This Middle Eastern-inspired dinner uses caramelized onions, aromatic spices, almonds and yogurt to create a budget-friendly meal with big flavor. Instead of the more usual rice, we’ve paired the dish with nutty, protein-packed quinoa.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 15-ounce can lentils, strained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, white meat with skin removed
- 2 cups whole frozen green beans
- 2 tablespoons toasted, sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup 2-percent Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Put the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook until it is translucent and tender and the threadlike germ wraps around each kernel, 8 to 12 minutes. Strain the quinoa well, return it to the saucepan and stir in the lentils; cover and keep warm.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and scrape up any brown bits. Add the chicken, bring to a simmer and cook until almost all of the liquid evaporates and the chicken is moistened, about 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave until hot, about 3 minutes
- Add the chicken-onion mixture, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the quinoa-lentil mixture and stir to combine. Divide among four bowls. Top each with greens beans, almonds and a dollop of yogurt.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 370 calorie |
| Total Fat | 14 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 2.5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 25 milligrams |
| Sodium | 590 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 41 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 grams |
| Protein | 20 grams |
| Sugar | 6 grams |
Reviews
So easy and healthy, plus delicious! We cooked the quinoa in chicken broth but otherwise followed the recipe. Will definitely make again soon.
My husband and i loved it! But recommend using 1.5 cups of DARK meat. We used fresh steamed green beans as well. Will be eating this again
Very healthy recipe and satisfying. The flavor was pretty good too considering all the quinoa and lentils. Instead of a rotisserie chicken I baked chicken breasts in the oven seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Also used dry lentils but cooked them in the rice steamer with the quinoa and it came out perfect.
I used dry lentils as well. It was a healthy dinner… Not guest worthy but definitely good for an evening at home.
I wasn’t crazy about this dish. It felt like there was something missing. It just tasted a little dry.
My husband and I really liked it. My kids ate it and thought it was “ok”. I used dry lentils and just cooked them separately. Didn’t add the almonds or the green beans because I didn’t have any. All in all, it was a very decent healthy meal. We will make this again.