Moroccan Baked Chicken Breast + Quinoa Salad
This Morrocan Baked Chicken Breast and Quinoa Salad dinner is the perfect marriage of exotic flavors and easy prep. The chicken is brined for extra juiciness, baked in moroccan spices and served with a healthy quinoa salad packed with fresh produce and herbs.
Servings: 4
Calories: 588kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breast
For the Brine:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup salt table salt or sea salt
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups water
For Baking Chicken
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs Moroccan Spice Mixture see note
For the Quinoa:
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 carrot sliced thinly crosswise
- 2 apricots pit removed and chopped
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander, bay leaves, and water over medium heat.
- Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. You can use some ice cubes if you like.
- Place chicken breasts in a bowl or baking dish and cover with brine.
- Let sit, covered in foil, in refrigerator thirty minutes to one hour.
- In another saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil.
- Stir in quinoa and let simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator and discard brine.
- Rinse chicken breasts under cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Put chicken back in baking dish and coat well with the olive oil.
- Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over chicken and massage to cover surface evenly. Cover tops and bottoms. Also try to work it into any nooks and crannies of the breast.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes without disturbing it.
- While chicken is baking, combine cooled quinoa with everything from the carrot to the mint.
- Toss and top with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- At 20 minutes, remove chicken from oven and check temperature.
- Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
- If it's not quite there yet, put it back in the oven and check it every 3 to 5 minutes until it reaches 160 degrees in the thickest parts of all the breasts.
Notes
Moroccan Spice Mixture = 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1½ teaspoons coriander, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground mustard seed. Store leftover in air tight container in spice cupboard.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 14792mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 3225IU | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4.3mg