Baked Chicken with Quinoa and Dates
This Baked Chicken with Quinoa and Dates is a new modern version of chicken and rice! Crispy chicken rests atop healthy quinoa, with a little sweetness from the dates, and a little crunch from the pine nuts!
Servings 4
Calories 973kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups quinoa dried
- 2 ½ cups water
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- ¾ cup dates halved or quartered
- 1 lemon zested
- 8 chicken thighs skin on, bone in
- salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place the quinoa, water, garlic, pine nuts, dates, and lemon zest in a 9x13 inch making dish and stir to combine.
- Rub the chicken thighs with olive oil and salt and pepper on both sides. Add to the baking dish, being careful to keep all of the quinoa submerged.
- Baked for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve topped with parsley.
Notes
Quinoa - most quinoa in the stores in pre-rinsed, but I still rinse mine to remove a naturally bitter tasting protective coating. Just put the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and place under running water for a few seconds. Shake it to drain off any excess water.
Pine Nuts - these can be expensive, I buy them in bulk when they are on sale and store in the freezer. Substitutes for pine nuts - sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios, or almonds.
Chicken Thighs - Skin on and bone in. I've used 8 in this recipe to allow for 2 per person, you can use 4 or 6 if you want less chicken per person.
To toast the pine nuts. I use a small dry skillet over medium high heat. Keep an eye on them, it only takes a couple of minutes and once they start turning they can go from golden to black quickly!
Nutrition
Calories: 973kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 221mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 1316mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 2705IU | Vitamin C: 54.9mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 7.7mg