Caprese Chicken Bowl with Balsamic Quinoa [WIP]

Adapted from Caprese Chicken Quinoa Bake Chicken Caprese Quinoa Salad TheIronYou's Key West Chicken Bowls with Lemon Quinoa

This is delicious, but a bit time-consuming and needs some adjustments to the macronutrients.  I'll probably skip the pesto in favor of basil chiffonade and sprinkled asiago and pine nuts.  For a salad, I'd skip the quinoa.  If I want the quinoa, I'd probably convert this to a baked hot dish.

Ingredients
Quinoa
1 c. quinoa
1/2 T. olive oil
2 c. water
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. chicken bullion paste
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 T. butter

Pesto
2 c. basil leaves
1/3 c. pine nuts
1/3 c. grated parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese
3 T. olive oil

Chicken *** COOK DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME ***
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
several peppercorns
salt
1/2 c. white wine
splash of balsamic vinegar
1/4 large sweet onion, slivered
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
enough water to cover the chicken

Sauce *** May not need the sauce if I incorporate the flavors into the chicken cooking ***
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. honey
1 T. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. finely minced fresh rosemary
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 T. garlic, minced
2 t. honey mustard

Salad
6 c. mixed salad greens
36 cherry tomatoes, quartered
18 ciliegine mozzarella balls

Directions
Quinoa
Place quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse thoroughly with cool water for about 2 minutes. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing. Drain.
Heat a splash of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.
Add 2 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a rolling boil, lower to a simmer (turn heat down to the lowest setting), cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 more minutes, covered.
Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork (you should see tiny spirals separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.)
Stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, zest, salt, and pepper.

Pesto
While quinoa is cooking, combine pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds.

Chicken *** COOK DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME ***

Meanwhile, put chicken breasts, salt, spices, wine, and aromatics in sauce pan and add water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and place in a large bowl. Shred chicken using two forks.

Sauce *** May not need the sauce if I incorporate the flavors into the chicken cooking ***
Mix ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer to reduce.  Toss with chicken to coat.

Salad
Layer 1/6 of the greens, quinoa, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and pesto. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0

Amount Per Serving
calories 633
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 32 g	50 %
Saturated Fat 12 g	60 %
Monounsaturated Fat 10 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 97 mg	32 %
Sodium 7044 mg	294 %
Potassium 608 mg	17 %
Total Carbohydrate 39 g	13 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g	16 %
Sugars 11 g
Protein 40 g	80 %
Vitamin A	81 %
Vitamin C	23 %
Calcium	14 %
Iron	29 %