Recipe - Spiced Chicken Breast with Citrus Quinoa

I didn't do a Thanksgiving day turkey because our dinner was just to be for six people total. That did not justify roasting an entire oversized bird seeing as the amount of meaty leftovers would be enormous and wasteful. However, I did still want to make an entree that was hefty (yet healthy) and my mom had asked for chicken as the meat. Thus, a spiced chicken breast dish that was well-complemented with citrus quinoa! This recipe is adapted from here.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 8-12 servings)

• 2 large lemons, juice only
• 2 oranges, juice only
• 2 cups quinoa
• handful Italian parsley, finely chopped
  
  Chicken
• 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 4-6 garlic cloves, crushed (depending on how much garlic you like)
• salt
• 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Step 2: Preparing the ingredients
Score each chicken breast 3-4 times. Crush garlic and chop fresh mint. Squeeze all juices into a large measuring cup. In the same mixing bowl as the chicken breast, add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly, massaging all ingredients into the chicken. Place in fridge to marinate for at minimum 1 hour.


Step 3: Cooking the quinoa
If marinating for an hour, come back to the kitchen about 45 minutes in to do the quinoa. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In the measuring cup where you had put all the juices, add enough water until you're at 4 cups' worth of liquid. Place quinoa in a pot/large saucepan and pour in liquids. Cover with a lid and bring to a bowl. Then drop the heat to simmer for about 15 minutes. There should not be any more liquid - fluff with a fork, add parsley, and set aside.


Step 4: Finishing
In an appropriately sized baking tray or roasting pan, lay out your chicken and chickpeas with the scored side up. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. You don't want to overcook since breast meat is already prone to being dry. Remove and let rest for 4-5 minutes before slicing up. Serve with quinoa.