Curry Chicken with Quinoa & Asparagus
Dried apricots in a curry stew sounds odd until you taste it. They dissolve into the ginger-garlic bouillon during simmering, adding a sweetness that rounds out the curry powder and makes the broth worth spooning straight from the pan. Chicken cooks in the sauce alongside asparagus and zucchini, absorbing that sweet-spiced liquid.
One pan for the stew, one pot for the quinoa, and in 20 minutes you're sitting down to 672 kcal with 36g of protein from two complete sources.
Dried apricots in a curry stew sounds odd until you taste it. They dissolve into the ginger-garlic bouillon during simmering, adding a sweetness that rounds out the curry powder and makes the broth worth spooning straight from the pan. Chicken cooks in the sauce alongside asparagus and zucchini, absorbing that sweet-spiced liquid.
One pan for the stew, one pot for the quinoa, and in 20 minutes you're sitting down to 672 kcal with 36g of protein from two complete sources.
Ingredients
- quinoa 3 ounces
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- curry powder 1 teaspoon
- zucchini 0.5
- asparagus (frozen) 5 ounces
- dried apricots 2
- garlic 1 clove
- ginger 1 slice
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- vegetable bouillon 0.5 cube
- water 3.5 fluid ounces
Method
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Prepare the quinoa according to the instructions on the package.
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Cut the chicken breast into cubes and season with curry powder, salt and pepper.
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Slice the zucchini into half-rings, cut the asparagus into pieces and chop the apricots into small pieces. Finely chop the garlic and grate the ginger.
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Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
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In the same pan, briefly saute the ginger. Add the zucchini and asparagus and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
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Add the bouillon cube, water and apricots. Bring to a boil, then add the chicken back in. Let the stew simmer for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender but still firm.
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Serve the stew with the quinoa and season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the dry quinoa in the pot for about a minute before adding water. The heat brings out a nutty flavor that pairs naturally with the curry spices, and it keeps the grains firmer so they hold up under the stew.
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh asparagus instead of frozen?
Fresh works. Cut the stew simmering time by about 2 minutes since fresh asparagus hasn't been blanched like frozen. Add it when you add the zucchini in step 5, but check it early. Fresh spears go from crisp-tender to mushy fast.
Why quinoa instead of rice?
Quinoa is one of the few plant-based complete proteins, delivering all essential amino acids on its own. Combined with chicken, this meal provides 36g of protein from two complete sources. Research has shown the body uses far more per meal than the old 30g limit suggested, so that full dose counts. White rice works in a pinch, but you lose the dual-source protein advantage and about half the fiber.
Read the full evidence reviewWhat do the dried apricots add to a savory curry?
They dissolve during simmering and add a quiet sweetness that balances the curry powder and ginger. Dried fruit in savory stews is a staple across North African and Middle Eastern cooking. Two apricots keeps it subtle. If you like the sweet-savory contrast, add a third next time.
Is 12g of fiber high for a single meal?
That's roughly 40% of the daily target most guidelines reference, spread across three sources: quinoa does the heavy lifting, with asparagus and zucchini filling in. A pooled analysis of 62 trials found that fiber intake was associated with greater fat loss, and 12g in one dinner is above average for most recipes.
Read the full evidence review
