Marsala Chicken Quinoa Casserole

The Tri-City Herald's Food & Wine section Feb. 23 will feature Menu Planner, a weekly feature giving seven days of dinner menus, shopping hints and tips on using leftovers from one meal in a new way later in the week. The section also includes more recipes plus buying, cooking and health tips on a variety of food-related subjects.

Marsala Chicken Quinoa Casserole

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (45 minutes active)

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 cup Marsala wine

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups cooked quinoa

2 eggs

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

With a fork, pierce the sweet potato all over. Microwave on high until cooked and soft, about 6 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. Heat the oven to 375 F.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper, then saute until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and are beginning to brown and the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 to 9 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is browned and almost cooked through, about another 7 to 8 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the Marsala, cornstarch and the cream. Add to the chicken, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes.

Arrange the chicken and vegetables in an even layer over the bottom of 2 quart casserole dish. Set aside.

Peel the sweet potato into a medium bowl, discarding the peel. Smash the sweet potato and mix in the quinoa, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the eggs and nutmeg. Spread this mixture over the top of the chicken and mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbling and crusty.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 451 calories; 159 calories from fat (35 percent of total calories); 18 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 57 mg cholesterol; 42 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 5 g fiber; 869 mg sodium.

From: The Associated Press

This story was originally published February 22, 2011 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Marsala Chicken Quinoa Casserole."