Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

     You may be thinking, “quinoa?”  I thought the same thing when I first heard about it while having dinner at the home of my good friends Meghan and Rob. Meghan, a dear friend and fabulous cook, served turkey-quinoa meatloaf as the entrée to an unforgettable meal. The meatloaf was so delicious that Andrew and I each had two servings. Over dinner Rob explained that quinoa, a whole grain, is one of the only grains that is also a complete protein.  Rob quizzed my undergrad biology knowledge and I failed to remember what a “complete protein” actually was. For those of you who may have daydreamed in bio that day too, a complete protein is one consisting of all of the essential amino acids (Rob, 2010). In simpler terms, quinoa=extremely healthy. Since that dinner, I have recreated turkey-quinoa meatloaf numerous times and have begun to experiment with my own quinoa creations.

     What you have here is a dish akin to the feel good favorite, chicken and rice. I have successfully made is sub-par in the health department with the inclusion of butter, cheese, and cream of chicken soup. However, you may substitute any full fat items for their reduced fat counterparts, as I likely will in the future. Hope all you health nuts and brainiacs out there enjoy this new spin on an old classic!

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa

2 c. low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T. dried sage

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. butter

kosher salt

pepper

paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in cold water. Combine quinoa and stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until most of the cooking liquid is absorbed.

2. To the saucepan add butter, soup, sage (grind in the palm of your hand first to release flavor), ½ c. Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Layer a 9X9 inch casserole dish with ½ of the quinoa mixture, chicken, and the second ½ of the quinoa mixture.  

4. Top the casserole with remaining Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 45-55 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

* Quinoa may be purchased at any local health food store such as Earth Fare, Trader Joe's, or in Bainbridge, GA at Health Products and Yogurt Too. It may also be found in some grocery stores on the rice aisle.