Chicken & Veggie Skewers with Herby Quinoa Salad

Chicken & Veggie Skewers with Herby Quinoa Salad

By: Lee Holmes

This recipe for Chicken Veggie Skewers with a vibrant Herby Quinoa Salad is packed with protein, fibre and fresh flavours. With a perfect balance of tender chicken, colourful vegetables, aromatic herbs and zesty marinade, this dish is sure to become a festive summer lunch favourite.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 2 red capsicums, cut into chunks
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water at least 30 mins
• ½ cup quinoa, cooked
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 medium cucumber, diced
• 1 medium green capsicum, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped chives (green part only)
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

• In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, Greek yoghurt, oregano, basil, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well to create the marinade.
• Add chicken thigh chunks to marinade, making sure they are evenly coated. Cover bowl and let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins, or up to 2 hours.
• In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, brown rice, cucumber, capsicum, parsley, chives, mint and dill.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice to make dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to combine, ensuring all ingredients are coated evenly. Set aside.
• Preheat a griddle pan or grill to medium-high heat.
• Thread marinated chicken thigh chunks, zucchini slices and capsicum chunks onto the soaked bamboo skewers, alternating between chicken and vegetables.
• Place skewers on griddle pan or grill and cook for 10-12 mins, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender and slightly charred.
• Once cooked, remove skewers from the pan and serve immediately with the salad.
• Optionally, garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley before serving.

Lee Holmes is a nutritionist, yoga and meditation teacher, wholefoods chef, Lifestyle Food Channel’s Healthy Eating Expert, blogger and author of the best-selling books Supercharged Food: Eat Your Way to Health, Supercharged Food: Eat Yourself Beautiful, Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian, Heal your Gut, Eat Right for Your Shape and Supercharged Food for Kids.

Lee’s food philosophy is all about S.O.L.E. food: sustainable, organic, local and ethical. Her main goal is to alter the perception that cooking fresh, wholesome, nutrient-rich meals is difficult, complicated and time-consuming. From posting recipes, her passion to share her autoimmune disease story and help others has snowballed and the blog has recently taken home the overall prize at the Bupa Health Influencer Awards as well as the best blog in the Healthy Eating category. She also runs a four-week online Heal Your Gut program.