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Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

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Home / Recipes / Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (or stovetop directions)

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (or stovetop directions)

Dinner, Recipes

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

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.

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

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.  

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa
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Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (Instant Pot directions)

Print Recipe
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.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:4 mins
Total Time:35 mins
6

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!

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 892mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2107IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg
Servings: 6
Calories: 251kcal
Author: Jessica Penner, RD
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa
No ratings yet

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa (Stove Top)

Print Recipe
6

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.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories:
Author: Jessica Penner, RD
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa #glutenfree #onepotmeal #onedishmeal #pressurecooker #instantpot #easymeal #quickmeal

October 9, 2018 · 6 Comments

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Comments

  1. Janice says

    November 12, 2018 at 11:28 am

    I liked this and so did our Mexican houseguest. By the time I served it I had forgotten about the cheese. Still liked it. It picked up great flavour in the days to come, as we ate the leftovers.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      November 12, 2018 at 9:19 pm

      Yes! I definitely think it tastes better as leftovers! Maybe I should make a note recommending that it be made a day in advance!

      Reply
  2. Tabitha Lichty says

    November 5, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    We love this recipe! I left out the Frank’s because my daughter found it a bit spicy and the adults added it at the table. Yum!!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      November 6, 2018 at 9:44 am

      Good idea! Then each person can adjust to their spice level! Glad you love the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says

    April 28, 2015 at 10:51 pm

    What a fun recipe! I don’t mix meat and dairy in my house (I keep Kosher) so I’d have to make this w/o the cheese on top, but I’m sure it would still be great!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      April 29, 2015 at 12:17 am

      We’ve eaten this without the cheese and it was delicious that way too!

      Reply

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