Make a Meal: Blackened Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

 

In February, we enjoyed a tasty blackened salmon dish so I decided to take that seasoning mixture and apply it to chicken. I chose a colorful quinoa blend at the Sunday grocery store run, after having it at a cooking demonstration event I did for work a few weeks ago.

Eating the blackened salmon, I would come across a few bites that were really hot from the cayenne. I found  an avocado "cream" sauce in a Cooking Light magazine that used one avocado and a small amount of greek yogurt - it was said to cool down spicy foods so I decided to try it with these blending tastes. I am a garlic lover so I added just a bit for the "cream" sauce and proved to be a great addition over top the chicken, assisting with the calming of hot bites.

This is an easy weeknight meal, taking all of 20 minutes from chop-start to seated-finish. Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com. For Weight Watchers, this meal is a total of 7 points: 4 points for a 4 oz. chicken breast, 1 point for 1/3 cup of cilantro-lime quinoa, 2 points for 1 tbsp. of avocado-"cream" sauce.

Grocery List:

• 2 chicken cutlets (already trimmed and pounded thin), halved into four 4 oz. pieces
• 1 tbsp. ground paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried cumin
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup quinoa
• Juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

Start by preparing the quinoa, adding the vegetable stock to a small pot on medium-high heat. Add the cup of quinoa, bring to a boil and let simmer on low-medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and the curlicue of the seed is exposed. 

In a small bowl or pinch bowl, combine 1-6 of the herbs and spices for the blackening seasoning.

Rub over one side of the chicken and place on a grill pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then flip to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

 

In a bowl, grate the lime zest and combine with the juice from one lime. Add the cilantro.

 

Once the quinoa is done, add to the bowl with the lime and cilantro and toss to coat. Season with any additional salt and pepper, as you see fit.

For the avocado cream sauce, dump both avocado halves into a food processor with one heaping spoonful of fat-free, plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Press the grind button until it is smooth and creamy. Add as a topping or set aside in a small bowl to dip as you desire!

Paired with a side of simple roasted broccoli tossed in olive oil, cayenne and garlic powder

 

Tastefully yours,