Apricot-Basil Chicken with Tricolor Quinoa

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A quick and healthy dish that's perfect for busy school nights! Everyone's favorite boneless skinless chicken breast is paired with a Marsala wine & apricot sauce and served over a bed of tricolor quinoa. Top it off with basil and serve!

This morning was hard to face, wasn't it? A 3 day weekend, like we had here in the states, throws Tuesday into a tailspin for me. I actually started my weekend with illness and ended it with pink eye. Thank you, Minute Clinic for your abbreviated holiday hours so I could come into work today! Since I was mostly stuck inside all weekend, I did some cooking + watched WAY too much Netflix.

Sometimes I think of how much more productive I would be if Netflix didn't exist.

After months of near constant activity, it was lovely to be forced to just be... if only for a few days :)

Now that I'm facing another busy week, I find myself reaching for those easy weeknight meals that keeps us out of the drive through. This meal is loaded with flavor, healthy, and done in about 30 minutes! While the quinoa cooks, you can whip up the rest of dinner and have it all finish at the same time. I love those kind of recipes! Pair it with a salad or steamed green beans to save yourself too much work :)

Any type of grain would really work here. The original recipe calls for freekeh which was impossible for me to track down so I picked up some tricolor quinoa in the bulk bin at my local health store. I loved the added color and I knew we liked the flavor. The verdict is still out on freekeh because I can't find it!

Not a fan of quinoa? Try couscous or rice!

Apricot-Basil Chicken with Tricolor Quinoa

1 cup tricolor quinoa

2 1/4 cups chicken stock, divided

1/2 cup dry Masala wine

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

salt and pepper

Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer (or line your strainer with a cheesecloth) until the water runs clear. Transfer to a medium pot and add 2 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 cup stock, Marsala, and apricots in a small bowl and set aside.

Season both sides of each piece of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and, once hot, add the oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and golden brown. Add the apricot sauce to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and remove from heat. 

Serve a piece of chicken over quinoa with a spoonful of sauce. Top with basil before serving. 

Source: adapted from Cooking Light