Chipotle Chicken Bowl
This delicious chipotle chicken salad is designed to be packed up for a healthy lunch on the go.
Introduction
Pulled chicken in a smoky chipotle sauce served with a green quinoa salad makes a lovely summer lunch (or packed lunch). Everything can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. If you can get hold of bottled chipotles in adobo sauce, use these instead of chipotle paste for an even more intense flavour.
Ingredients
| 300g/10oz | chicken breast |
| 200g/7oz | tinned chopped tomatoes |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 2 tbsp | chipotle paste |
| 2 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| ½ tsp | dried oregano |
| ½ tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | sugar |
| 1 tbsp | lime juice |
| 1 tbsp | red wine vinegar |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| A few sprigs of | coriander, chopped salsa or pico de gallo, to serve |
| For the quinoa salad: | |
|---|---|
| 300ml/½ pint | vegetable stock |
| 115g/4oz | quinoa (dry weight) |
| 100g/3½oz | mixed greens, such as kale, spinach |
| 3 | spring onions, sliced |
| A small bunch of | coriander, chopped |
| 1 small | ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and diced |
| 1 | garlic clove, crushed |
| 1 | green chilli, deseeded and diced |
| A pinch of | sea salt crystals |
| 3 tbsp | fruity green olive oil |
| juice of 1 small lime |
Method
Prep: 20 mins. Cook: 45–55 mins.
Put the chicken, tomatoes, tomato purée, chipotle paste, garlic, oregano, cumin and sugar in a saucepan. Add the lime juice and vinegar plus 120ml/4fl oz water. Season with salt and pepper and set the pan over a low to medium heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for 40–50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is really tender and the sauce has reduced. Remove the chicken from the pan and shred with 2 forks.
Use a stick blender to purée the sauce, then set over a medium heat and let it bubble away for a few minutes until thick.
While the chicken is cooking, make the quinoa salad: heat the stock in a saucepan and when it starts to boil, add the quinoa. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave to steam in the pan for 5–8 minutes. Drain off the excess liquid and fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool a little.
Mix together the greens, spring onions, coriander, avocado and warm quinoa in a bowl. Crush the garlic, chilli and sea salt in a pestle and mortar. Gradually stir in the oil and then the lime juice to make a dressing. Stir gently into the quinoa mixture.
Divide the quinoa between 2 bowls. Add the shredded chicken with the sauce on the side or stir the chicken into the sauce. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with tomato salsa or pico de gallo.
Tip: Instead of cooking the quinoa, you can use a pouch of ready-to-eat cooked quinoa.
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