Chicken Veggie Quinoa Bake
Fluffy quinoa, tender chicken, hearty veggies, and a creamy and dreamy lemon sauce come together in this modern twist on a classic. Chicken Veggie Quinoa Bake will be your new favorite and is the ultimate comfort food.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 430kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 2 cups broccoli steamed
- 1 cup sliced carrots steamed
- 3 Tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus more for topping
Instructions
- See notes for prep.
- Prepare your lemon sauce by adding 3 tablespoon butter to a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until melted.
- Add minced garlic and stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in lemon juice.
- Pour in half and half and bring to a simmer.
- Add 1 cup shredded parmesan and stir until melted.
- Assemble your casserole by spraying a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Add cooked quinoa, evenly to the bottom.
- Add shredded chicken on top of the quinoa.
- Layer steamed veggies on top of chicken.
- Pour creamy lemon sauce evenly on top of veggies. Sprinkle with additional parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly.
Notes
Prep:
Chicken
Cook 2 chicken breasts and shred them. Here are a few options for doing that:- Use a rotisserie chicken, pull apart the meat and use it in this recipe.
- Cook chicken breasts in the pressure cooker. Add 2 chicken breasts, 1 cup water, and salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes and allow a natural release. Remove from pressure cooker and shred.
- Boil your chicken. Add breasts to a large pot with a lid. Cover with chicken broth and boil for about 10 minutes - or until the internal temp is 165 degrees. Remove from liquid and shred.
- Fry your chicken. Add a few tablespoon oil or butter to a pan. Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes - 5 minutes each side, until internal temp reaches 165. Remove from pan and shred.
Veggies
You also need to steam your veggies. Here are a few ways to do that:- Add veggies to a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Add about 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil on the stovetop for about 8 minutes.
- Microwave your veggies. Place them in a large bowl, add 1 inch of water to the bottom of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
Quinoa
Cook your quinoa. You can do this on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker. We have a complete post with tips and tricks on cooking quinoa.- On the stovetop: Bring 1 ½ c chicken broth or water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Rinse uncooked quinoa very well under running water--this helps prevent bitter quinoa. Add rinsed quinoa to boiling water, bring to boil again, cover with lid, reduce heat to a simmer, simmer covered 15 minutes. Leave covered for 5 minutes, then remove lid to let steam escape.
- In the pressure cooker: Rinse your quinoa. Coat bottom of the pressure cooker with olive oil. Add rinsed quinoa and broth. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Allow a 4 minutes natural release.
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4300IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 307mg | Iron: 2mg