Mediterranean Chicken Bowls

This recipe was shared with me by an amazing friend of mine, who also happens to be a fantastic cook! She knows that I love Middle Eastern food and knew I had been looking for a recipe that I could tweak a bit to turn it into an Anti-Inflammatory recipe. The flavors in this recipe are so bright and fresh but also have all of the warm spices that are classic to the food in that area. Having the fresh vegetables alongside the warm quinoa and chicken really adds that crunch that, for me, makes for the perfect texture combination in your mouth. The thing that ties this dish together so well is the sauce. I personally like to throw all the ingredients in my bowl with a big dollop of sauce and mix it like a tornado ran through so that I get a little bit of everything in one bite.
One of my favorite things that I love about this dish is that it is full of foods that are Anti-Inflammatory. I hear people say all the time that Ant-Inflammatory foods are bland or that they feel like there just aren't any good recipes out there. Well, here it is. This recipe is far from bland.

For the Chicken:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic smashed and minced
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 chicken breasts boneless/skinless, pounded to be roughly 1/2 in thickness (or allow more time to cook)

For the Quinoa:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups chicken broth

For the Tahini Sauce:
1/4 cup Tahini
1 clove garlic smashed and minced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3-4 TBSP warm water
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp paprika

The Fresh Vegetables:
1/4 small red onion, chopped
1/2-3/4 bell pepper (any color is fine, but I like red), chopped
1/2 English cucumber, cut into bit sized pieces
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley

1. First, we need to prepare the chicken so that it has some time to marinade. I recommend letting it marinade at a minimum of 15 minutes. Combine the cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic, olive oil, and lemon in a small bowl. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over the top. Make sure to coat the chicken well.

2. Combine the red onion, bell pepper, cucumber,and parsley in a bowl and dress with juice of one lemon and the olive oil. Set aside.

3. To prepare the quinoa first you need to make sure that you rinse and drain the quinoa using a mesh strainer. While the quinoa is draining, bring a medium saucepan to medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and lightly toast the quinoa off to remove any additional water and to allow the quinoa to develop and even nuttier flavor. Next, add the chicken broth (or water), and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for roughly 15 minutes (times will vary based on the type of pan you use. You will know when the quinoa is done when it is fluffy and the liquid has been all the way absorbed.

4. Once the quinoa is cooking, get your grill pre-heating (medium high heat). When the grill and chicken are both ready season the chicken with additional salt and pepper and place on the grill (grill pan also works great). Allow the chicken to cook without moving them until grill marks appear (roughly 5-7 minutes), flip the breasts over and allow to grill for an additional 5-7 minutes. I recommend once you flip the chicken to insert a digital thermometer so that you are not over or under cooking your chicken. Cooking times will vary based on weather, grill, thickness, etc. so I always use a thermometer once I flip the chicken. You want the internal temperature to read at 165° F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest. Once chicken has rested, slice thinly or chop into bite sized pieces.

5. While the chicken is resting prepare the sauce. Combine the Tahini, garlic, lemon, warm water (start with 3 TBSP and adjust for how thin you want the sauce), salt, pepper, and paprika. If sauce is to thick for your liking, thin it out with a little more water. This is meant to be slightly thick though.

6. Now to put it all together. In the bottom of a bowl I like to place the quinoa. Then top it with the veggies and sliced chicken and top with sauce and additional fresh parsley.

**Randi's Side Notes**
~ If you think the chicken will be to spicy with the cayenne pepper, simply leave it off. My kids don't like heat at all and they have not had any issues with this amount of pepper in it.
~ If you are having trouble finding the Tahini sauce, look down the peanut butter and jelly aisle. I usually find it around the peanut butter and almond butter area.

The original recipe comes from a site called Peas and Crayons. She likes to serve her bowls up with toasted pita bread and grape tomatoes.