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Birds-eye view of a white bowl with quinoa, chicken, broccoli, and lemon slices in it.
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Juicy Chicken Quinoa Bowl

This quinoa bowl is bursting with nutrition. This dish takes minimal time to make which makes it a great dinner idea for those busy weeknights. This is also a great idea to meal prep for the week!
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Diet Low Fat
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 384kcal
Author Jillian Schneider

Equipment

  • rimmed baking sheet
  • small cooking pot
  • mixing bowls

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast fat trimmed
  • 4 tbsp olive oil divided
  • ⅛ tsp salt plus ¼ tsp divided
  • 2 small lemons thinly sliced
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 medium head of broccoli or 8 oz bag of frozen broccoli
  • ¼ cup red-wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • ¾ cups chopped nut your choice of nut - recommend walnuts, pecans, pine nuts
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°. Place chicken on one side of a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with ⅛ tsp of salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
  • Place sliced lemons on other side of baking sheet. If you need to use a second baking sheet to fit all the lemons you can do that, as well. Place back in oven and roast for another 10 minutes. Open oven and flip the lemons and roast for 10 more minutes or until the inside temp of the chicken reads 165°.
  • Meanwhile, in a small pot, add your broth and quinoa. Follow package directions for cooking.
  • If you are cooking your broccoli, using fresh broccoli, chop up into bite sized pieces. Add your chopped broccoli to a steamer basket. Add enough water to a pot to come up to about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When water is boiling, carefully add your steamer basket with the broccoli into the pot and cover with lid and steam for 5 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and place in a bowl and keep warm. Or, to cut corners toss a bag of broccoli into the microwave.
  • In a large bowl make your dressing using the vinegar, mustard, remaining 3 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper. Shred chicken using 2 forks and add chicken, lemon, broccoli, spinach, nuts, and cranberries to the dressing and toss to combine. Drizzle with more dressing before serving; if desired.
  • To plate, spoon your quinoa out into a dish and top with the chicken mixture.

Notes

How can my kids help?  
    • Have your child add all the ingredients together to make the dressing.
    • Teach them how to shred chicken using 2 forks.
    • I have child-friendly cookware and my kids use the knives that are safe for kids to help chop vegetables
How to store this dish.
You can store this meal in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Top Tip!
Don't overcook or undercook your chicken! I always use an instant-read thermometer. When you insert the thermometer into the chicken it should read 165 degrees. Let your chicken rest a little before shredding it.
Can this dish be meal-prepped?
You can cook certain ingredients ahead of time. The quinoa and the chicken can be cooked up to 3 days ahead of time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 15.4g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 235mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 20mg