Healthy and Hearty Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Last week I got pretty sick and all I wanted was some good chicken noodle soup. I got sent home from my internship on Tuesday and I stopped at Rainbow on my way to pick up some soup....I was less than impressed. I waited all week to have some time and energy to make this, and it was well worth the wait.

A slight twist on traditional chicken soup, but the combination of flavors from the veggies, dijon and hot sauce are pretty delicious. And if you've never heard of or tasted quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), this is an awesome use for it. It was actually my first time having it, but it is a great source of protein, essential amino acids and fiber. It can usually be found in the organic section by the rice/couscous/pasta, but I bought mine from the bulk section at Whole Foods.

This stew takes a bit of time to prep as there is a lot of chopping involved, but once everything is prepped the work is basically done. This makes a ton of soup, so we had leftovers and were able to freeze a bunch in case one of us gets sick again!

Healthy and Hearty Chicken Quinoa Stew
Source: Picky Palate


2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Cups sweet pepper, chopped
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced (I omitted, and just used a little extra celery and carrot)
64 oz chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes
5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 Cups cooked quinoa
4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper and Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley to taste
1 1/2 Cups fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers and zucchini until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil. Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce and season to taste w/ salt, pepper and Lawry’s. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

8-10 servings