Lemon Grilled Chicken With Moroccan Quinoa

This recipe was adapted from epicurious to meet bariatric targets.  It was originally a couscous dish (because only one "cous" wasn't enough?) - but I've taken to substituting quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) for grains and pasta.  I love it's nuttiness and it's texture - and it takes particularly well to the middle eastern blend of spices in this recipe.


2 cups of chicken broth
10 oz. package of unflavored quinoa
1 tbsp ground ginger (or fresh grated)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 carrot, peeled and thinly julienned
1 tbsp of grated lemon peel (rind only)
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
olive oil

Heat the broth with the spices and garlic until boiling, then add in the quinoa and raisins.
Cook the time specified on the quinoa packaging.(about 20 minutes)
Fluff w/ a fork and add in the carrots, lemon peel and red bell pepper. 

Drizzle w/ olive oil and mix ingredients lightly. 

Cover and set aside.  The residual heat will cook the carrots and bell pepper to 'tender-crisp.'

Chicken:
4 chicken breast halves (Evenly pounded)
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of a lemon
1 tsp kosher salt 
black pepper

Mix these ingredients and marinate the chicken breasts in a ziptop bag for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Grill the breasts (Grill pan or BBQ Grill) about 4 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are. (I used my trusty cast iron skillet!)

Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Serve the chicken over the quinoa mixture w/ fresh cilantro (or parsley or chopped green onions) and added sliced lemons if desired.

Cook's Notes: 

• If you have preserved lemon in the house, by all means substitute it for the lemon peel to get a more authentic Moroccan flavor.
• You can certainly substitute currants for the raisins - they keep a touch of sweetness for balance.
• This is already a beautifully colorful plate, but I mixed black and red quinoa with the plain to create a stunning presentation.