Pesto chicken quinoa bowls
Juicy seared chicken over lemony pesto quinoa with cherry tomatoes and spinach, a gluten-free lunch that tastes as good cold as it does warm.
- 35 min total
- 18 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.88 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount and pack the rest for the next few days.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup basil pesto
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 510 calories, 41 g protein, 34 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $3.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the quinoa in a fine strainer, then put it in a with the water and ½ teaspoon salt and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Rinsing washes off a bitter coating, so don’t skip it.Cover, turn the heat to low and for 15 minutes, until the water is gone, then turn it off and leave the lid on.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
While it cooks, the chicken dry and it all over with the rest of the salt and the pepper.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high heat until it , then add the chicken and cook without moving it for 6 minutes, until underneath.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 6 min
Dolly’s tip: It’ll stick at first. When it lets go on its own, it’s ready to flip.Flip it, turn the heat to medium, and cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until the thickest part reads 165°F.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Thick breasts can take longer. If the outside browns too fast, turn the heat down a little.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Move the chicken to a board to for 5 minutes, and the tomatoes while you wait.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Timer: 5 min
the chicken, then fluff the quinoa with a fork and in the pesto and lemon juice.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the tomatoes and spinach, divide among 4 containers, and top with the chicken and parmesan.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
Dolly’s tip: Let it cool for 20 minutes before the lids go on, then refrigerate. It keeps 4 days and is good cold or warmed.
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