This recipe is one that came from a weeknight dinner necessity. Not one that I initially planned on blogging about, but was so delicious that I had to share!
There are a lot of seasonal and hearty flavors in this dish. Cranberry and orange is a classic holiday combination, and for good reason!
They pair so perfectly together and lend so much freshness to this casserole. Also in this recipe was shredded maple orange-glazed chicken, tricolored quinoa, and mashed sweet potatoes. Everything works so well together to make this a complete nutritious meal. Definitely, a must-try!
Sweet Potato and Quinoa Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 lb chicken breast
- 2 medium sweet potato
- Dash each ground cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 Orange, zested and juiced
- 3/4 cup quinoa ( I used a tricolor blend)-prepare using package directions.
Instructions
- Bring 4 tbsp orange juice and maple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat slightly, but keep high enough to continue a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until glossy and just slightly thickened. Set aside
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, cover skillet, and saute for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Pour orange-maple mixture over chicken. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and let cook for another 10 minutes, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. When cool, shred with two forks and set aside.
- Peel sweet potatoes and chop them into large chunks. Place in a large pot of cold water and boil until fork-tender. Drain and mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper.
In a small saucepan, simmer the cranberries and juice from the orange until the cranberries are plump, about 5 minutes. - Prepare quinoa according to the package directions. When water is absorbed, add the orange zest and orange cranberry mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly oil a 9x9 pan with olive oil, and press quinoa mixture into the bottom.
- Over the top of the quinoa, evenly distribute the shredded orange maple chicken.
- Then, top that with the sweet potato mash.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through
Notes
It may seem like there are a lot of steps to this dish, but if you have the chicken, quinoa, and potatoes cooking on the stove at the same time it comes together very quickly!
Rachel
Friday 5th of December 2014
Made this tonight and loved it! I used brown sugar and butter on the chicken instead of maple syrup because I didn't have any but I loved the contrast between the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and chicken and the tartness of the orange zest and cranberries! Thanks for sharing this!
Paige
Friday 5th of December 2014
I love the brown sugar and butter substitute! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Kerry
Monday 17th of November 2014
You have the sweet potato instructions listed as a step twice! I was reading it and was like this sounds more complicated than it needs to be. I'm going to try to prepare this tonight and heat it in the oven for dinner tomorrow.
Paige
Wednesday 19th of November 2014
Thank you so much for pointing that out, I took care of it! Hope the recipe works out for you!