This is the first time I have tried quinoa in this type of dish and it’s ideal- it provides a filling bulk that cooks nicely but doesn’t go mushy or squishy, and actually quinoa itself is packed full of protein and high in fibre. If you feel a bit unsure about the quinoa I urge you to try it- it’s a common enough ingredient that you can buy it almost anywhere these days and it is such a useful ingredient! It’s great for bulking out a meal like this, but also as an alternative to breadcrumbs or pasta.
You may think it odd that I have used cup measures here when I usually use grams for my recipes, but this one is ideal for the easy of using a cup- if you don’t have an ‘official’ measuring cup, a regular sized teacup or coffee cup will do- one of the joys of this recipe is that there is no need to be precise- it’ll taste great even if you end up with a bit extra of one ingredient.
I use 2 chicken breasts in this (which feeds 4 people)- there is extra protein in both the black beans and the quinoa and once shredded this is plenty of chicken. It really does make a difference buying free-range fillets- they are more expensive (hence using less), but at least you know that they aren’t factory farmed, and they have the consistency and taste that chicken should have.
If you end up with leftovers of this, you can use it to fill wraps, cook into a quesadilla… it’s a great easy lunch to reheat too!
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A tasty Mexican ‘dump dinner’
Syn-free
INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion (finely diced (or 1 cup of frozen pre-chopped onion))
2 chicken breasts
1 tin black beans (drained)
1 red pepper (1 green pepper, deseeded and diced)
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 tin chopped tomatoes (refill with water, and also add 1 tin of water)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos (roughly chopped)
salt & pepper
Low calorie cooking spray (or spray oil if you prefer)
Coriander to serve
INSTRUCTIONS:
Into your slow-cooker pot add in the onion, whole chicken breasts, quinoa, black beans, sweet corn, pepper, chopped tomatoes, water, lime juice
Add in the garlic granules, paprika, oregano, cumin, jalapenos and salt and pepper
Give everything a little mix together, and put the slow-cooker on
Cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 7-8 hours.
Once cooking time is finished, shred the chicken breasts using 2 forks and mix everything together
Serve with fresh lime wedges and chopped coriander.
Notes:
If you want to take it to the next level then serve into portions, cover with grated cheddar, and pop under the grill to melt the cheese before serving.