SPICY QUINOA CRUSTED CHICKEN

SPICY QUINOA CRUSTED CHICKEN image

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 15

4 â 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
Â½ cup dry quinoa
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Â¼ tsp pepper
Â¼ tsp salt
Â¼ tsp cayenne pepper
â tsp paprika
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp lime juice
4 Tbsp reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
Optional Topping*:
Greek yogurt dressing
*Optional ingredients are not included in nutritional calculations.

Steps:

Rinse quinoa with cold water. Place chicken broth and quinoa in a medium-sized saucepan â bring to a boil. Once it has reached a full boil, cover with a lid and turn the heat down to simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep lid on and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and paprika. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread quinoa in a thin layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until quinoa is lightly toasted. Transfer toasted quinoa to a bowl (make sure to break up any large pieces that may have clumped together when toasting) and place in the refrigerator. Bump oven up to 400 degrees. When quinoa is cool, place in another shallow bowl. In a shallow bowl, beat egg whites and lime juice. Working one at a time, coat each chicken breast first in the egg wash, then with your fingers or the back of a spoon, pat quinoa onto the chicken until it is completely coated. Place breast on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top of each chicken breast with 1 tsp of reduced-fat Parmesan cheese. Spritz the tops of the chicken breasts with cooking spray and bake for 25 minutes and serve hot. Drizzle optional dressing over chicken breast.