Pesto Chicken Quinoa (Printable Version)

Quinoa, chicken, roasted veggies, and bright pesto are tossed together for a wholesome, super tasty bowl you’ll want again and again.

# Everything You’ll Need:

→ Quinoa

01 - 240 ml chicken broth (go for unsalted or low-salt)
02 - 120 g uncooked quinoa

→ Pesto Chicken

03 - 80 ml store-bought or homemade pesto
04 - 450 g chicken breast (boneless, skinless), chop into chunks

→ Roasted Vegetables

05 - ¼ teaspoon dried red chili flakes (only if you want some heat)
06 - 1 teaspoon all-purpose Italian herbs
07 - 80 g onion, diced up
08 - 1 medium zucchini, sliced into thick coins
09 - 225 g grape or cherry tomatoes, left whole
10 - A bit of cooking oil for roasting

→ Assembly

11 - Black pepper, how you like it
12 - Kosher salt, to your liking
13 - Wedges of lemon for squeezing
14 - 1 small avocado, sliced up
15 - 60 g fresh spinach leaves

# Steps to Cook:

01 - Grab three bowls and divvy up spinach first, then spoon in your quinoa. Drop in the pesto chicken, then pile on those roasted veggies, followed by the avocado. Finish off with a squirt of lemon juice, then shake over some salt and pepper.
02 - Put tomatoes, sliced zucchini, onion, Italian herbs, chili flakes (if you're feeling spicy), a bit of salt and pepper onto your prepared tray. Hit them with a light spray or drizzle of oil. Toss them all to coat, then cook in the oven for about 8–12 minutes, till the tomatoes pop open.
03 - Mix chicken chunks with pesto, about 1¼ teaspoons salt and roughly ½ teaspoon pepper, right in the lined baking dish. Slide that into the oven for 12–20 minutes. Check it's ready by making sure the chicken is up to 68°C inside. Let it chill 10 minutes to hit 74°C before you slice.
04 - Toss quinoa and broth into a small pot. Turn the heat high to get it boiling. Cover, lower the heat a bit, let it simmer for 12–15 minutes till the water’s gone. Take it off the burner, keep the lid on for 5 minutes more, fluff with a fork and sprinkle in some salt.
05 - Get your oven fired up to 190°C. Put foil on a baking dish (20x20 cm) and a baking tray.

# Extra Suggestions:

01 - For safe eating, check chicken with a meat thermometer and wait till it's reached the right temp after resting.
02 - If you’re using flaky salt or sea salt instead of kosher, just use half as much.
03 - Chicken thighs with no bones or skin can work in place of breast—just tweak your bake time a bit.
04 - Speed it up by air frying chicken and veggies on foil in a preheated air fryer at 175°C.
05 - Go for veggies that roast in about the same time so everything turns out with a good bite. If not, dice the denser ones smaller.

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