Chicken and Spinach Quinoa

Original Recipe HERE

I made this recipe just as it's written, which scared me a little at first because I'd never gone near canned chicken.  I bought it as a back-up in case I didn't have time to cook "real" chicken the night I made this.  And inevitably that happened...so I popped the top and hoped for the best.  I was surprised at how well it turned out.  I wasn't turned off by the chicken at all, and it wasn't as processed-tasting or horribly unhealthy as I'd anticipated.  The larger-than-usual amount of pepper had me a little worried, but the dish had a good, flavorful "bite" without being too harsh.  Husband got home late (per usual) and ate a plate of leftovers cold and declared them good.  Then he went back for seconds and polished off what I'd happily been anticipating would be my lunch the next day.  Oh well.  Compliments to the chef, at least.

Ingredients

Cooking spray or olive oil

½ onion, diced

1 cup quinoa {I used red}

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh) {I used dried}

2 whole carrots, chopped

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 can (5 oz) shredded chicken breast or 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded

Directions

1) Drain and rinse quinoa.

2) Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Heat pan over medium heat and cook onion until translucent and tender and quinoa is slightly toasted (about 5 minutes).

3) Add the chicken broth and spices.  Bring mixture to a boil.

4) Cover skillet and turn heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5) Stir in the carrots and let everything simmer until all liquid is absorbed (about 10 minutes).

5) After turning heat off, stir in spinach until it wilts and add shredded chicken.

Notes: Next time I'll add more chicken - either another can, or use two medium-sized breasts.  I would also add more spinach, perhaps using two frozen packages to save a few minutes of cooking time.

Kid Participation:

* Add chicken broth and spices.