of the cashew sauce on top and enjoy!

Tada! And just like that, with almost zero effort you’ve got an amazing and filling healthy lunch you’ll want to make again and again.

Adjustments You Can Make To The Bowls:

The great thing about this easy chicken recipe is that it’s super adjustable – you can always add or remove things.

If you’re not a fan of spicy foods, remove the jalapenos from the sauce. You can substitute them with some pesto or capers.
Add some more veggies. Some cut up cucumber, red onion and shredded carrot can make the meal even more delicious and turn up the freshness immensely.
You can use other sauces. If you don’t like cashews, try some old fashioned garlic sauce made with dairy-free yogurt, garlic and salt. You can also use barbecue sauce, sriracha – pretty much anything you like.

How To Store The Shredded Chicken Salad Bowls:

This recipe doesn’t make a ton and I highly doubt you’ll have any leftovers after you make make these tasty cashew chicken lunch bowls. But in case you do, you can safely put them in an airtight container, which you’ll keep in your fridge. Have the bowls within the next few days.

More Healthy Lunch Ideas

I hope you enjoy these healthy spicy cashew chicken lunch bowls! For more healthy lunch ideas, check out these recipes:

Yield: 2