Get a Protein Boost With Jake Cohen’s Chicken Tagine Quinoa Bowls

As I’m sure many of you are doing, I’m trying to cook some healthy, yet hearty dishes to kick off the new year. These protein-packed quinoa bowls are truly a meal prep staple in my home, layering so much flavor into one pot. A base of vegetables and ground chicken is heavily spiced and simmered with apricots, olives, and preserved lemon (find it by the jarred olives/international section at the grocery store!) so every grain of quinoa picks up a bit of that tagine vibe. It can quickly become vegetarian by swapping out the ground meat with drained canned chickpeas, which I do all the time when I’m looking to cut back! 

Jake Cohen’s Chicken Tagine Quinoa Bowl Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

3 medium carrots, quartered and thinly sliced

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2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

3 cups water

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 

1/2 cup chopped Castelvetrano olives

1 preserved lemon, finely chopped 

1 1/2 cups quinoa 

5 ounces baby spinach

1 bunch cilantro or parsley, minced

Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, garlic, carrots, and onions, and 2 heavy pinches each of salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken with another heavy pinch of salt and pepper and cook, breaking up into small crumbles, until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the water, apricots, olives, and preserved lemon. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the quinoa. Cover and cook, reducing the heat to medium-low, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 15 minutes. 
2. Remove from the heat and add the spinach and herbs on top of the quinoa, then cover to steam for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the quinoa to incorporate the spinach and herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve.