Mustard Crusted Chicken over a quinoa and roasted pumpkin salad with creamy goat cheese. This is a perfect dinner salad that is packed with good for you ingredients like baby arugula, tart goat cheese, and slow roasted pumpkin.
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Cook’s Notes
My garden is busting with arugula right now. It’s growing like it’s name – Rocket. I had a Ghost Pumpkin on hand in my cellar from the previous fall and wanted to make a healthy salad for my husband for lunch. Using a grainy mustard to crust a chicken breast adding so much flavor and the addition of quinoa and tart goat cheese rounded out all of the flavors of this beautiful mustard crusted chicken salad.
Ingredients you’ll need
Chicken:
- Chicken breasts
- Bourbon Molasses Mustard or other grainy mustard
- Garlic cloves
- Grapeseed oil or olive oil
- Salt
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and black pepper
Salad:
- Pumpkin or butternut squash
- chili powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Grapeseed oil or olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Dry quinoa
- Balsamic vinegar
- Baby arugula or Spinach
- Goat cheese or feta cheese
Adding grapeseed oil to the dressing makes it fruity and not overpowering with a light taste. I have been choosing grapeseed oil over olive oil lately and love how versatile it is to cook with. I hope you’ll give this recipe a shot. It’s packed full of flavor and good for you ingredients!
Mustard Crusted Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 chicken breast, boneless skinless
- 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup grapeseed oil, or olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, leaves only
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Roasted Pumpkin:
- 1 lb pumpkin, skinned, seeded & diced (or butternut squash)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil, such as Pompeian Grapeseed Oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Cooked Quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Salad Assembly
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups baby arugula
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese, or feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on the sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl mix together the mustard, garlic, 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, salt and thyme. Stir well to combine. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the mixture on each of the chicken breasts reserving about 1 tablespoon of the mixture for the salad.
- Place chicken breasts in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until done. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile add the pumpkin to a large rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with the chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, grapeseed oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring back to a boil. Turn to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Add to a large serving bowl and add the pumpkin, arugula, crotin and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil and the 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the reserved mustard mixture and whisk to combine. Add to the quinoa mixture and toss lightly to coat. Slice the chicken breasts and top the salad. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!
Hello! I happened to come across your recipe when searching for a seasonal chicken/quinoa salad for autumn (here in london, uk). I tried it out today and absolutely love it! The flavours go together so perfectly! This recipe’s going on my frequent favourites list! Thank you!!
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