winner winner (orange) chicken dinner!

This is a super healthy dish and it's full of summer flavors, you just HAVE to try it!  Tonight I made orange teriyaki chicken thighs with vegetable quinoa pilaf.  In all honesty, even me, the girl who eats "weird food" has been skeptical of this funny sounding grain.   But the fact of the matter is, everybody should be eating this stuff!!  Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a SUPER grain.  It's packed with protein, with eight grams of protein per serving-- that is double the amount of protein in other grains.  Quinoa is also rich in other vitamins and minerals including zinc, vitamin E, and selenium.  

Orange Teriyaki Chicken thighs (serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (I bought boneless/skinless just to make things easy)
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp crushed garlic
~2 tbsp grated orange peel
juice from 1/4 orange
orange slices from 1/4 orange 
2 tsp canola oil


Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf (serves 2)
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 large white mushroom, finely chopped
1/2 carrot, grated and chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger root, freshly grated
1 tbsp grated orange peel


First, trim the chicken thighs of most visible fat.  If you bought chicken with the skin on, remove the skin before marinating.  Place the trimmed chicken thighs in a ziplock bag.  

 Next, add the teriyaki sauce, honey, and garlic to the bag.  If you have a zester then great, but if not you can use a knife to peel back the very first layer of orange peel.  Don't cut too thick because the white of the peel gives off a bitter flavor.  You'll use more orange zest in the quinoa so take off more than you need, about 1/2 of a large orange.  Once you've removed the top layer, chop it into smaller pieces and add it (approx. 2 tbsp) to the bag. 

Cut the orange in half, and then cut one half in half again.  squeeze 1 quarter into the bag, and slice the other quarter and put it in the bag.  Now, seal it up and mix the contents by massaging the ingredients into the chicken.  Let it marinate in the fridge for about 1/2 hour.  

If I had a grill, I definitely would have grilled this, but alas I made due with what I had and used a large skillet on the stove top.  I heated 2 tsp canola oil in the skillet and dumped the entire contents of the bag in the pan, orange peels and all.  

While the chicken is cooking, you can prep your vegetables for the quinoa.  Using a spoon, peel back the tough skin of the ginger root, then thinly slice & dice (sorry I didn't take any pictures of this!) The mushrooms and carrots should look like this... 

Place the chopped mushroom, carrots, onion, ginger, and orange peel in a small bowl and set aside.  


If you don't already have a metal strainer, it'd be a solid investment... I am not sure how else you could rinse the quinoa... And I'm not exactly sure what you're rinsing off, but I just do what the box tells me!  Some quinoa comes pre-rinsed, just make sure you read the box.  Add 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup vegetable stock to a tall-sided pot and cook on high until it comes to a boil.  I use vegetable stalk to add more flavor.  You could also use chicken or beef broth or even bullion, just be aware that some of those are REALLY high in sodium.  Add the bowl of veggies, cover and reduce heat to low until water is absorbed (about 10-15 minutes).

Meanwhile, check your chicken.  When it starts to turn from pink to white, it's ready to flip.  My chicken thighs were all different sizes so I decided to cut them into smaller chunks to make it easier to split the portions evenly, but if yours all look about the same, leave 'em whole if you so choose. 

Once the chicken is no longer pink, it's all ready!  By now, the quinoa should be done too.  You'll know the quinoa is done because it changes it's appearance from little round balls to translucent circles with a little opaque ring on the outside.  Scoop the quinoa onto a plate and pour the chicken right on top... If you are feeling fancy, garnish with a fresh orange slice :)

And remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share or if you'd like me to try to put a healthy spin on a not-so-healthy favorite, email me at jillianpollock87@gmail.com!