Chicken with Spinach & Quinoa
Quick and healthy weeknight meals are priceless in our home. This gluten free skillet seared Chicken with Spinach & Quinoa is not only delicious and uncomplicated to make, but it will probably take less than 30 minutes to pull together from start to finish with almost no prep work. Did I mention that there will only be 2 pans to clean up too? Top the dish with tangy crumbled goat cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon to brighten up the meal.
Start with the Quinoa
Simply bring chicken stock, olive oil and a little salt to a boil then stir in the quinoa. You can use white, red, brown or a mix of quinoa for this recipe. Turn the heat to medium low, put the lid on top of the saucepan and allow the quinoa to cook through. This will take about 15 minutes.
On to the Chicken
While the quinoa is cooking, heat the largest high sided frying pan that you have to a medium high heat. Add olive oil and brown the chicken breasts on each side. Season with salt and pepper. I like to keep the pan covered with a lid or aluminum foil to trap in the heat and moisture while the chicken cooks. This results in juicier chicken that cooks in less time. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate to rest while you move on to the spinach.
Finish with Spinach
Add a little more oil to the same pan that you cooked the chicken in and keep it at a medium high heat. Pile in the spinach leaves, seasoning with salt and pepper. Splash with a bit of chicken stock then cover the pan to steam the spinach. After only a few minutes, the spinach will have wilted down significantly. Give it a stir and add the sliced garlic. Cover the pan again and allow the spinach to finish cooking a few more minutes.
Plate up the Chicken with Spinach & Quinoa
I like to create a bed of quinoa and spinach, then slice the chicken and lay it on top. Then crumble bits of goat cheese on top and serve with a wedge of fresh lemon to give a squeeze if you’d like.
More Gluten Free Weeknight Meals
- Tarragon Chicken & Pasta
- Pesto Cod with Sauteed Veggies
- Chickpeas & Spinach Stew
- Beef & Broccoli
- Mexican Style Shredded Beef
- Smothered BBQ Chicken
Chicken with Spinach & Quinoa
Ingredients
For the Quinoa:
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa
- pinch fine sea salt
For the Chicken:
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- fine sea salt & pepper (to taste)
For the Spinach:
- 20 oz fresh spinach leaves (thoroughly washed)
- 1 large garlic clove (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- fine sea salt and pepper (to taste)
For Serving:
- 4 oz goat cheese (crumbled)
- 1 lemon (quartered)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring chicken stock, olive oil and salt to a boil. Stir in the quinoa. Cover the pan, lower the temp to medium low and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- In the largest high sided frying pan that you have, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken breasts on each side until browned. Approximately 7 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second (depending on thickness).
- Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil to trap the heat and moisture inside the pan while cooking the chicken. This will help to keep the chicken juicy and reduce the cooking time.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate to rest while you heat more olive oil in the same pan over medium high heat. Pile the spinach leaves into the pan. They will overfill the pan, but will wilt quickly, so don’t be overly concerned.
- Season the spinach with salt and pepper. Splash with about ¼ cup of chicken stock and tightly cover the pan with a lid to help steam the spinach for about 4-5 minutes.
- Turn/stir the spinach leaves and add the sliced garlic. Cover and allow to finish cooking through for another 2-4 minutes.
- Serve plated with crumbled goat cheese on top and a lemon to squeeze on the side.
