Saffron Chicken with Quinoa Patties

 

151021 Saffron Chicken w Quinoa Patties DSC_8911A light, dairy free (if you take out the Parmesan cheese in the patties), festive meal. Since a lot of it may be prepared in advance, it makes for a good Friday dinner when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Serves 6

Quinoa patties:
400 ml quinoa (preferably a mix of different colours)
800 ml vegetable bouillon
A few drops of Tabasco
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese (or more)
2 tbsp of Chia seeds
Olive oil for frying

Saffron Chicken:
800 g chicken fillets, pieces
Salt and pepper

1 leek, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small bulb fennel, chopped

600-700g chopped tomatoes
0.4 g saffron
1 tsp of red curry paste (or more if needed)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 cubes chicken stock

Black olives, pitted

Decorations:
Parsley, chopped
1 Carrot, make swirls with a peeler

Quinoa Patties:

  1. Boil the quinoa according to directions on package. Usually about 20 minutes. Do not undercook. Better to add 5-8 minutes on the cooking time.
  2. When done let cool.
  3. Add whisked eggs, Tabasco, cheese and Chia seeds. Let stand at least 30 minutes to allow the Chia seeds to swell.
  4. Over moderate heat, fry the quinoa in small round shapes. Not too thick nor too large, otherwise too difficult to flip. They are rather brittle. If using more cheese they will be sturdier. Fry for 8 minutes per side, until coloured.
  5. Can be made in advance and then reheated in a frying pan.

Saffron Chicken:

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Place the chicken pieces in greased, ovenproof dish. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a deep pan, over medium heat, fry the vegetables until soft. Then add remaining ingredients (except the olives) and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in the olives. Pour over chicken and place in oven for 40 minutes.

Serving:

  1. Place 2 patties per plate, slightly on top of each other.
  2. Using a ring mold, spoon the casserole into a circle and drizzle some sauce around it.
  3. Add the chopped parsley and the carrot swirls.

Any comments, suggestions, ideas? Please write here!