Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (or stovetop directions)

For this recipe, I pulled together all the classic flavours of red hot wings into a healthy, balanced meal: chicken, Frank’s, carrots & celery, and bleu or mozza cheese.

LEARN HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BUFFALO CHICKEN QUINOA (47 sec):

why this instant pot buffalo chicken quinoa is a smart choice

Please meet my new favourite condiment: Frank’s Red Hot Sauce!

Since Frank’s is entirely associated with wings in my mind I didn’t even think about it as a sauce I could use in my everyday cooking. One day, out of curiosity, I picked up a bottle and read the label. To my surprise the ingredient list was short and comprised of everyday foods. It’s basically a very flavourful salt! 2 tbsp of Frank’s has the same sodium as 1/2 tsp of salt.  When I use Frank’s in my cooking I omit the salt and voila: instant taste and spice! I would encourage you to do the same: use it as an ingredient in the recipe instead of splashing it on at the table, which would only add extra sodium to an already salted dish.

For this recipe, I pulled together all the classic flavours of red hot wings into a healthy, balanced meal: chicken, Frank’s, carrots & celery, and bleu or mozza cheese.

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.  

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Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (Instant Pot directions)

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Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
• 1-2 small to medium onions diced
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• ½ tsp thyme
• ⅛ tsp white pepper
• 1 large carrot grated
• 1 can 156 ml tomato paste
• ⅓ cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
• 1 15 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked)
• 1 cup quinoa uncooked
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon
• shredded mozzarella or blue cheese crumbles for serving
• celery sticks for serving

Instructions

• Add the ground poultry and diced onions to the Instant Pot.
• Select ‘saute’ and cook, stirring frequently, until the poultry is no longer pink.
• Add the garlic, thyme, and white pepper and saute for another minute.
• Press ‘cancel.’
• Add the carrot, tomato paste, Franks Red Hot sauce, navy beans, quinoa, water, and bouillon.
• Select ‘manual’ and then set to 4 minutes.
• Once it is completed, allow for a 10 minute natural release.
• Spoon into bowls and top with mozzarella cheese.
• Eat alongside fresh celery sticks!

Video

Calories:

Author: Jessica Penner, RD

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Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (Stove Top)

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
• 1-2 small to medium onions diced
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• 1 large carrot grated
• ½ tsp thyme
• ⅛ tsp white pepper
• 1 can 156 ml tomato paste
• Fill the empty tomato paste can half full of water
• 1 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon
• ⅓ cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
• 1 15 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked)
• 1 cup quinoa uncooked
• shredded mozzarella or blue cheese crumbles for serving
• celery sticks for serving

Instructions

• Cook the quinoa according to your package’s instructions. I add 2 cups of water for each cup of quinoa I make. If you have a rice cooker, quinoa cooks up very nicely in that appliance!
• While the quinoa is cooking, saute the ground poultry and onions in a large frying pan over medium.
• Once the chicken is cooked through add the garlic, carrot, thyme, white pepper, tomato paste, water, bouillon, Franks Red Hot Sauce, and navy beans. Cook until heated.
• Once the quinoa is cooked, stir it into the frying pan.
• Serve with grated mozzarella or crumbled bleu cheese on top and sticks of celery on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 323.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.5g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 12.5g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5.5g

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 323.5kcal

Author: Jessica Penner, RD

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