Spicy Cajun chicken quinoa

Spicy Cajun chicken quinoa

By Good Food
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(146 ratings)
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Prep: 10 mins Cook: 25 mins

Easy

Serves 4
Protein-packed quinoa makes this midweek meal a superhealthy option

Nutrition and extra info

  • Healthy

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal386
  • fat7g
  • saturates1g
  • carbs35g
  • sugars15g
  • fibre5g
  • protein47g
  • salt1g
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Ingredients

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 100g quinoa
    Quinoa

    Quinoa

    keen-wah

    Tiny, bead-shaped, with a slightly bitter flavour and firm texture, quinoa may not be a…

  • 600ml hot chicken stock
  • 100g dried apricots, sliced
  • ½ x 250g pouch ready-to-use Puy lentils
    Lentils

    Lentils

    len-til

    The lentil plant (Lens Culinaris) originates from Asia and North Africa and is one of our oldest…

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
  • 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
    Spring onions

    Spring onion

    sp-ring un-yun

    Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…

  • small bunch coriander, chopped

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the chicken with the Cajun spice and arrange in a single layer in a roasting tin. Bake for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked. Set aside.

  2. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in the chicken stock for 15 mins until tender, adding the apricots and lentils for the final 5 mins. Drain and place into a large bowl with the chicken, toss together.

  3. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan and soften the onions for 10-15 mins. Toss the onions into the quinoa with the coriander and some seasoning, then mix well.

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Comments, questions and tips

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7daycicada
3rd Feb, 2013
4.05
Really good. For the cajun seasoning, I used salt, smoked paprika, oregano, ground coriander and cayenne pepper and lemon juice. I also roasted the onions with the chicken instead of frying them and chopped up a tomato for extra moisture. Lasted a few days in the fridge as lunches for the week.
jaelhenri
2nd Feb, 2013
5.05
Tried this recipe out last night for my boyfriend's family and it was a hit! I also am not a huge fan of quinoa but loved it in this dish. I used one red onion instead of two and added in a huge red pepper. Where I am located in Canada we can't access Puy Lentils so I used regular ones(canned) and the recipe was still delicious. I also made my own basic cajun spice which added to the flavour and added some cayenne pepper for a bit more spice.
r1100s
15th Jan, 2013
5.05
Definitely making this again. Lentils add a nice peppery taste and I found them in a small local co-op.
poochiepie
28th Dec, 2012
5.05
Delicious and easy to follow recipe. Roasted yellow peppers instead of adding apricot.
daniel192
12th May, 2012
5.05
This was delicious, I couldn't get hold of Puy lentils so used 100g of dry green lentils which i pre cooked, I agree with the previous reviewer I thought 100g of apricot was overkill, will be going with 50g next time, other than that this a great, a definite keeper, will be eating this weekly, thanks :-)
jadebailey
2nd May, 2012
Oh, and Divyani, I just boiled the quinoa in chicken stock, the same way you would boil rice in water. If you want to do this simply, just crumble a chicken stock cube into some water and boil it in that, I did, and it came out tasting good and looking just like the picture!
jadebailey
2nd May, 2012
I thought this was tasty, though I think next time I will experiment with putting some spices in because I thought it could have done with a bit more flavour. My bf really loved it how it was though!
mizz-bieber
2nd May, 2012
umm i am going to do this recipe next week and I'm confused on what you have to cook the quinoa in and the chicken stock help!!!
picard25
12th Mar, 2012
4.05
Easy to make-especially when you inadvertently buy ready made quinoa,and very tasty.Not known for 'super-food' cooking but the family woofed it off.OK,I enjoyed it as well.
moriere
4th Mar, 2012
Really lovely - nice texture - something different - even got my husband to eat lentils ! added some sultanas as a bit short of apricots

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