Quinoa pilaf with grilled chicken, feta and lemon

This zesty quinoa pilaf loaded with delicious Mediterranean veg, and served with healthier grilled chicken, is low-calorie and high in iron and fibre - a great summer dinner or lunch.

Serves: 4

Time to make: 40 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium courgettezucchiniXszucchini, summer squashX, trimmed, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons zest of lemon, plus extra, to garnish
1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained
330ml water (see tip)
200g sugar snap peas, trimmed (or snow peas or beans)
2 x 200g chicken breast fillets
100g baby spinach
cracked black pepper
80g feta, crumbled

Instructions

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1 Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Gently cook onion for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add courgette, garlic and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

2 Add quinoa and water to pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until water has almost evaporated. Add sugar snaps and stir to combine. Cover and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until water has evaporated. Remove pan from heat, cover and set pilaf aside to steam for 2 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, cut chicken breasts through the middle horizontally to give 4 thin fillets and brush with remaining oil. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 2–3 minutes each side, or until cooked through. Thinly slice.

4 Stir spinach through pilaf until just wilted and season with pepper. Divide pilaf among 4 serving plates. Top with chicken, feta and lemon zest and serve.

Variations

You can replace water with reduced-salt chicken stock for extra flavour.

HFG tip

This recipe is part of our five-night cooking plan that uses just 10 ingredients to make five easy recipes.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 403 cal

Kilojoules 1680 kJ

Protein 36 g

Total fat 15 g

Saturated fat 6 g

Carbohydrates 30 g

Sugar 4 g

Dietary fibre 6 g

Sodium 310 mg

Calcium 200 mg

Iron 5 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.