Quinoa Power Bowl with Pesto, Chicken, and Tomatoes
At her first First Watch visit, my daughter ordered the Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl, along with the BEST bacon in the world, and she was hooked. This became her go-to meal to order.
What started as a fun adventure to bless my daughter has turned into an all-out, trial and error, convenience-to-gourmet, I’ve amazed myself-type of dinner.
Here you have my copycat recipe of First Watch’s Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl. While trying different methods and flavors, I had no idea this recipe was already in their cookbook. My first thoughts were, “I can do this; I can replicate this dish,” instead of just seeking out the actual recipe. But, as time and brain power carried on, I developed this recipe, going the extra miles of making my own pesto and (amazing, I must say) tomatoes to bring bright, fresh flavors to this bowl.
I am thrilled to share this recipe with you, but I do want to give recognition to First Watch because it is their recipe that started this whole crazy journey in the first place.
With my first attempt, she was able to tell me what needed to be tweaked to taste more like the “real deal” from the restaurant. The extra steps were SO well worth it. I roasted some plum-shaped tomatoes from our garden with garlic, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. I made my own pesto with basil from our little herb garden hanging off our deck. Extra work, but it brought flavors to this dish that made me speechless.
Don’t be deterred from making your own roasted tomatoes and pesto. Neither are difficult. The tomatoes are a little time consuming to roast them down, but oh, goodness, they taste like nothing from the store. Same for homemade pesto. The pesto can be made in 15 minutes or less, so hopefully, that is encouraging to you to try it. I have recipes for both of these below.
Honestly, it was a struggle to NOT eat all the tomatoes when they came forth from the oven. These little guys were so perfectly good, it was hard to save them for the dish. They take some time to roast and soften, so feel free to make them the day before. Store them tightly covered in the frig, and they’ll be fine for your quinoa bowl the next day.
Sure, for convenience sake, you can purchase premade sun-dried tomatoes and pesto from a grocery store, but I’m telling you, the homemade route made this dish!
You will have leftover pesto (unless you go gung-ho and use it all for this single recipe), so here are a few suggestions on how to use that gorgeous and delicious pesto… Add to pasta and cooked shrimp; make a grilled pesto, tomato, and cheese panini; drizzle over hummus and serve with pita chips. You may have some of your own favs for pesto!
I know it goes without saying, but I am going to say it anyway (and maybe it’s the mom in me)… in the case of fresh veggies and fruits, wash your foods before using. Rinse the kale, parsley and basil leaves before using. Wash those tomatoes, too. Even though the tomatoes came from our garden with no pesticides whatsoever, I still wash off dust and dirt. Just good habits.
Change up the seasonings for the chicken if you’d like. A lemon-pepper blend would be a nice option.
Flattening the thicker end of the chicken breasts before cooking helps the overall cooking process. If you’re good on the grill, the chicken would be delicious with a little bit of smokiness.
Quinoa Power Bowl with Pesto, Chicken, and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika, hot or mild
- 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed, (I used tri-colored)
- 3 cups chicken stock, lower sodium
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 cup carrots, shredded, see Notes
- 3 cups kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 1 recipe Roasted Tomatoes, see recipe below
- 1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Pesto Sauce, see recipe below
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Roasted Tomatoes:
- 1 pint container cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, see Notes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- pinch kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Pesto Sauce:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2-3/4 cup excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil, begin with the smallest amount
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons chicken stock, lower sodium
Instructions
For the Roasted Tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Lightly spray the foil. Set aside.
- In a quart-size sealable bag (or small bowl), place all the ingredients for the tomatoes. Seal the bag and gently shake to distribute all the ingredients. If using a bowl, gently stir to evenly coat the tomatoes.
- Spread the tomatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Check for caramelization and loss of moisture. Continue to bake if desired.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing (if making the day before). Set aside until ready to use if continuing with the recipe.
Make the Pesto/Pesto Sauce:
- In a food processor fitted with the blade or in the carafe of a blender, add the basil, nuts, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Turn the blender or processor on low and begin adding the oil. Stop and scrap the sides of the bowl/carafe as needed while blending. Once you have the consistency you are happy with, taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
- If you are making the pesto in advance, scrape the mixture into a bowl and place plastic wrap over the bowl, pressing down so the plastic wrap touches and covers the surface of the pesto. This will help the pesto to not turn brown (oxidize) so quickly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the pesto (or more if you’d like, to taste), heavy cream and one tablespoon of the stock in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Set aside until ready to use, just before serving.
Chicken and Quinoa:
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, salt, garlic and onion powders. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts. (If time allows, let the chicken sit for 30 minutes before cooking.)
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a shallow sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until 165 degrees, approximately 5-7 minutes per side. (Time depends on the thickness of your chicken and your heat source.) Remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate and set aside. (Chicken can be cooked the day before and gently reheated over medium-low heat when ready to use.)
- In a medium pot, bring the 3 cups of stock to a boil. Make sure the stock tastes good, since the quinoa will be absorbing all this flavor. Add the teaspoon of kosher salt (or as much as desired to add) and pepper.
- Add the rinsed quinoa to the pot and place a fitted lid on top. Cook the quinoa for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and kale, stirring occasionally for about 7 to 10 minutes or until just barely softened and the kale still has its nice color. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. (You can add a tablespoon or two of the stock to quickly steam the veggies. That is optional.) Set aside.
- To serve, in a large serving bowl, add the quinoa, sauteed vegetables, and tomatoes. Toss gently to combine.
- Stir the pesto sauce again, then drizzle as much as desired over the quinoa mixture. Slice the chicken and place on top, then sprinkle with the Feta and parsley.
- Serve warm with lemon wedges for squeezing.
I’m so excited to try this! Thank you for sharing!