Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa

I’ve seen Quinoa all over the recipe boards for a while now and it must be the hot thing to have. I finally found some at the store and decided to give it a try. It’s similar to rice, but healthier for you and tasted more like couscous. I really liked how light it is and how it takes on whatever flavor you cook with. Now I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes out there from breakfast ones to dessert.

This is a really easy dish and tasted just as good as leftovers. I wasn’t 100% on the avocado cream so I think you can do fine without it, even though it did make it look pretty. I stretched the spice out to 3 chicken breast since the store didn’t have any 2 packs and it tasted just fine. I loved how moist the chicken came out as well. Don’t skip the lime juice the citrus does wonders I think I would rather some fresh lime juice over the chicken rather then the avocado cream. Can’t wait to make this again.

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa
(Adapted from Sarcastic Cooking)

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2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts I used 3
½ Teaspoon of Paprika
¼ Teaspoon of Salt
¼ Teaspoon of Pepper
¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
¼ Teaspoon of Cumin
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 Cup of Quinoa
Juice and Zest from Two Limes
A Dash of Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped I used dried

Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.

Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat.

Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.

Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.

After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.

Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.

Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa. If you find the blackened seasoning too spicy, you can add a quick and easy avocado cream sauce to cool it down.

Just place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.