Chicken Quinoa and Mushrooms is ready in under 30 minutes! My simple quinoa recipe is all about fluffy and flavorful nature of quinoa as well ease of preparation. This easy and delicious recipe is guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds!
Why make chicken quinoa with mushrooms
- Quinoa cooks as fast as white rice, but provides far more nutrients and fiber.
- Chicken is a great source of lean protein and is best friends with carbs in quinoa in this dish - chicken protein will help slow down carb absorption.
- Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins as well as selenium, which helps to support the immune system and prevent damage to cells and tissues, especially thyroid cells.
How to make chicken quinoa with mushrooms
This is a very brief description of the chicken quinoa recipe. For a more detailed version please look into the recipe card at the end of the post.
- First things first, season your chicken thighs and heat oil in large skillet. We are using skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs.
- Next brown the chicken thighs on medium high heat on both sides.
- After the chicken has been browned, add mushrooms to the same pan and sauté for no more than 3-4 minutes total, until browned. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on them while cooking.
- Then you will add chicken stock and uncooked quinoa to the pan; and simmer them together until the chicken thighs are no longer pink in the middle and the quinoa is nice and fluffy!
Health benefits of quinoa
- Quinoa is a great source of protein, fiber, iron and vitamin B6.
- Quinoa also provides a concentrated amount of a major antioxidant phytonutrient - quercetin, known to fight cancer and inflammation. And it is related to beetroots and spinach. What else can I say - it's an anti-inflammatory superstar! Who knew!
Is quinoa low carb and Keto friendly?
Unfortunately, it's not low carb and won't be appropriate for Keto diet. One cup of cooked quinoa contains 222 total calories, including 34 grams of net carbs, five grams of fiber, eight grams of protein and four grams of fat.
Do you need to wash quinoa before cooking?
Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. All boxed quinoa is pre-rinsed, it doesn't hurt to give it an additional rinse at home.
However, avoid soaking quinoa, because saponins can leach into the seeds.
Hungry for more chicken recipes?
I love cooking with chicken and have a variety of chicken recipes on this site including different types of carbs, such as chicken and rice, chicken and pasta. I will link those recipes at the bottom so that you can check them out here, but definitely try this chicken and quinoa dish especially if you never had quinoa before or do not enjoy it very much. This chicken and quinoa with mushroom combination might change your mind!
Below are the links to chicken recipes that you might enjoy
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce
- Chicken and Mushroom Pasta in Madeira Wine Sauce
- Seared Chicken Pasta in Chardonnay Wine Sauce
Chicken Quinoa with Mushrooms
CLICK on STARS to REVIEW the RECIPE, then CLICK OK
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. chicken thighs (skin on, bone in)
- Salt and pepper
- Chili pepper powder (such as ancho)
Quinoa
- 12 oz white mushrooms (thinly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup fresh scallions (chopped)
- 2 ⅔ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (unsalted)
- 1 cup quinoa (uncooked, I used tricolor)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and chili pepper. Set aside. Heat the skillet on medium high heat and add olive oil to the preheated skillet. Allow the oil to warm up for a bit.
- Add chicken to the skillet skin side down and brown it for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Flip to cook the other side for approximately 5 more minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add mushrooms to the skillet and brown them for about 4 minutes. Next add scallions and garlic to the same pan and sauté for no more than 2 minutes.
- Add unsalted stock, salt and add uncooked quinoa to the skillet and bring to a fast simmer.
- Add chicken thighs to the skillet on top of the quinoa. Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer until chicken is no longer pink and quinoa is cooked, about 17-20 minutes. Remove from heat and steam for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the quinoa with the fork and taste to see if it's cooked and seasoned to your liking.
Joyce says
Going to try this looks easy and hopefully it comes out like yours
Olya says
Did it:)?