Name: Buffalo Chicken and Garlic Quinoa Bowls
Cuisine: Gluten Free
Ingredients: 1 ¼ C dry (light colored) quinoa, rinsed in a strainer and drained; 2 ¼ C water or vegetable broth; 1 ½ T olive oil; 4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced; ½ C + 2 T grated parmesan cheese; Salt; Pepper; 3 C shredded cooked chicken (from a rotisserie or two very large skinless boneless chicken breasts); 4 T butter (or olive oil); 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 1 small red bell pepper, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; ½ C (or more, to taste) hot sauce (such as Frank’s); ½ C crumbled blue cheese (pre-crumbled may contain gluten); 4 – 2 C food storage containers

Ingredients

Scale

For the quinoa layer:

1 ¼ C dry (light colored) quinoa, rinsed in a strainer and drained
2 ¼ C water or vegetable broth
1 ½ T olive oil
4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
½ C + 2 T grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

For the chicken layer:

3 C shredded cooked chicken (from a rotisserie or two very large skinless boneless chicken breasts)
4 T butter (or olive oil)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ C (or more, to taste) hot sauce (such as Frank’s)

Plus:

½ C crumbled blue cheese (pre-crumbled may contain gluten)
4 – 2 C food storage containers

Instructions

Make the quinoa. Heat the oil over medium heat in a 2 qt. or larger saucepan. Add the garlic and stir constantly until it just begins to brown. Add the quinoa and stir for another minute or two, to toast the quinoa, which adds flavor and keeps it from sticking together during cooking. Add the water or vegetable broth and a pinch of salt, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid and is soft enough to eat. Stir in the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste (remember to season on the liberal side) and set aside.
Make the chicken, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally (5 to 10 minutes). Add the chicken and garlic and cook for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in the hot sauce and stir, then increase the heat to bring to a simmer and cook for a couple minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Remove from heat, taste, and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Build the bowls. Fill each container halfway with the quinoa. Follow with a layer of the chicken, split evenly amongst four servings, then sprinkle each bowl with 2 tablespoons of the cheese.

Notes

Quinoa layer barely adapted from Creamy Parmesan-Garlic Quinoa (link above) by Iowa Girl Eats.

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Gluten Free