Chicken, lentil and quinoa pilaf
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Andrew Burton
Chicken, lentil and quinoa pilaf
Recipe by Annie Bell
This sprightly one-pan pilaf combines pecans, lentils and quinoa with veg to span the spectrum of plant foods. Perfect as a main meal if you’re on the Fast 800 plan
Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
486Kcal
Fat
19gr
Saturates
2gr
Carbs
46gr
Sugars
17gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
29gr
Salt
0.2gr
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 large skinless chicken breast fillet (about 150g)
- 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp paprika
- 15g pecans, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
- 75g 0% fat natural Greek yogurt
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 2 sweet pointed peppers, cut into strips
- ½ x 250g pack cooked quinoa
- ½ x 400g tin cooked green lentils, rinsed and drained
To serve
- chopped coriander
- lime wedges
Step by step
- Slice the chicken in half to give two escalopes. Combine ½ tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic and paprika in a bowl and add the chicken to coat; set aside. Stir the nuts into the yogurt in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and stir-fry the onions and peppers for 8-10 minutes until coloured. Transfer to a bowl and add ½ tablespoon oil to dress them. Add the chicken to the pan with a little of the marinade, season and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set aside on a plate to rest.
-
Return the onions and peppers to the pan, add the lentils and quinoa and heat through. Divide between two shallow bowls and top with the sliced chicken, extra pecans and coriander. Serve with the lime wedges and nutty yogurt.Waste notUse up the leftover lentils and quinoa in a grain salad for lunch next day. Mix in roasted root veg, or beetroot and some orange segments, nuts and leaves, with a zingy mustardy dressing.
