This is a hearty, satiating winter dish. Replacing Arborio rice with Quinoa gives this dish a higher protein and nutrient content. It’s important to soak the quinoa overnight to allow it to plump up as much as possible before cooking.
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
- 1 ½ cups Kiwi Quinoa, soaked overnight
- 500gm organic chicken breast fillets, sliced
- 500gm mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 3 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped
- 3 Tbls Olive Oil
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 200gm baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup parmesan
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs to garnish – thyme, marjoram or parsley
METHOD
- Strain soaked quinoa to remove any excess moisture
- Heat the 3 cups of chicken stock in a saucepan
- Heat 1 Tablespoon Olive oil in large frying pan or pot and add chicken. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, turning once. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In same frying pan or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of Olive oil and saute the mushrooms until well cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of Olive oil and saute garlic, onion, spring onion and thyme for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the quinoa and let the oil coat the seeds, approximately 1 minute. Stir in the white wine and let it cook until the wine is absorbed.
- Add the heated chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, letting the quinoa absorb the liquid between additions. Continue until the quinoa is well cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken, mushrooms and baby spinach leaves and combine thoroughly. Turn off the heat and allow to rest covered for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir through the parmesan cheese and do the final season with salt and pepper
- Serve hot with fresh marjoram, thyme or parsley, additional parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.
