Twice Cooked Quinoa with Chipotle and Lime Chicken
Note: This recipe uses 3 cups of cooked quinoa. This can be cooked a day ahead or the same day, however we found that using cooled quinoa worked best when cooking it a second time. Also, this recipe is served with a Lime and Coriander Tofu Mayonnaise (see that recipe here) and lemon poached chicken (see that recipe here.) Prep time listed does not include time to cook quinoa or poach the chicken
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 dried chipotle chili (If you prefer a more mild chili, we recommend Pasilla chili which can be found at many supermarkets)
- 3 6-ounce lemon poached chicken breasts (see recipe here), sliced
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, leaves left whole
- 1 1/2 cups fresh mint, leaves left whole
- 2 scallions, tops and bottoms, sliced on the bias
- Juice from four limes, about 1/2 cup
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- Lime and Coriander Tofu Mayonnaise, for serving (see recipe here)
Instructions
- If you have not already cooked the quinoa, do it now by bringing two cups of chicken or vegetable stock to a boil and add one cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes covered. Uncover, fluff and cool to room temperature. We poured it out onto a platter to cool quickly.
- Boil water and pour over dried chili in a heat proof bowl and let sit for two minutes. Remove pepper and discard liquid. Using a fork, shred chili into pieces (depending on the heat factor, you may need to wear latex gloves and separate meat from seeds). Place in a medium bowl.
- Add the cilantro, mint and scallions to bowl with the chilis and toss. Mix the lime juice and honey in a small container and hold.
- In a medium nonstick sauté pan, over high heat, place vegetable oil and when oil is hot, toss in cooked quinoa. Using a wooden spoon, move the quinoa around frequently and cook for 12 – 15 minutes. Any moisture in the quinoa will evaporate and the quinoa will begin to toast and brown. Again, toss and stir frequently until lightly browned and toasted. Remove from heat.
- Add the cooked chicken and lime juice and honey mixture to the bowl with the cilantro mixture and toss.
- Serve the chipotle lime chicken salad with the twice cooked quinoa and lime and coriander tofu mayonnaise on the side.
