Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bake

By á-25037

This easy, toss together recipe does not require pre-cooking of the quinoa. It comes together quickly and tastes delicious

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce jar of your favorite thick and chunky salsa (see note)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed if needed – see note)
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips (to equal about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips (to equal about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 of a large sweet onion, cut into strips (to equal about 1 3/4 – 2 cups)
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips, or 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Optional toppings for serving: shredded reduced-fat cheese, shredded lettuce, reduced-fat sour cream, avocados or guacamole, chopped cilantro or green onions, hot sauce such as Tapatío

Details

Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from twohealthykitchens.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Mix salsa, black beans, chicken broth and quinoa in a 9×13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. In a large bowl, combine peppers, onion, chicken, oil and seasonings until thoroughly combined. Spoon pepper mixture over quinoa mixture in baking dish.

4. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes (depending on thickness of your chicken and peppers and your brand of quinoa), or until chicken is cooked through, veggies are crisp-tender, and quinoa is done.

Serve with desired toppings.

Notes

Salsa: We generally use a thick and chunky salsa for this recipe, but have also tested it with looser, less thick varieties. Either will work fine, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. However, less chunky salsa will result in a runnier, looser casserole (which is still perfectly delicious). Either way, the casserole will thicken slightly upon standing, if you prefer that.


Quinoa: If your quinoa is not pre-rinsed, then before you add it to the casserole, you will need to rinse it in a sieve, swishing it with your fingers until the water runs clear. We always look for pre-rinsed brands to save that step.

Chicken breasts or tenders: Even when using chicken tenders, we often still cut larger tenders in half lengthwise to create thinner, fajita-like strips with more surface area to be coated with the delicious fajita spices. If you’re in a hurry, though, you can use the tenders whole, although the meat won’t be as well coated in the spice mixture.