Grilled Moroccan Chicken and Pine Nut Quinoa
Aromatic Moroccan spiced infused chicken, grilled to perfection, and sliced on top of fresh lemon and cumin scented pine nut quinoa. Quick, easy on your plate in 30 minutes and is a perfect refreshing summertime meal!
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Moroccan
Servings: 4
Calories: 605kcal
Moroccan Grilled Chicken
- 12 oz chicken breasts
4 boneless skinless (or can also use tenderloin, thighs but you will need to adjust the cooking time) - ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
minced fresh (or 1 teaspoon dried ground) - 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
dried ground - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
ground - ½ teaspoon ginger
dried ground or 1 teaspoon freshly grated - 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cloves ground
- salt and pepper
to taste - 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Pine Nut Quinoa Salad
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
toasted - 4 cups quinoa
cooked (or 1 cup uncooked rinsed well and with 1.5 cups of water cooked for about 15 minutes and then cooled) - 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup red bell pepper
chopped - ½ cup yellow bell pepper
chopped - 1 tablespoon onion
minced - ¼ cup cilantro
(coriander) roughly chopped - 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Marinate your chicken: If you can remember to do this the night before or before you leave for work in the morning, give your self a high five and for the rest of us at least a good one hour marinade time is best. Pound Chicken breast so they are flat and cook evenly on the grill or your can even slice lengthwise to minimise the cooking time on the grill. Place the following item in a bag or container to marinate... Chicken, olive oil, garlic, cumin powder, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and cloves. (Hold the lemon juice and salt and pepper for during and after the grilling process) Place in the refrigerator to marinate.
Make the Pine Nut Quinoa Salad: Toast pine nuts on a low heat in a pan for about 2-3 minutes until toasty and golden. Remove from pan to cool. Set aside. In a medium bowl, add the cooked and cooked quinoa. (I put mine in the freezer on a hot pad to speed up the process) Add the following ingredients into the coked quinoa... red and yellow bell peppers, onions, cilantro, cumin, lemon juice and salt and pepper and toss well. (Hold the pine nuts until you are ready to serve) Place in the refrigerator to keep cool until ready to eat.
Grill the Moroccan Chicken: Remove the marinating chicken from the refrigerator and preheat the grill. Oil and prepare your grill and grill the chicken breasts for approximately 2-4 minutes on each side depending on the size of your chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper during the grilling process. Once the chicken is cooked and juices are running clear remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken against the grain and squeeze fresh lemon over top.
Plating up: Give the Pine nut quinoa salad a quick toss and recheck and adjust seasonings. Add the pine nuts and toss well. Place about 1 cup of the delicious pine nut quinoa salad on each plate and then add on top the delicious Moroccan grilled chicken and a wedge of lemon and enjoy.
Marinating your chicken overnight is always best for full flavor. However, if time is an issue, marinate at least 30 minutes.
Grilled Moroccan Chicken and Pine Nut Quinoa can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Great idea for meal planning Sundays!
In addition, this recipe can be frozen up to 3 months, just heat and enjoy.
Serving: 1g | Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 726IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 5mg