Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

As predicted in my menu plan for the week, last night I made a new recipe for the first time: taking a cue from my Everyday Food magazine, I made Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew. They suggested putting it over cous cous, but I opted for quinoa instead.

It was delicious. I'll definitely be making this one again, with some tweaks for the future. Hubby doesn't love sweet food, so I'll be lowering the amount of cinnamon, and we both think garlic makes everything better, so I'll be adding that in next time.

This is a perfect hearty autumn meal. It seemed very Halloween-appropriate, too, given its stunning orange colors.

Dena's Twist on Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

Serves 4

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 32 oz. carton reduced-sodium, low fat chicken broth
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), cut into 1-inch chunks
2 pinches ground coriander
2 pinches ground cumin
Pinch of curry powder
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups quinoa
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional - hubby doesn't like cilantro so we skipped this, but I can see how it'd be yummy)

Place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook in batches until browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Add onion, ginger, and cinnamon to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and pinches of seasonings, and as much broth as needed to cover sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Return chicken to pot when a few minutes are left so as to cook it all the way through and let it absorb flavors. Discard ginger and cinnamon. Stir in lemon juice, and season stew with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, prepare quinoa: rinse quinoa under running water. Combine 3 cups water (I use chicken stock to give it that nice rich flavor – low sodium and low fat, of course) and 2 cups rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve chicken stew over quinoa, garnished with cilantro, if desired.