Chili Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Casserole
Try this Chili Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Chili Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- cooking spray (i use misto)
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken breast is fine)
- 14 oz can black beans drained & rinsed
- 12 oz can or 1 + 1/2 cup corn drained
- 6 kale leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro + more for garnish chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions + more for garnish chopped
- 1 cup salsa low sodium
- 3 cups tex mex (blend of mozzarella & cheddar is ok) chee divided
- jalapeno pepers to taste (optional)
- Carbohydrate 100.724840090389 g
- Cholesterol 369.6 mg
- Fat 61.1742700027391 g
- Fiber 27.6663000112268 g
- Protein 139.401970022 g
- Saturated Fat 16.4671030003855 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (2148g)
- Sodium 9362.97200760126 mg
- Sugar 73.0585400791626 g
- Trans Fat 7.40645600083658 g
- Calories 1459 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook quinoa as per package instructions and add to a large mixing bowl along with kale and mix to combine. You need quinoa to be hot, so it cooks down and reduces in size kale. Saves you extra step of sautéing.
- Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1.5 cup cheese for topping, and mix well to combine.
- Transfer mixture to a baking dish and press on it gently to flatten.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with additional cilantro and green onions.
- Serve warm.
Melted cheese crowns a bubbling strata of spiced chicken, earthy greens, and soft grains while toasted spices release aromas directly into the dry heat of the oven. Combining raw kale with freshly cooked grains inside a large mixing bowl eliminates the stovetop sauté step entirely. Residual heat from freshly boiled quinoa wilts the chopped leaves just enough before baking begins. Temperature management dictates the final structural integrity of grain-based casseroles. Undercooking the quinoa results in gritty kernels that absorb too much moisture from the tomato sauce and salsa during the thirty-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Conversely, boiling the grain beyond package instructions turns the mixture into a dense paste. Folding the components together while the quinoa remains steaming hot ensures proper heat distribution throughout the 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Reterving half of the cheese blend for the final ten minutes prevents premature burning of the dairy fats while guaranteeing a golden-brown crust. Rotisserie chicken provides pre-cooked protein convenience, but raw diced poultry requires prior searing to avoid excess water release inside the casserole. Adjusting the heat level relies entirely on the inclusion rate of fresh jalapeño peppers or swapping standard salsa for a hotter variety.
