I got on a roll of cooking a lot of Mexican meals towards the end of last year and even though I love cooking and eating Mexican food, I thought that I should mix it up a little… and so I created this delicious Middle Eastern Chicken with a quinoa salad {because quinoa is so on trend right now and I’d like a few more people to stumble upon my blog and start following}.

I think quinoa is a great dinner time option. It is super easy to cook – think of it like rice or couscous. I boil up some chicken stock, add the quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on, allow to rest for 5 minutes and then you’re ready to add your flavourings.

I roasted the chicken and so was super stoked to be able to find that Coles had chicken thighs available with the bone in and the skin on {instead of having to track them down at the butcher – because my favourite butcher closed}. I think that when you are roasting a piece of chicken it is always better to use a cut with the bone in to keep it moist and the skin well that’s just an added bonus!

MIDDLE EASTERN CHICKEN WITH QUINOA SALAD

6 chicken thighs {skin on, bone in}

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of almonds

1/4 cup of sesame seeds

1 tablespoon of sumac

1 tablespoon of fennel seeds

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of lime zest

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of quinoa

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

3 spring onions

1 bunch of parsley

1/2 a lime juiced

1 tub of greek yoghurt

1 tablespoon of tahini

1/2 a lime juiced

salt and pepper

Place the almonds, sesame seeds, sumac, fennel seeds, coriander and lime zest in a food processor and blitz to make a dukkah. Crush the garlic and add to half of the dukkah mix. Add the olive oil and then toss the chicken in the dukkah and place in a roasting dish. Cook for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.

Whilst the chicken is cooking. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and then add the quinoa. Simmer for 15 minutes with a lid on and then allow to stand for 5 minutes before you add in the coconut oil to seperate the sprouts. Add in the remaining half of the dukkah with the chopped spring onions, parsley and juice from half a lime.

To make a delicious yoghurt to have with the chicken and quinoa salad, combine a tub of greek yoghurt with the tahini and the remaining juice from the lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Have you tried much Middle Eastern cooking? Are you a fan of quinoa? Do you grow hydrangea? I think that I’ll pick up more flowers from the markets this year because they just make you feel happy!