Quinoa, Chicken & Vegetable Stew
May 4, 2008
The prep for this crock pot dish is very quick and the recipe is easy, but the result was not terribly memorable. Sometimes that’s all you need out of a crock pot recipe, though: decent, healthy, filling food that gets you from hungry to satiated. The author of this recipe describes it as “simple, warming, and nourishing” and I think those adjectives are right on the money. I could see this being a welcome dish on a blustery day when you’ve been outdoors shoveling or sledding for hours.
The grassy, asparagus-like flavor that I discovered when I cooked the quinoa pudding a few weeks ago is still here, but it works in this savory dish that includes other vegetables as well. I didn’t find it off-putting at all.
I would suggest liberal amounts of ground pepper and kosher salt. Browning the chicken first might also add another level of flavor to this otherwise simple dish. And finally, although it cooks for 4 hours on high, my baby carrots were still a bit al dente — not expected and out of place in this comfort dish. Maybe they needed to be cut smaller? (I left them whole.)
All in all, I would probably choose to make chicken soup over this dish — to me, they both satisfy that same craving for hearty, familiar, no-fuss comfort food.
Quinoa, Chicken & Vegetable Stew
Adapted from Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa
1 c. quinoa (I buy a pre-rinsed variety, follow the directions on your package)
2 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, in bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. of salt
8 oz. baby carrots
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, halved or quartered
Add ingredients to your crock pot in the order listed. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving so the quinoa and liquid thicken to a stew-like consistency. Adjust seasoning and serve.
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Filed under: Crock pot,Not our taste,Poultry
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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3 Comments
1.
Jodi | May 4, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I think this looks tasty…I’d like it without the chicken but lots more veges…all done in a crock pot with quinoa and nice and salty…yum.
2.
Carol | June 16, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Does Quinoa have a distinct taste….I’ve ordered some from Nuts online, but have not tried it yet and a friend sent me your website.
Hi Carol, I have cooked it a couple of times where I found it was very mild, but then I had an experience where it tasted strongly of asparagus to me. See my post on Quinoa Pudding. I hope that helps! — Dara
3. The Food Yenta – {c&hellip | December 14, 2011 at 8:09 pm
[...] you what i did with my brined chicken i also wanted to share with you the quinoa stew i made from chick in the kitchen. so here is what i decided, since i am crossing my fingers, today i will post my quinoa and next [...]
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