Recipe: Cheesy, Chicken, Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole

I love trying new, healthy recipes!  My husband and I have busy schedules with our careers so I tend to make a lot of baked chicken, brown rice and broccoli (super creative)!!  But it tastes good, is healthy and quick!  The past week, I found a little extra time to try a new recipe.  I haven't cooked with Quinoa a lot and wanted to try to cook with it more.  I found a great recipe on www.secondchancetosucceed.com and my husband and I really liked it...I recommend you give it a try!  P.S.-it did take a few more pots than I would typically use so there was quite a bit more cleanup than normal for me...only downside.

Recipe: Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa 

2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cubed

2 Heads of Broccoli, Chopped 

1/4 White Onion, Finely Diced

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Cup Cheese + Extra for topping casserole (I use 1/2 Cheddar and 1/2 Parmesan)

1 Tbs Flour (Whole Wheat or Coconut)

1 Cup Milk or Milk Substitute (Almond, Coconut, etc…)

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Oregano

2 tsp Dried Parsley

1/4 tsp Cayenne or Cajun Seasoning *(Optional)

Directions (Taken from secondchancetosucceed.com):

First, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Get 1 cup of quinoa cooking per the directions on the package. 

Warm a small amount (about a teaspoon or two) of coconut oil in a large, deep skillet. As the oil warms, dice up the onions and add them to the pan. Cook them on a low-medium heat until they are almost translucent. When the onions are nearly done, add the minced garlic to the pan and stir often until slightly golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. While cutting up the onions and garlic, go ahead and prep the broccoli. Cut off the stems, give the broccoli florets a rough chop and set aside for later.

While your onions and garlic are cooking, cut your chicken into cubes. Keep the chicken pieces bite-sized so that it cooks quickly and will be evenly distributed throughout the dish. Increase the heat to med-high and add your chicken to the pan. Stir in cumin, onion, garlic, pepper, oregano, parsley, and cayenne. Saute until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Remove from heat and add your chicken mixture to a LARGE mixing bowl.

While the chicken is cooking, steam your broccoli lightly. Since you’ll be adding the broccoli to the casserole, you don’t want it to be soggy. Once the broccoli has reached your desired texture, add it to the mixing bowl along with your cooked quinoa.

Place a small sauce pot on the stove over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tbs of flour and 1/4 cup milk. Pour the mixture into the sauce pot and add remaining 3/4 cup of milk. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of grated or shredded cheese. Pour the cheese mixture into your large mixing bowl and stir ingredients together until evenly distributed.

Coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour in your Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Quinoa mixture. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of cheese over the top and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted and bubbly!) Remove from the oven when done and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. 

**I usually prepare everything ahead of time and set the covered baking dish in the refrigerator until dinner. I bake the dish covered at 375 degress for about 15 minutes and then uncover it for an additional 10-15 minutes**

If you have any recipes using Quinoa, please let me know or tag me on Instagram @beautifulbusybee

xo, Jessica