Quinoa Stuffed Chicken Breast in Orange Sauce

I wanted to be back soon, and I also have many recipes that I worked on last year for Binah Magazine that I want to share with you. I was hoping that by 2017 I would have started with a clean slate. I even undertook the massive task of cleaning out and organizing my hard drive. It started out well but somewhere along the way, I chose to save my sanity and took a break. So slowly, it is. Eventually I'll get to all the recipes I developed for the magazine so you can enjoy them as well.

Oranges are in season and we're inhaling them in every form. As I love contrasting sweet and savory flavors, I chose the fruit for this stuffed chicken. The orange with the maple syrup harmonizes and caramelizes beautifully in the oven to complement the quinoa stuffed chicken breast. The quinoa is speckled with tangy capers and olives to contrasts the sweet sauce. Best of all, wrapped in kitchen twine these cutlets present beautifully.

Quinoa Stuffed Chicken Breast in Orange Sauce

recipe developed for Binah Magazine

ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup quinoa

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped olives

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

5-6 thinly sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1.5 cups freshly squeezed or store bought orange juice

1 cup maple syrup

3-4 orange slices

directions

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the quinoa and sauté for a minute until it begins to crackle. Pour 2 cups of boiling water, add the salt, and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Once the quinoa fully absorbs the water, fluff with a fork and mix in the olives, capers, garlic, and parsley. Set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Meanwhile, prep the chicken breasts. If they aren’t thin, pound with a meat tenderizer between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Spread each piece of chicken and fill with 1-2 tablespoons of the quinoa mixture. Fold each side inwards to wrap the filling. Using a piece of kitchen twine that’s about 6-7 inches long, carefully slide under the chicken, cross it the other way and flip over to knot it on the other side, sort of like wrapping a ribbon for a present. Repeat with all the chicken pieces. Set aside any leftover quinoa.
3. In a large roasting pan, combine the orange juice and maple syrup, add the chicken and orange slices. Bake covered for 90 minutes, increase the heat to 400F and continue baking uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the juices have slightly caramelized. Serve hot alongside any leftover quinoa.