Chicken breasts with date and pine nut quinoa stuffing

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Pippa Kendrick

Serves 6 | prep 10 mins | total time 1 hr

Ingredients

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
25g pine nuts
1 red onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
175g quinoa
500ml chicken stock
2 lemons
2 x 28g packs flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
2 x 28g packs mint, leaves only
6-8 Medjool dates, pitted
6 skin-on boneless chicken breasts
40g dairy-free margarine or Free From spread

Step by step

Get ahead

Prepare up to the end of step 4 the day before; chill

Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. In a small heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry the cumin and fennel seeds over a medium heat for 2 minutes or until you can smell their heady scent. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and grind to a rough powder, or tip into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add the pine nuts to the frying pan and toast for 1-2 minutes until golden, shaking the pan regularly. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Halve the onion and slice it into very thin wedges through the root. Finely chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry over a medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes, then stir in the freshly ground spices and the quinoa.
Pour over the stock, cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the stock. Zest and juice 1 lemon and cut the other into slices. Finely chop the parsley, mint and dates and stir these into the cooked quinoa along with the toasted pine nuts and lemon zest and juice. Season, then cool.
Tip Serve with a chicory and pomegranate salad.
Cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast and stuff each with about 1 tablespoon of the quinoa mixture. Place the stuffed chicken breasts on a baking tray, skin-side up, and smear the skin with margarine. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon slices to the baking tray.
Roast the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Transfer the remaining quinoa stuffing to an ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Put it in the oven with the chicken for the final 10 minutes of the chicken's cooking time.
Thickly slice the chicken breasts and serve with the remaining stuffing and the roasted lemon slices.