Sesame Garlic Chicken with Tahini Spinach & Toasted Peanut Quinoa
The flavor of nutrient-rich sesame punctuates this punchy dish double time, in seeds toasted atop the garlic-roasted chicken and in the Middle Eastern-inspired tahini sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp unsalted sesame seeds, divided
- 3 tbsp unsalted raw peanuts
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 16-oz bag spinach, washed, drained, stems removed and steamed
Tahini sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame tahini
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp stevia powder
Preparation
- Ensure that 2 racks are in middle positions in oven. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Place chicken on a foil-lined baking pan. With a sharp knife, make 3 slits, a quarter to halfway through each chicken breast. Stuff thin slits with garlic, dividing evenly. Sprinkle 1 tsp sesame seeds on top of chicken. Place in oven on middle rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken’s juices run clear and no pink remains.
- Meanwhile, on a separate foiled-lined baking pan, toast peanuts in the same 375˚F oven for 4 to 6 minutes on top rack.
- Rinse quinoa thoroughly with water in a fine-mesh strainer until water runs clear. Drain well. Combine quinoa and 1 cup water in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until grains become translucent, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add toasted peanuts to cooked quinoa.
- Prepare Tahini Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tsp water and stevia until combined.
- Divide spinach between 2 plates and top with Tahini Sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp sesame seeds on top of spinach. Plate chicken breasts and quinoa off to side of spinach. Chicken can be kept stored in refrigerator for 4 days.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 4 oz chicken, 1 cup quinoa, 1/2 tsp roasted peanuts, 1 cup spinach, 2 tsp sauce
- Calories 470
- Carbohydrate Content 54 g
- Cholesterol Content 65 mg
- Fat Content 13 g
- Fiber Content 15 g
- Protein Content 38 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 520 mg
- Sugar Content 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 0 g