This One Pot Chili Lime Chicken with Quinoa recipe is a healthy, delicious weeknight dinner with almost no clean-up. Bliss!

I'll be honest - my motivation level for cooking this past week could rival that of a sloth's. And that's being unfair to the sloth! Really, I have no excuse. We just went on a five-day vacation and I didn't have to cook once, my husband always pushes me out of the kitchen after dinner so he and the boys can wash and dry the dishes (hallelujah!) and spring produce abounds at the markets, providing inspiration at every turn.

But let's get real - when you cook and develop recipes for a living (and even if you don't), there are days when popping open a can of soup or whipping up a batch of scrambled eggs sounds just about right.

And that's where one-pot meals come in.

Admittedly, I'm no slouch when it comes to easy clean-up meals. By my count, there are 11 one-pot recipes on my site, and I can't tell you how many times I've turned to them when I spiral into sloth mode.

They all follow a similar formula. Sear the meat (chicken, pork, etc.), saute the savories (onion, garlic, shallots, carrots, celery), then add the liquid (usually broth, sometimes crushed tomatoes) and the grain (rice, quinoa), and simmer for about 15 minutes. Nestle the meat into the grain and simmer until the meat is cooked through. Season and serve. All done in one pot (I use my favorite Everyday Pan). Easy, right?

This one-pot chili lime chicken dish was inspired by one of my favorite appetizers, Chili Lime Shrimp with Cilantro Yogurt. If you're a shrimp fan, I highly recommend whipping these up for your next party or making a double batch and serving the shrimp over rice.

Both the shrimp and the chili lime chicken are enough to shock me out of sloth mode!

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One-Pot Chili Lime Chicken & Quinoa

One Pot Chili Lime Chicken with Quinoa…Healthy, delicious weeknight recipe with almost no clean-up. Bliss! 375 calories and 7 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Latin American

Keyword: Gluten Free, One Pot

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Servings: Servings

Calories: 375.2kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

1 pound chicken tenders
3 teaspoons olive oil divided
juice of 1 lime divided
2 teaspoons chili powder divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin divided
½ teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon salt divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper divided
½ yellow onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
¾ cup dry quinoa
8 ounces green beans trimmed & cut in half
¾ cup chopped tomato
1 ¾ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken tenders, 2 teaspoons olive oil, juice of ½ lime, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, lime zest, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet (I use my Everyday Pan) over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken tenders. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the quinoa, green beans, tomato and chicken broth.
Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Nestle the chicken tenders into the quinoa mixture and pour in any accumulated juices. Re-cover the skillet and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.
Squeeze the remaining ½ lime over the mixture, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 7 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 8 (SmartPoints), 10 (Points+)

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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