Chicken Quinoa Stew by Hello Fresh

As I posted yesterday, our family tried a new food service called Hello Fresh (http://www.hellofresh.com/). When you go to the Hello Fresh website, you get to choose a box of food (Classic or Vegetarian) for either 2 or 4 people (Classic $69 for 2 and $129 for 4, Vegetarian $59 for 2, $109 for 4). When you receive the box through FedEx, you have everything you need for 3 full meals.

Today, I want to talk with you about the Chicken Quinoa Stew. It was divine. Our family had never tried quinoa before, so I was a bit concerned. However, when trying Hello Fresh, I decided to go for 2 meals that were unique to our table and one that was closer to what we would normally eat. I do regret that decision. I now wish I had tried 3 unique dishes because they were so delicious!

The stew took me 35 minutes to make, and despite being a box for 2, we had enough for 3 full bowls with quinoa, as well as a little more stew without the quinoa (which was gobbled up by my picky daughter for lunch the next day).

So, let's get down to the recipe. Here are the ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
1 c quinoa (dry, not cooked)
1/2 oz fresh parsley
1 small onion
1 zucchini
1 tomato
1 lemon
2 chicken stock cubes
1 t chili flakes
2 T olive oil

Step One:

Put the stock cubes into a pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Dissolve the stock cubes and leave on lowest possible heat to keep warm.

Step Two:

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine strainer and put in a pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil after covering with a lid. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.

(I've learned that you can buy pre-rinsed quinoa. I would suggest that Hello Fresh try sending that in the box to make this meal even easier to cook.)

Step Three:

While the quinoa is cooking, dice the onion, chop the tomatoes, and cut the zucchini lengthwise in half, and then cut crosswise in half forming half rounds. Cut lemon into wedges and coarsely chop parsley.

Step Four:

Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the onions into the broth.

(Note: my family does not like the crunch of raw onions, so we cooked ours a big longer - until they were translucent)

Step Five:

Add zucchini to the pan along with the chili flakes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to broth.

Step Six:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, season with salt and pepper and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for 5 minutes until cooked thoroughly through.

Step Seven:

Add the chicken to the broth along with the parsley. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Step Eight:

Split the quinoa into bowls, pour the stew into each bowl, and serve with lemon wedges

This photo courtesy of Hello Fresh. My camera malfunctioned!

 Hello Fresh is a great company. As I stated yesterday, I loved everything about the experience, but I feel the price is a bit high for my family's needs. However, the recipes were so good, nutritious, and simple, that I may try a box now and then as a treat for me and my family!


Would you like to try Hello Fresh? Use coupon code CPW9JW for $20 off your first order:

Want to hear what others are saying about Hello Fresh? Click here:  Mosaic Reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I was given a box of Hello Fresh to try with the requirement to write a review. My opinions are my own - I was not told what to write.