Food Recipes Salt-and-Pepper Chicken With Cheesy Spinach Quinoa 4.4 (5) 4 Reviews Comfort food made healthy(ish) is the name of the game for this simple chicken recipe that's perfect for a weeknight dinner. You have a tangy crispy chicken cutlet—perfectly balanced thanks to a dredge in Dijon mustard before a classic breadcrumb coating—and a quinoa pilaf dressed up like mac ‘n’ cheese. Folded into the quinoa is a tangle of wilted spinach as well as a hefty serving of nutty Gruyère cheese (because, balance). If you want to make this meal entirely gluten free, swap the Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free ones. By Emily Nabors Hall Emily Nabors Hall Emily has been a recipe developer with Dotdash Meredith brands for a decade. She has contributed dozens of recipes to Real Simple, specializing in flavor-forward weeknight meals that feed a family quickly and affordably, as well as baked sweets that are sure to delight. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 27, 2019 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 20 mins Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 1 ½ cups unsalted chicken broth 1 ¼ cups quinoa 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 3 cups baby spinach (about 3 oz.), coarsely chopped 4 chicken breast cutlets (about 1 lb.) ¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided 1 tablespoon canola oil 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about ¾ cup) Directions Stir together broth, quinoa, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in spinach and cover until wilted, about 3 minutes. While quinoa cooks, season chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Stir cheese and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper into hot cooked quinoa. Serve with chicken. Print