a Pinterest success! (finally...)

A few days ago I posted about how I have experienced some...well...failures, due to my love of Pinterest. T-shirt bracelets and bitter orange chicken aside, I decided to try another recipe I'd found on Pinterest - blackened chicken w/cilantro & lime quinoa. The best part of the recipe? I already had ALL the ingredients in my pantry/fridge except for the limes. So I thought I'd give it a shot for dinner tonight. Let me just say - the boyfriend LOVED it (so much that after he declined seconds, he actually went to the fridge and ate most of the leftovers...) and I thought it was pretty good (but I noted a few changes that I would make the next time around). And the best part was that I REMEMBERED to take a picture...however my food-picture-taking skills are seriously lacking - so I apologize in advance. :)

I found the original recipe on Pinterest (HERE) and below is the adjusted recipe that I found suited my tastes/needs better. (Example: the original recipe called for 1 cup of quinoa, when cooked, serves about 4 or 5 people. Since I was just making this for 2, I reduced the amount of quinoa.)

Adjusted recipe - serves 2


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I always keep this in our freezer, so I just thawed out 2)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't have any - I used chili powder)
1/4 tsp onion powder (again...didn't have any, I used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp cumin
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup quinoa
juice & zest of 2 limes
salt & pepper to taste (for the quinoa)
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Combine dry seasonings in a small bowl & mix together. Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides of chicken w/seasoning mix.
Add olive oil to a grill pan (or large skillet) and heat on medium high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 6-7 minutes on each side with the lid on the pan. (I don't have a lid for my grill pan, so I covered it with foil.)
Meanwhile, add the chicken stock & quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed.
Once the chicken has cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside. Let them rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
After quinoa has cooked, add the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

To serve, place the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa.

Optional: Puree an avocado w/3-4 Tbsp sour cream for an avocado cream sauce to drizzle over the chicken.



My version - it was pretty tasty!

UPDATE: For those that want nutritional info, here it is! (This info is per serving, and it's approx.)
563 calories, 19g fat, 34g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g sugar, 61g protein