Mexican Veggie Quinoa with Chicken
I have been making One Pan Mexican Quinoa from Damn Delicious for years now and it is easily one of my favorite, quick and easy weeknight dinners. I absolutely love her version, but I like to add even more veggies (because you can never have too many), and of course, the man in my life usually wants some meat. So today I’m finally sharing the recipe for my version of Mexican Veggie Quinoa with Chicken!
What I love about this mexican veggie quinoa
- Minimal clean-up required
- You can use frozen pre-chopped veggies if you’re short on time
- Makes awesome leftovers for work lunches
- Doesn’t require turning on the oven
- Can easily be made vegetarian; if you do not eat meat, just omit the chicken
- Goes well with a variety of protein options; add ground chicken or ground turkey, or even baked/shredded chicken breast. Could also use tofu!
- Full of nutrition: it contains several servings of veggies, whole grains, healthy fats and plant-based protein
- Pairs VERY well with a margarita made with Tres Agaves Tequila & cocktail mixers!
Food & Tequila Pairing with Tres agaves
In case you didn’t already know from following me on Instagram or browsing through my blog, Ethan and I absolutely love margaritas. I have a recipe for Classic Margaritas on the Rocks on my blog using Tres Agaves’ delicious margarita mix, and I go into detail about why I love their mixes so much here.
Mexican food and margaritas go together like peanut butter and jelly, so if you make this recipe (or any of the other Mexican recipes on my blog), then you should probably whip up a classic margarita to go along with it. They are so refreshing and delicious, especially during the hot summer months!
Tres Agaves has different flavors of organic cocktail mixes made with real ingredients and their own Tequila. We love their original organic margarita mix and their strawberry margarita mix. This meal in particular paired perfectly with their Blanco Tequila and lime margarita mix! So. Dang. Good.
You can check out everything they have to offer here and find their products in a store near you here. In addition, they have a TON of cocktail recipes on their site if you need some inspiration after purchasing their products. Click here to check out the list of recipes! I have my eye on the Sandia and Tres Strawberrita — yum!
Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Tres Agaves and I am being compensated for social promotion. However, all opinions expressed are my own; Tres Agaves is a brand that we truly use and love!
Okay, friends — recipe time!
Mexican Veggie Quinoa with Chicken
Ingredients
For The Mexican Veggie Quinoa
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 can black beans no-salt-added, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup corn kernels frozen or canned (drained and rinsed)
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles drained
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional – for spicier dish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 avocado halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Optional toppings: Mexican shredded cheese, salsa, plain Greek yogurt, tortilla chips
For The Chicken
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 package lean ground chicken or ground turkey, or two baked chicken breasts, shredded
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently with a spatula or wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in uncooked quinoa, broth, black beans, tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, and spices; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes.
- While Mexican Veggie Quinoa mixture is cooking, prepare the ground chicken. Heat olive oil/avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add raw ground chicken. Season with spices, stir and cook until meat is cooked through. Drain any fat/liquid as needed.
- Once quinoa is done, stir in avocado and lime juice. Add chicken to the large skillet with quinoa, stir until evenly incorporated. Serve immediately.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
I hope you all enjoy this recipe (with a Tres Agaves margarita on the side) as much as we do! Be sure to pin this on Pinterest so you can share the love and easily refer back to make it again! Thank you so much for reading. Stay tuned for two more delicious Mexican recipes that would pair perfectly with Tres Agaves Tequila and cocktail mixers!
Cheers!
Shanna
I made this tonight for my family, everyone loved it! I just omitted the cayenne since my kids (1 and 4 years old) don’t like much spice.
I am so, so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing! 🙂 🙂 Love it when recipes are whole family approved!
One of my go to recipes! So delicious and it makes the best leftovers. Thank you so much for sharing!
Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! I LOVE the leftovers of this too! Awesome for lunches. 🙂 Thank YOU for taking the time to leave a review! XO
I made this and used cauliflower rice instead of quinoa and it was incredible! Had enough leftovers for lunches all week. Will be making again soon for sure.
Ooh, love that idea! Way to sneak some extra veggies in! I’ll have to try that myself. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!! XO
What is the serving size?
I’d say roughly 1.5 cups! 🙂
Made this tonight with shredded chicken and it was delicious. We both went back for seconds!
Yay! That’s what I like to hear! 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
It was an awesome and delicious one-pot dish that took less than 30 minutes. I will make it again.
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
Love this recipe as a meal prep for the week. It reheats so well!
Aw, yay!! I love that about it too! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
This has become a go-to meal in our house since we first made it months ago. It reheats well and perfect for an early-week meal for leftovers later in the week. We’ve used ground turkey and beef in this recipe and have also been lazy and used a taco seasoning packet for the spices. We’ve also made it for other friends and family.
Yay!!! I agree – this reheats SO well, which makes it great for a weeknight dinner & work lunch leftovers! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is one of our new favorite meals! Delicious and so easy to make!
Oh yay!!! I’m so glad! It is one of our faves too! 🙂
We love Mexican, and this is the best twist on it!
Thank you, Taylor! One of our faves too!
I just printed the recipe out after making it last night! It is a super base recipe ripe for substitutions and experimentations. I added garbanzo beans and Mexican salsa to the leftovers and it was delicious. I intend to add roasted corn from cob next time…thank you!
Ooooh, love the sound of adding the roasted corn! Perfect for the summer – thanks for sharing! Would love if you could leave a star rating, too; thank you so much!! 🙂