Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Bake

This Chicken, Broccoli and Quinoa Bake is packed with protein to power you through your day, and it makes enough for dinner tonight and leftovers for lunch tomorrow! The creamy sauce and crunchy panko crumbs will help your kids (and hubby) get used to quinoa, while you'll love the nutrition facts! Speaking of, there are only 228 calories and 6 grams of fat in a serving.

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Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Bake

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40-45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen broccoli florets

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

• 1 cup skim milk

• ⅓ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons onion powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

3. Bring the water to a simmer, add the chicken and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Remove the chicken breasts and set on a plate to cool. When cool enough to touch, shred the chicken.

5. While the chicken is cooking: Heat a medium saucepan over high heat, add 2 cups of chicken broth and the quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 13-15 minutes until quinoa is cooked.

6. Remove quinoa from heat and let stand for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.

7. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.

8. Whisk the milk and 1 cup of chicken broth, and continue whisking until the sauce thickens for about 6-8 minutes, being careful to turn the heat down as is starts to boil.

9. Take the sauce off the burner and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.

10. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the previously set-aside broccoli, shredded chicken, cooked quinoa and sauce.

11. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the top with the panko crumbs and lightly spray the top with nonstick cooking spray. Evenly sprinkle the cheese over the panko.

12. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1 cup)
Calories: 228
Calories from fat: 59
Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 44mg
Sodium: 344mg
Carbohydrates: 23g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 20g
WWP+: 6
SmartPoints: 6

3.1 The nutrition content of recipes on Popculture.com have been calculated by Registered Dietitian, Jessica Penner, of Smart Nutrition.