Grilled Chicken with Quinoa, Chickpeas, Roast Pumpkin and Lemon Basil Dressing



You will need...
2 large chicken breasts, butterflied and flattened to an even thickness
salt & pepper
olive oil

For the Quinoa..
1 cup uncooked white quinoa
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1 large lemon, zest and juice.
1/2 tsp each of dried basil, thyme and oregano
handful fresh baby spinach

For the Roast Pumpkin..
1/2 large butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and diced into 1.5cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, left with skin on and flattened
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried rosemary or thyme

For the Dressing...
1 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs fresh basil, finely diced (or use the stuff in the tube-pre chopped-about 1 Tbs worth)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Method...

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Roast the pumpkin in a shallow baking tray with paprika, herbs, whole garlic cloves, salt and pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil until golden brown and cooked through.
  2. Cook quinoa according to packet instructions.
  3. Saute onion in a non-stick frypan with a little olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, chilli, herbs and seasoning and stir through until fragrant.
  4. Add onion mixture to quinoa off the heat, then add lemon juice & zest, baby spinach and chickpeas. Stir through, allow residual heat to lightly wilt spinach.
  5. Season the chicken, drizzle over a little oil and panfry until cooked through. Wrap in foil and rest for 5 minutes.
  6. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a container or vessel with a lid (mason jars or old sauce jars work well for this). Cover with lid and shake to mix well.
  7. To serve, slice the chicken breast, spoon the quinoa onto a plate and scatter the pumpkin over the top, place the sliced chicken over the top and drizzle with a little bit of the dressing. Makes 4 serves.



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