Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients:
- 2 Tb. olive oil, plus a bit more to grease pan
- 2 Tb. flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. poultry seasoning
- Dash paprika
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- ½ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Directions:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously grease a square baking dish with olive oil.
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In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil and whisk in flour. Continue whisking until mixture bubbles and toasts to a golden-brown color.
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Carefully whisk in milk and chicken broth. Continue cooking and whisking until sauce becomes foamy and creamy. Turn off heat and set aside.
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In a separate small bowl, combine salt, poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne then sprinkle over chicken. Set aside.
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In the prepared casserole dish, combine the rinsed quinoa with the sauce from step two and prepared bacon. Lay the chicken breasts over the top of the quinoa mixture.
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Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until quinoa fully absorbs the liquid.
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While the casserole is in the oven, place the broccoli in salted boiling water for 1 minute or until it turns bright green. Strain it in a fine mesh sieve. Run the broccoli under cold water until it’s fully cooled or place the sieve in a large bowl of ice water. Shake off excess water and set aside.
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Remove the casserole from the oven. When the quinoa and chicken are cooked and the sauce is thickened, add the broccoli on top followed by cheese. Bake for 5 minutes, then set on broil and continue cooking until the cheese becomes bubbly and golden brown.
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Serve immediately.
