chicken skewers
with chimichurri and quinoa salad
- 1 cup (180g) white quinoa
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 720g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1 cup mint leaves, chopped, plus extra to serve
- ⅓ cup (55g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds), roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (40g) sunflower seeds
- 400g can lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- labne (yoghurt cheese) and lemon wedges, to serve
chimichurri sauce
- 3 green onions (scallions), chopped
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
- ¼ cup (60ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 long green chilli, deseeded
- Place the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over high
heat. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 12 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.
- Place the chicken, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Thread onto skewers and set aside
for 10 minutes to marinate.
- While the chicken is marinating, make the chimichurri sauce. Place the onion, parsley, mint, vinegar, chilli and salt in a small food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Place the chopped mint, pepitas, sunflower seeds, lentils, vinegar, salt, pepper and half the oil in a large bowl. Add the cooled quinoa and toss to combine. Brush the chicken skewers with the remaining oil and cook for 4 minutes each side or until cooked through.
- Serve with the quinoa salad, chimichurri, labne, lemon wedges and extra mint. Serves 4
Photography: William Meppem
© DONNA HAY GROUP
