Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
4 chicken breasts, 1/2 tsp. salt for chicken, 1/4 tsp. black pepper for chicken, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder for chicken, 1/2 tsp. onion powder for chicken
Preparing the Quinoa:
While the chicken is baking, in a medium sauce pan add the quinoa, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 4 cups of chicken stock.
2 cups dried quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt for quinoa, 1/4 tsp. pepper for quinoa, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder of quinoa, 4 cups of chicken stock or broth
Bring to a boil and simmer until all the water is gone and the quinoa is tender (about 15-20 minutes).
Next, add the butter and pinto beans and cook on medium heat until the butter melts and the beans are hot (about 3-5 minutes).
1/2 stick butter, 15 oz. can pinto beans
To Serve:
On a plate place a chicken breast on one half and the quinoa and beans on the other half.
Notes
Invent Your Recipe:Quinoa is fantastic...filling, healthy, and a great alternative to rice. In this recipe I added pinto beans for more protein and flavor. Quinoa is very bland by itself so I recommend cooking it with a stock or broth instead of water. If you do prefer water, make sure to season it or else the quinoa will be earthy and bland.