Over the past few months I have learned to really love quinoa and its incredible versatility in dishes. It's a perfect substitute for rice and is healthier, yet just as filling! I decided to show you guys an extremely easy way to incorporate protein and vegetables with quinoa for a healthy and delicious dinner. This recipe is so tasty that you will forget how healthy it is. I blended beautiful Italian spices like oregano into the chicken and quinoa. I also chopped up some colorful bell peppers, carrots, and onions to add texture and more flavor to the dish. I chose a simple white quinoa as the base which doesn't carry as much flavor as the colored quinoa. This way, my seasonings don't interfere with other flavors and it comes together very well! I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
It's important to pan-sear the chicken before you add it to the skillet to give it that beautiful reddish-brown color on the outside. This helps the dish look more presentable!
The added vegetables provided such different textures and natural flavors that really complimented the white quinoa!
I've made quinoa a few times before this and me and my husband absolutely loved it! I wondered where this ingredient has been all of my life! It's so refreshing and picks up flavors and spices extremely well. I also love how quinoa provides a nice and subtle texture to dishes as well! I have used quinoa mainly in substitution of rice when I feel like having a change in our dinners.
This time around I was really inspired by Italian flavors so I decided to create a one skillet Italian quinoa dish. I love these one skillet and one pot dishes because it's such little clean up in the end and dinner is ready in less than an hour! They are perfect for people with busy schedules who might not have too much time to spend in the kitchen but still need to eat! This meal is healthy, quick, and most importantly, absolutely delicious!
Prep Time: 5 minutes Serves: 4 People
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, each cut into 3 pieces
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Garlic Sriracha Spice
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Carrots, chopped
1/4 cup Green Bell Peppers, chopped
1/4 cup Yellow Bell Peppers, chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup of Water
1 cup of White Quinoa
1/4 cup Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Dried Basil
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium bowl, add the pieces of chicken with the oregano, paprika, sriracha spice, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken together to coat evenly.
Pour in 1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side until the outside of the chicken has browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
Add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil into the skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, carrots, and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook until toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour in the diced tomatoes, water, and quinoa and give all of the ingredients a good stir to incorporate all of the flavors. Bring the contents to a boil then cover the skillet and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the chicken back into the skillet on top of the quinoa and vegetables. Make sure the pieces are tucked in to the bed of quinoa for an even cook. Cover the quinoa and chicken back up and cook for another 15 minutes on medium-low until all of the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is fully cooked.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley and basil. Let the quinoa sit for another 3-5 minutes before serving so that the flavors can combine.
Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream!
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