Chicken Quinoa Sweet Potato Stir Fry

July 18, 2013 Categories Chicken, One-Dish Dinners 1 Comment Tags chicken, leftovers, lunch, one-dish meal, quinoa, sweet potatoes

Don’t you feel extra healthy when your plate has lots of colors on it? I mean, if your food is all one color, you’re probably eating brownies or mashed potatoes or Mountain Dew (also, you’re probably awesome). But when you’ve got orange sweet potatoes, white onions, red peppers, and green peas — along with a little quinoa and chicken — you can bet you’re getting your vitamins and minerals.

This was tasty and full of lots of veggies, and it made a great take-to-work lunch two days in a row for me. Much more healthful than my normal granola-bar-and-potato-chip lunch, that’s for sure.

CHICKEN QUINOA SWEET POTATO STIR FRY (adapted from Prevention.com)

1 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet potato (about 8 oz), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tsp canola oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chile pepper, finely chopped (seeds removed if you’re sensitive to heat)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
sriracha, for serving (optional)

1. Rinse and drain quinoa in mesh strainer. Combine water and quinoa in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to boiling, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, place sweet potato in small saucepan with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
3. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
4. Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 tsp oil. Stir in onion and jalapeño pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook until vegetables start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas and reserved chicken and cook 2 minutes. Add quinoa and sweet potato. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt and pepper, and soy sauce. Toss to coat. Serve with sriracha, if using.

A great way to eat all your colors. If you’re feeling really ambitious, toss in some corn, blueberries, and eggplant, and you’ve got the whole rainbow!