High Protein Barbecue Chicken and Coconut Quinoa Meal Prep

Tropical Delight

It’s been cold and rainy here, which means I’ve been in the mood for something a bit tropical and this barbecue chicken with pineapple barbecue sauce and coconut quinoa hit the spot!

Super Sauce

I originally planned to marinate the chicken in the sauce overnight and then grill the chicken and veggies but I didn’t realize how powerful pineapple is at tenderizing meat. The chicken basically dissolved into mush overnight – so only marinate briefly (less than 2 hours) with the pineapple!

Since it had started raining again when I got back from the grocery store with more chicken, I decided to sauté the chicken in the sauce and roast the veggies but both would also be fantastic grilled.

Macros

This is notably NOT low carb as most of my other recipe posts tend to be. But I was able to keep my other meals and snacks those days very low carb to come out in the moderate carb range anyway.

High Protein Barbecue Chicken and Coconut Quinoa

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High Protein Barbecue Chicken and Coconut Quinoa Meal Prep

A tropical delight with tons of flavor and protein! Can swap quinoa for rice or even cauliflower rice if you like and any veggies will work.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue, Chicken, coconut, quinoa

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 meals

Ingredients

Quinoa (will have left over)

• 1 ½ cup quinoa
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
• 1 ½ cup water

Chicken

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• ¾ cup barbecue sauce
• ¼ cup pineapple, finely chopped or pureed

Veggies

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 large yellow bell pepper
• 2 coconut oil

Garnishes

• 2 tbsp sliced green onion
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

For the Veggies

• Preheat oven to 450° F. While oven is preheating, slice vegetables into large spears/slices and start cooking quinoa.
• Toss veggies in a bowl with 2tbsp melted coconut oil. Line baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Optional: set cooling rack over lined baking sheet for better air circulation. Spread vegetables out evenly over lined baking sheet or cooling rack.
• Roast for 15-20 minutes until just starting to brown in spots. If not using cooling rack, turn halfway through.

For the Quinoa

• Melt 1 tbsp coconut oil in sauce pan and add quinoa. Lightly saute the quinoa, stirring frequently until golden.
• Add water and coconut milk and bring to simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until just under-done. (Slightly under-cooked quinoa heats better in the microwave later.)

For the chicken

• Dice chicken in approximately 3/4" pieces.
• Optional: marinate chicken in barbecue sauce for 30min-2hours
• Working in batches based on pan size, add ⅓ to ½ of chicken and barbecue sauce to a large saute pan over high heat.
• Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is cooked through and barbecue sauce has carmelized coating chicken.

Assembly

• Add 1/2 cup quinoa to each tupperware. Divide chicken evenly between tupperwares. Divide pepper and zucchini evenly between tupperwares. Top with sliced green onions and coconut flakes.
• Leftover quinoa can be frozen or used for other meals.