I don’t know about you, but I adore quinoa. I feel like it’s the grown up version of rice, maybe? It cooks quicker, is chock full of nutrients, and is such a blank canvas for your food artistry. Mix in some freshly cooked vegetables, seasoned, cooked chicken and you have this quick and easy dinner: Chicken and Quinoa Skillet.
This isn’t a meal that my family necessarily meal plans. It’s a “Hey look! I have chicken and quinoa and all the veggies that go in that skillet! Let’s make that tonight for a quick meal!” kind of meal. Okay, I declared this a quick meal so let’s stop with the talking and get to the cooking!
Your INgredients:
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and uncooked
- 2 cups water (or chicken stock)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bit size pieces
- ½ teaspoon each of pepper, salt onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika, mixed together
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 cups chopped broccoli (about 1 head, if you include the stem)
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used my frozen roasted cherry tomatoes from the summer–recipe to come soon!)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- pinch of red pepper flakes and additional salt and pepper, to taste
Your Steps:
Add quinoa and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until all the water has absorbed. Fluff with a fork when finished and allow to rest.
Meanwhile, season chicken with half of the seasoning mixture. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a larger skillet. Once hot, add chicken. Cook for 8-12 minutes, until just cooked through. Avoid over stirring to allow the chicken to crisp up just a little. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds before stirring in remaining ingredients (broccoli, tomatoes, corn, pepper flakes, and remaining seasoning mixture). Cook until broccoli is hot throughout, approximately 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in quinoa. Add additional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!
I love it because its simple and full of flavor and color. Bonus: We don’t typically meal plan this one. It just comes together as “often in our house” pantry items. Don’t dig chicken? You can totally substitute in a different protein. Yum!
Looking for a different dinner idea? Check out my cooking page here!
Chicken and Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and uncooked
- 2 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bit size pieces
- ½ teaspoon each of pepper salt onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika, mixed together
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 cups chopped broccoli about 1 head, if you include the stem
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- pinch of red pepper flakes and additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add quinoa and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until all the water has absorbed. Fluff with a fork when finished and allow to rest.
- Meanwhile, season chicken with half of the seasoning mixture.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a larger skillet. Once hot, add chicken.
- Cook for 8-12 minutes, until just cooked through. Avoid over stirring to allow the chicken to crisp up just a little.
- Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds before stirring in remaining ingredients (broccoli, tomatoes, corn, pepper flakes, and remaining seasoning mixture). Cook until broccoli is hot throughout, approximately 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in quinoa. Add additional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!
