Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Easy Sprouted Quinoa
Enjoy a mouthwatering Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl! Tender chicken infused with pesto, paired with easy sprouted quinoa. A healthy and flavorful delight in every bite.
Servings: 6
Calories: 498kcal
Cost: 30
Equipment
- large bowl
- Cooking Spoon
- Chefs knife
- cutting board
- Pot with lid
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Mesh strainer
- meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 cups Dry Quinoa soaked and rinsed
- 1-1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 tb Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 bunch Green onions washed and chopped
- 10 oz Grape tomatoes halved
- 6.5 oz Basil pesto
- 1 TB Avocado oil
- 2 TB Lightly dried basil flakes
- Pink Himalayan Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put broth or water in a skillet with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add soaked and rinsed quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover for 8 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. **If using an instant pot, set manual pressure to one minute. Let natural release. Always use a minimum of one cup of liquid for the pressure cooker to work properly.
- Fluff quinoa with a fork or spoon. Add ½ tb oil and stir to combine. Add a ¼ cup of clean water to the bottom of the pan to avoid burning the quinoa. The water will evaporate with cooking. Add handfuls of raw baby spinach at a time while stirring until it wilts, it takes a couple of minutes.
- Add tomatoes and green onions and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, heat ½ tb oil on a skillet on medium-high heat and add butterflied chicken. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powders on both sides. Cook on each side for 6 min until reaching an internal temp of 165F. Remove from heat and place on cutting board, let cool for 5min. Once cooled, slice, dice in bite-sized pieces, or shred chicken to desired consistency.
- Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and pesto. *(hint: shake the jar of pesto before opening it because the oil settles at the top!)
- Add cut chicken, crumbed feta, and Basil flakes. Mix as desired.
Notes
- Soak Quinoa for 3 hours. If you soak for more or less adjust the liquid used in the instant pot, due to differing amounts of liquid absorbed. ( See liquid conversion chart in post) Do not use less than 1 cup of liquid in an Instant Pot.
- Can be served hot or cold
- For a vegan version, omit the chicken and feta
Nutrition
Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 995mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2512IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 5mg