This Healthy Chicken and Veggie Quinoa is a one-pot meal that is not only tasty but nutritious, low-cal and low WW smart points.
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a seed although it is often referred to as a grain. The seed comes from a plant called Chenopodium quinoa. Quinoa is usually used in place of rice in some recipes. Cooked quinoa has a fluffy and soft texture with a hint of nuttiness. Quinoa is a good source of protein, iron, fiber, vitamin b6, magnesium, folate, and antioxidants. Quinoa as we know it is a superfood and this recipe we are going to put this super-food to use!
How to cook quinoa
For 1 cup of quinoa use 1.5 cups liquid, some recipes use 2 cups of liquid but I find 1.5 cups work for this recipe and it isn’t too soggy. In this recipe use chicken or vegetable broth for added flavor. Rinse quinoa and add to a small pot with water or broth. Bring to a boil then turn heat to the lowest and cover until all liquid has evaporated about 10-15 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before using.
Getting started
Read the full recipe. Prep ingredients. Chop veggies by hand or in a food processor. I chop the chicken into tiny pieces and season as you usually would with salt and pepper (see pics). I also recommend cooking the quinoa ahead of time (maybe while chopping veggies). You’ll need one large nonstick pan to cook this dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth to cook quinoa
- 1 large chicken breast about 9-10 oz- chop into small pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots- about 2 large carrots
- 1 red bell pepper- finely chopped
- 3 scallions- sliced
- 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
- 2 cloves garlic- finely minced
- 1 small onion- finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
- 3 tsp olive oil- divided
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Directions
Chop carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, onion, garlic, scallions, chicken breast, and set aside.
Healthy Chicken and Veggie Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth to cook quinoa
- 1 large chicken breast about 9-10 oz- chop into small pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots- about 2 large carrots
- 1 red bell pepper- finely chopped
- 3 scallions- sliced
- 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
- 2 cloves garlic- finely minced
- 1 small onion- finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
- 3 tsp olive oil- divided
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Directions
- Step 1 Cook quinoa with 1.5 cups liquid until liquid has evaporated.
- Step 2 Chop carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, onion, garlic, scallions, chicken breast, and set aside.
- Step 3 In a large non-stick pan heat 1 tsp oil, add chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Once done remove from pan and set aside.
- Step 4 Pour remaining 2 tsp oil to pan, onions and cook for 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir.
- Step 5 Add vegetables, 1/2 sliced scallions, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder. Give it a good stir. Cook vegetables for about 6 minutes stirring every few minutes.
- Step 6 Now add chicken and stir
- Step 7 Next, add cooked quinoa, soy sauce and stir. Once all is combined let it sit to “fry” for about 1 minute. Add in remaining sliced scallions and taste for additional salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cool and enjoy!
Notes
To make this dish vegetarian omit the chicken, it’s just as good! Just add in veggies after sauteing the onion. You can also add any veggies of your choice such as mushrooms, peas, sprouts, green and yellow bell peppers, etc as well as any meat of your choice. Keep in mind points and calorie values may change.
Yields 5 cups- 1 cup per serving
Nutrition Info per serving using myfitnesspal
Calories: 260, Fat: 6 g, Carbs: 34 g, Protein: 20 g, Sugar: 2 g
myWW smart-points per serving using WW recipe builder
Green: 5 smart-points
Blue: 4 smart-points
Purple: 1 smart-point
