Italian chicken and vegetables is easy to make, packed with flavor and ready in just 20 minutes. This easy italian chicken bowl is perfect for busy weeknight meals and is very versatile, use whatever veggies you have on hand! Made with just 8 ingredients, this is a recipe the whole family will love and can even be made for meal prep.
If you love filling chicken bowls like this, you should also try my Buffalo Chicken and Rice Bowls or Ground Chicken Rice Bowls.
Italian Chicken Bowl Highlights
- Ready in 20 minutes – the veggies cook up in the air fryer while the quinoa cooks in the instant pot. This allows you to focus on the chicken without having to manage a ton of pots and pans on the stove.
- Easy to make – every component of this recipe is easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of prep.
- Versatile – use whatever veggies you have on hand
Ingredient spotlight
Italian dressing – I use my favorite bottled italian dressing to make this recipe super easy to pull together (and keeps the ingredient count down)
How to make italian chicken and vegetables
Cook the squash: Slice the squash into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Coat the squash in dressing and spices and stir well. Cook squash in air fryer at 400F for 12-16 minutes, shaking the basket occasionally. Be sure to check out all my tips on how to make zucchini and squash in the air fryer.
Make the quinoa: Rinse quinoa well. Add quinoa, water and salt to instant pot. Cook on high pressure 1 minute, allow to naturally release. Manually release when the rest of the food is done.
Prep the chicken: Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Cut chicken into cubes. Add chicken, italian dressing and salt to a bowl. Stir well.
Cook the chicken: Add chicken to hot skillet. Spread into a single layer. Cook 5 minutes without touching the chicken. After 5 minutes, stir the pan and cook 3-5 additional minutes.
Assemble the bowls: Add quinoa, chicken and veggies to a bowl and enjoy.
Top tips
- Don’t have an air fryer? Cook the squash on the stove in a large skillet over medium heat for 7-9 minutes until softened.
- Don’t have an instant pot? You can cook quinoa on the stove (same measurements). Bring quinoa to a boil, then cover and let cook 15 minutes on low heat.
- You can use pre-cooked quinoa or rice (you can usually find it frozen or you can freeze it yourself in advance). There are also some great shelf stable quinoa packs (I love the quinoa mix blend from Thrive Market) that is ready in 60 seconds.
- Use chicken tenders to save time. Since the chicken tenders are already so thin, they only take a minute to cut down into cubes.
- Use your favorite italian dressing or if you have time, you can make your own!
Variations
- Add more spice: add a drizzle of sriracha or chili onion crunch
- Change up the veggies:: you can make this with bell peppers, mushrooms, onions (red or white), green beans, broccoli. All will cook in the air fryer in the same time.
- Use a different grain: if you don’t have quinoa, you could also use rice or even cauliflower rice to keep this low carb friendly.
- Different flavor: Use greek dressing or even add a dollop or two of pesto to the chicken or veggies (or both)
- Serve over pasta instead of grains
Common questions
What is the best chicken to use
Any kind of boneless, skinless chicken will work for this recipe. I recommend chicken thighs for the most flavor, or chicken tenders if you are short on time. As long as you cut the chicken down into cubes, it will cook quickly.
What is the best way to cut chicken into cubes
I personally like to use kitchen shears but you could also use a sharp knife (and a plastic cutting board that you can put in the dishwasher when you are done).
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftover chicken quinoa veggie bowls in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze the chicken and quinoa (for up to 3 months) but I do not recommend freezing the leftover squash, as the texture will be off when you defrost it.
If you love this quick chicken recipe, you should try
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Air Fryer Squash
- 1 pound summer squash – (zucchini, yellow squash)
- 2 tablespoons italian dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – optional
Quinoa (Instant pot or stove top)
Italian Chicken
- 1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken – thighs, breast or tenders
- 3 tablespoons italian dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Air Fryer Squash
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Slice the squash into 1/4 inch thick pieces
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Add squash, italian dressing, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes to a bowl and stir well until all the squash is well coated.
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Cook squash in air fryer at 400F for 12-16 minutes, shaking the basket occasionally.
Instant Pot Quinoa
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Rinse quinoa well. Add quinoa, water and salt to instant pot. Cook on high pressure 1 minute, allow to naturally release. Manually release when the rest of the food is done. (see tips below if cooking on the stove)
Italian Chicken
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Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat.
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Cut chicken into cubes. Add chicken, italian dressing and salt to a bowl. Stir well.
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Add chicken to hot skillet. Spread into a single layer. Cook 5 minutes without touching the chicken. After 5 minutes, stir the pan and cook 3-5 additional minutes.
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Assemble the bowls, add quinoa, chicken and veggies
Tips:
- No air fryer? Cook the squash on the stove in a large skillet over medium heat for 7-9 minutes until softened.
- No instant pot? Cook quinoa on the stove (same measurements). Bring quinoa to a boil, then cover and let cook 15 minutes on low heat.
- Save time: use pre-cooked quinoa or rice (you can usually find it frozen or you can freeze it yourself in advance). There are also some great shelf stable quinoa packs (I love the quinoa mix blend from Thrive Market) that is ready in 60 seconds.
- Use chicken tenders to make prep easier. Since the chicken tenders are already so thin, they only take a minute to cut down into cubes.
- Use your favorite italian dressing or make your own.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
