🥣 Roasted Chicken & Edamame–Chickpea Hash with Green Chile–Cilantro–Anise Sauce and Fennel–Tomato–Cucumber Salad

Made for lunch on 8/2/25
Meal-prepped into containers.

This is a fiber-balanced, high-protein, vegetable-forward bowl layered for optimal reheating and textural contrast. The warm sauté of edamame, chickpeas, and chicken forms the base. A vibrant, spoonable green chile–cilantro sauce adds acid, heat, and herbal richness. A crisp fennel–tomato salad with toasted walnuts tops each container for freshness and crunch.

🔹 Yields: 4 servings

🔹 Meal Type: Meal-2 (main midday meal)

🔹 Prep: ~30–40 min active

🔹 Cuisine: Fusion / Whole Foods Meal Prep

🔪 Ingredients

🟩 Edamame–Chickpea–Chicken Hash (Base)

  • 460g cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped (~115g per serving)
  • 280g shelled edamame, thawed
  • 240g canned chickpeas, drained and dried
  • 80g red onion, finely diced (about ½ medium)
  • 8g garlic (2 cloves), minced
  • 24g olive oil (2 tbsp): 1 tbsp for sauté, 1 tbsp for chickpeas
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp ground fennel seed
  • 2 tsp chili crisp (~10g), stirred in off heat
  • 1 tsp minced preserved lemon rind (optional)
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt (adjust to taste)

🌶️ Green Chile–Cilantro–Anise Sauce (Drizzle)

  • 2 large Hatch or poblano chiles (~180g), roasted, peeled, deseeded
  • 1 clove garlic (~4g), smashed
  • 1 packed cup cilantro (~30g), stems OK
  • 40g olive oil (3 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice (~30g)
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (~15g)
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp anise seed, lightly toasted
  • Optional: ¼ tsp chili flake or ½ small jalapeño for heat

🥗 Fennel–Tomato–Cucumber Salad with Walnuts

  • 1 medium fennel bulb (~250g trimmed), thinly shaved
  • 200g grape tomatoes (about 1½ cups), halved
  • 2 mini cucumbers (~180g), julienned or sliced
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (~15g)
  • 2 tsp olive oil (8g)
  • 1½ tsp fish sauce (~7g)
  • 40g walnuts, toasted and chopped (10g per serving)

🍳 Instructions

1. Crisp Chickpeas

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained chickpeas and pan-fry until golden and lightly crisped. Set aside.

2. Sauté Base

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté onion, garlic, ground fennel seed, cumin, coriander, and optional preserved lemon until aromatic. Add thawed edamame, chopped chicken, and crisped chickpeas. Stir to combine and warm through. Turn off heat and stir in 2 tsp chili crisp.

3. Make Sauce

Toast anise seed in a dry skillet for ~1 minute until fragrant. Blend with roasted chiles, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and salt until slightly chunky. Yields ~8 tbsp. Use 2 tbsp per serving.

4. Toss Salad

Combine fennel, grape tomatoes, and cucumber in a mixing bowl. Dress with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and fish sauce. Toss well. Add toasted walnuts last, or just before serving.

5. Assemble Containers

  • Bottom: ~1 heaping cup of the warm chicken–edamame–chickpea hash
  • Middle: 2 tbsp green chile–cilantro sauce
  • Top: Salad with ~10g walnuts per serving

🔬 Nutrition Estimate (Per Serving)

Metric Value
Calories ~705 kcal
Protein ~42 g
Net Carbs ~25 g
Fat ~39 g
Fiber ~13 g