March 2010 - Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabouleh

On to the last issue for March. I changed my mind a lot on what to make from this issue. On my menu plan for the month I was going to make Jill Dupleix's Larb Gai with mint & basil, which is a Thai-inspired dish that looked to be light and tasty. However come the end of the month there were some bills that needed paying so there wasn't a lot left for groceries and I had to be a bit frugal.

Jamie Oliver's Kumara Pyramid Salad was another possibility. I had most of the ingredients, or things that could be substituted. However I had made a salad using kumara from the last issue so I decided that, as nice as it sounds, something different would be better this time around.

There is a feature on Noosa in this issue with recipes from executive chef at Berardo's, Shane Bailey. His Spatchcock with Corn & Herb Couscous, using Israeli (or pearl) couscous looked so good. However I didn't manage to get to the butcher on Saturday before they closed so I wasn't able to get a spatchcock and the chickens at the supermarket were all quite big. I think that it would have been very nice though.

In the end I chose another recipe from Jill Dupleix's Lighten Up feature, Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh. I had all the ingredients on hand so it made for a cheap and very tasty stores meal. The recipe did not state what type of paprika to use. I have smoked and sweet in my cupboard so I used smoked on the chicken breast and sweet for the quinoa dressing. The smoked paprika was nice on the chicken however I think that I need to get something with a bit more spice to it. I think it would have been better with a bit of a kick to it, perhaps I didn't add enough cayenne pepper. I enjoyed the meal and it was a good way to use some of the quinoa that I seem to have built up in the cupboard.

Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabouleh

Ingredients

• 1 c quinoa
• 600 ml water or vegetable stock
  
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used extra)
  
• 3 spring (green) onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
  
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 100 g greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 4 x 180 g chicken breast fillets

Method

• Combine 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp paprika and chicken breasts in a bowl and marinade for at least 20 minutes.
  
• Simmer quinoa in water for 10 minutes or until cooked and then drain. Cool and then add herbs, tomatoes and onions.
  
• Mix 1/4c oil, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp paprika, cumin, cayenne and sugar. Reserve 2 tsps and then mix the rest through the quinoa.
  
• Cook chicken under the a medium-high grill for 7-8 minutes each side or until cooked.
  
• Slice chicken breast and serve on a bed of quinoa then top with yoghurt and a drizzle of the reserved dressing.