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.

Photo: Gregory James

By Heather Bainbridge

Serves: 2
Hands-on time: 15 minutes.
Total time: 35 minutes.

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

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Ensure that 2 racks are in middle positions in oven. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile, on a separate foiled-lined baking pan, toast peanuts in the same 375˚F oven for 4 to 6 minutes on top rack.
4. 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.
5. Prepare Tahini Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tsp water and stevia until combined.
6. 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.

Nutrients per serving (4 oz sesame garlic chicken, 1 cup quinoa, 1/2 tsp peanuts, 1 cup steamed spinach, 2 tbsp tahini sauce): Calories: 470, Total Fat: 13 g, Sat. Fat: 2 g, Carbs: 54 g, Fiber: 15 g, Sugars: 1 g, Protein: 38 g, Sodium: 520 mg, Cholesterol: 65 m
g