Stir Fried Quinoa, Brown Rice and Chicken Breast

Some people may have heard of quinoa or not at all. Quinoa is a grain crop and the edible seeds are what many of us consume regularly. Texture-wise, it is very similar to couscous. I first of all heard about quinoa 2 years ago and it was the rave amongst food bloggers especially healthy food bloggers. I tried it and was impressed but I never incorporated it into my recipes a lot as I was not certain if it was available in Nigeria or not. Quinoa has a lot of health benefits and is a good source of protein especially for vegetarians. It also contains a significant amount of riboflavin which helps improve the energy metabolism in the brain. It is also gluten free which is why people on diets incorporate a good amount of quinoa into their diets even though it is a complex carbohydrate. However, as with everything in life, do it with moderation. For those that live in Lagos, SoFreshMarketing sells quinoa in their stores, I have also been told shoprite sometimes has it and goodies supermarket. You can try any of these stores to purchase quinoa. In my recipe, I combined quinoa with a bit of brown rice but you don’t have to. Enjoy this simple recipe.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast (Thinly sliced)

1/2 cup of quinoa and brown rice mix

1.5 teaspoon of melted butter

2 cloves of garlic

A handful of chopped carrots

Seasoning cubes

1 teaspoon of suya spice or Yaji (optional)

1 scotch bonnet pepper (ata rodo)

1 medium roma tomato

1 cup water

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

1 chopped spring onion

A handful of chopped green pepper

4 whole cherry tomatoes (optional)

Method

In a bowl, season the chicken breast with the seasoning cubes and suya spice and allow to marinate for 2 hours or if you are really hungry, you can use immediately.

In a pot of boiling water (1 cup), pour in your quinoa mix and the teaspoon of oil and allow to boil till soft which should take about 5-7 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In a pan, heat up the melted butter and pan fry on medium heat the chicken breast, constantly flipping it over so it browns on both sides, reduce the heat, cover the pan and allow the chicken cook properly. If the pan becomes to dry, add 2 tablespoons of water.

Stir in the chopped vegetables into the pan of frying chicken and finally add the quinoa/brown rice mix.

Serve hot!