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BBQ Chicken and Tri-Color Quinoa Bake

Chicken baked with tri-color quinoa, black beans, corn, and barbecue sauce, topped with smoked Gouda cheese.

Prep
20 min
Cook
35 min
Total
55 min
Yield
4 servings
Finished BBQ Chicken and Tri-Color Quinoa Bake

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven

    Heat the oven to 375°F.

  2. Prepare the vegetables

    Dice the red onion and reserve about one-third for topping. Dice the bell pepper. Chop the oregano and cilantro, setting aside extra cilantro for garnish. Drain and rinse the black beans. Cut the kernels from the corn. Squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from one lime.

  3. Season the chicken

    Butterfly the chicken breasts horizontally to make pieces of even thickness. Pat dry and season both sides with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

  4. Coat the chicken

    Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Coat each piece of chicken with flour on both sides, then shake off the excess.

  5. Brown the chicken

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side, working in batches as needed. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer to a plate.

  6. Cook the vegetables

    Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil if the Dutch oven is dry. Add about two-thirds of the red onion, the bell pepper, and minced garlic. Cook until the onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes.

  7. Toast the quinoa

    Add the quinoa, cumin, smoked paprika, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes to toast the quinoa and spices.

  8. Assemble the bake

    Stir in the black beans, corn, chicken broth, oregano, ¼ cup barbecue sauce, lime juice, and ¼ cup cilantro. Bring to a rapid simmer, then nestle the chicken into the mixture.

  9. Bake the chicken

    Transfer the uncovered Dutch oven to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. While it bakes, shred the 8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, thinly slice the jalapeño, and cut the second lime into wedges.

  10. Add the toppings

    Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Spread the remaining ¼ cup barbecue sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle all the smoked Gouda cheese over the chicken and quinoa, then top with the reserved red onion and the jalapeño.

  11. Finish baking

    Return the uncovered Dutch oven to the oven. Bake until the cheese has melted and the thickest part of each chicken breast reaches 165°F, 5 to 8 minutes.

  12. Rest and serve

    Let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.