Baked Feta, Chicken, Quinoa, and Veggies
This baked feta, chicken, and quinoa dish was inspired by the viral baked feta pasta making the rounds in 2020! This version offers more protein and fiber by swapping pasta for quinoa, tossing in some broccoli, and using chicken breast for a more balanced bite. It’s just as easy, full of flavor, and packed with good-for-you-ingredients. Bonus points, it uses minimal dishes!
Baked Feta, Chicken, Quinoa, and Veggies ingredient notes:
Feta Cheese: The true star of the viral recipe, feta cheese brings a rich, tangy and creamy texture to any dish. For best results, use a block of feta stored in brine, rather than pre-crumbled. It may seem like a large amount of cheese, but you’ll be surprised how easily it spreads into every bite when mixed with the quinoa and veggies.
Cherry Tomatoes: Another shoutout to the og recipe, cherry tomatoes bring a sweet and juicy freshness to the dish. Baking the tomatoes in with everything allows them to burst and distribute their pops of flavor, not to mention adding a bit of color to your plate.
Chicken Breast: Although you could use a variety of proteins with this meal, I find that chicken breast works best not to overpower the richness of the rest of the meal. See the recipe notes for tips on chicken breast thickness.
Quinoa: You know I had to add my spin on this, so obviously I upped the protein and fiber with the addition of quinoa instead of the traditional pasta. It’s small shape and fluffy texture help distribute the savory feta throughout the casserole style meal and keeps you fuller longer with the added protein and fiber.
Baked Feta, Chicken, Quinoa, and Veggies
4
servings15
minutes30
minutesThis baked feta, chicken, and quinoa dish was inspired by the viral baked feta pasta making the rounds in 2020! This version offers more protein and fiber by swapping pasta for quinoa, tossing in some broccoli, and using chicken breast for a more balanced bite. It’s just as easy, full of flavor, and packed with good-for-you-ingredients. Bonus points, it uses minimal dishes!
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Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked white or tri-color quinoa
8 ounce block feta cheese
1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for at least 5 minutes.
- Place the block of feta in the center of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange the broccoli florets and cherry tomatoes around the feta. Nestle the chicken breasts into the vegetables, spreading everything into one even layer with the feta at the center. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- Bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, the tomatoes are jammy, and the broccoli is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and cut on a bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- With a wooden spoon, mash the block of feta and mix to combine with the broccoli and tomatoes. Add the cooked quinoa and basil and mix well. Place the sliced chicken on top.
- Spoon onto four plates. Garnish with more basil and serve.
Notes
- Store It: Refrigerate the chicken and quinoa in separate sealed containers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat It: From the refrigerator, microwave until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. From the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then microwave in 30-second increments until warm.
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- Chicken: Chicken breasts that are 1 to 1 ½ inches thick are ideal for this recipe. If your chicken breasts are too thick, either slice them in half horizontally or pound them to the proper thickness using a meat mallet.
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I love the feta pasta version that went viral and I was just wondering how I could make something similar without using pasta. This looks delicious!
I’m trying to eat healthier and track my macros. I need to figure out how to track this!
Thx for sharing!
I make this meal once a week in my house. It. Is. Perfection!! So delicious right out of the oven but the perfect meal prep for lunches, it heats up so well! I like the add a little of the Trader Joe’s green sriracha like sauce for a little kick, and sometimes I do half broccoli half cauliflower instead, depending what I have on hand!
This summer, I made this dish when visiting my parents. My mom is adamant that she hates quinoa and honestly didn’t even want to try it. But being her perfect lovely daughter she obliged and now she asks me to make this every time I visit. If you’ve got a picky eater in the house just try this, it will WOW them!!!
So good! Am loving all of the recipes this week!
Can I cube the chicken before adding to the dish to bake or will it cook too fast that way?
My family loved this! Next time I’d probably reduce the amount of chicken and at least double the broccoli for our more veggie heavy house. There will be a next time!
Is 1 cup of block feta approx 4oz?
My family loved this! Next time I will double the recipe-everyone was disappointed there were no leftovers! 😊
I had a long day yesterday and did NOT feel like cooking, but then I remembered I had all the ingredients for this simple sheet pan meal. Thank goodness! This was such an easy, quick, healthy dinner option, and I have plenty of leftovers to get me through the rest of this busy week.
What can I use in place of tomatoes you think? I’m allergic!
Good gosh. Absolutely loved this. So easy. New staple.