My husband, Nick, doesn’t like quinoa. That is, until he tried this recipe. You see, when you’ve just tasted plain quinoa, with maybe some salt and pepper, you start to think that quinoa is boring. Sort of like tofu; it’s boring on it’s own. This recipe wraps quinoa in tomato sauce, peppers, mushrooms and cheese, which makes for a tasty end product (Nick approved). This Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake is gluten free, low fodmaps and also loaded with nutrients. Actually, it covers all the food groups in just one dish.
Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake
Author: Modified slightly from Fit Foodie Finds
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms **
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 small chicken breasts (1 lb. total, or less, cut to about ½ inch thickness)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray casserole dish with oil of your choice.
- Prep veggies by washing and dicing as indicated.
- Place uncooked quinoa on bottom of casserole dish and then layer with the prepared veggies.
- Add 2 cups marinara sauce and 1 cup chicken broth to the casserole dish and mix all together. Set aside
- In a medium bowl, mix flour and parmesan cheese. In a small bowl crack the egg and whisk.
- Prep chicken by dipping in the egg and then the parmesan mixture to generously coat. Place the chicken on top of the quinoa and veggie mixture.
- If there is leftover parmesan mixture, sprinkle on top of the chicken once it’s in the dish. Add salt and pepper if you wish.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake an additional 40 minutes (until quinoa is cooked and chicken is at least 165 degrees).
Notes
** If you are following a low FODMAP diet you can remove the mushrooms, as they contain polyols. Or, just use less. Also, look for a low FODMAP marinara sauce, such as Rao’s Sensitive Formula sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 16th recipe Calories: 378 Fat: 12g Saturated fat: 4 g Carbohydrates: 35 g Sodium: 700 mg Fiber: 5 g Protein: 30 g Cholesterol: 94 mg
So pretty, right? And, minimal dishes used in this recipe, which is obviously key to staying sane.
I’m fairly confident any type of parmesan cheese would work well in this recipe, but I like the shredded (I also like the slivers of parmesan, I simply eat it straight from the container). 
The next thing I want to do is test this in the slow cooker, because I think maybe the flavors would be even more concentrated in the slow cooker (and I’m obsessed with the slow cooker). The key to moist chicken in this recipe is to make sure you do not purchase chicken that is too thick (have you seen chickens these days?!). I had to slice mine in half so it was just about 1/2-inch thick. It turned out great. I hope you enjoy it as well!
