Add some savory HEAT to your health with our hot-to-trot spicy red beans and chicken with quinoa! It’s one of our favorite hottie health food dishes packed with perfect nutrition for heart and soul… Plus, it’s such a colorful dish to serve your eyes. 
Spicy Red Beans with Chicken and Quinoa
For 6 servings you’ll need:
- 12 ounces of chicken breast
- 1 15.5 ounce can of red beans (rinse them to reduce sodium)
- 1 8 ounce can of pineapple tidbits including juice
- 1 14.5 ounce can of Del Monte Zesty Chili Style Diced Tomatoes
- 3/4 cup chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos (to reduce sodium further, you can use fresh jalapenos, but doing so can intensify the heat)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (may want to leave out if your feeding young ones, especially if they don’t like spicy heat)
- 1 and 1/4 cup dry quinoa – You can substitute rice if you cannot find quinoa, I’d recommend brown. Make sure to make enough to = 6, 1/2 servings. And keep in mind the nutritional value will be different.
I begin spicy red beans recipe with cooking the quinoa. I would say to follow cooking instructions on the package, but I tend to overcook it consequently. Directions call for 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, heat together in pot until rapid boil, and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until little curls break from the seeds. When cooking accordingly, my quinoa is too swollen and still doesn’t soak up all the water. It could be my brand (Nature’s Earthly Path) or just that I’m doing something wrong…anyone have input for me here? I’m still pretty new at cooking quinoa.
Thus, I measure 1 part quinoa (in this case 1 1/4 cup dry quinoa) to a bit less than 2 parts water (2 ¼ cup). I boil water first and then add quinoa allowing to rapid boil for a minute or so. Then, I take off the high heat and let simmer. I don’t have an exact cooking time, but it isn’t long. I just keep checking after 5 minutes.
As soon as those little curly-q’s begin to break from the seed, take off heat and carefully drain excess water with lid of pot – those little seeds like to sneak through my strainer. Then, let cool in pot and keep stirring now and then to keep the seeds fluffed. The goal is to have tender, yet firm quinoa, like al dente noodles. 
While cooking the quinoa, chop the scallions and cook chicken in a large skillet until no longer pink in middle. If you buy cheaper breast fillets like I do, soak them previously in milk in fridge for 30 – 45 minutes to help tenderize them. The longer you soak them the tenderer they will be.
Once cooked, transfer chicken to cutting board to cool and add beans, pineapple with juice, tomatoes with juice, scallions, jalapenos and crushed red pepper to skillet and simmer – about 10 minutes. While beans simmer, chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Once beans have simmered for 10 minutes, add chicken, mix it all up well and turn off heat so the chicken doesn’t over cook and get tough.
Scoop 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa onto a plate and scoop 1 cup of red beans and chicken to top off quinoa and you’re done!
Spicy Red Beans with Chicken with Quinoa (1 Serving):
- 257 calories
- 4 grams fat
- 48 carbohydrates
- 19 grams protein
- 7 grams of fiber
Because this spicy red beans recipe is a bit higher in carbs, I enjoy it with a large side of steamed fresh green beans. Randy says that’s just too many beans for him. Maybe it is, lol. So, I make him a side salad with lots of cool cucumbers to break up the spice. He and our teenager then add habanero pepper and more hot sauce to give their beans extra heat. No thanks for me on that addition, I’m good. 
And remember to balance out your day. Having a higher carb dinner, you may like to try a lower carb lunch… just watching out for your waistline.
Enjoy this spicy red beans recipe from the tropics,
Amy
P.S. If any of you are having trouble finding quinoa, Randy and I did see it available in places online with the best price comparisons at Amazon.com. And if you have a Costco wholesale store near you, shop for it there – 4 lbs. for $9.39. I haven’t found it any place cheaper yet.
Don’t have a Costco card? If you know someone who has one, you can shop with them as their guest. Also, you may want to check into sharing the cost of a membership with a family member. There’s always a way to make life more affordable, just like this spicy red beans recipe – very affordable! :)
It sounds like it was overcooked the first time. The curly q’s should still be intact and the quinoa soft but not swollen. I find that once it’s almost cooked (I look for the white dot in the middle) it is just wet enough to steam, either on the lowest heat or even turned off (with the cover on); if too wet then leave the cover off. I took a picture of my quinoa to send to you but I’m sure you know what it looks like!
I don’t find the colors make a big taste difference. I have one other package that is red and so I’ll see what that tastes like. I haven’t seen the colored ones in regular stores; my friend brought them to me from Peru (where quinoa is originally from!).
I’m going to follow you on twitter (I’m goricplayground) so look out for me!
I will watch my quinoa for that magic moment and follow your recommendations. Found you on twitter too, thanks Laura! Have a good day!
Thanks for the recipe! I tried it last night and it was really good. My boyfriend is really into (spicy) chicken and white rice meals whereas I’m into veggies and whole grains, so I’m looking for ways for us to meet in the middle. I tried this out on him and he liked it! He doesn’t love chicken breast so I made it with skinless/boneless thighs instead (hey, like I said, meet in the middle). I liked the pineapple sweetness against the heat of the dish (I used a fresh jalapeño).
I’ve made quinoa a lot and never had a problem so I’m thinking it may be your brand. I follow the directions as you first mentioned, 1:2, bring to a boil together then cover and simmer for 10-15mins (mine is usually the full 15mins). My friend gave me quinoa from Peru (a mix of black and white -yes! there can be different colors of quinoa) and that one called for a little more water, i think 1:2 1/4. But you should never have to strain the quinoa. If it seems on the wet side at the end, take the lid off, fluff it up and let it sit for a bit. I determine that it’s done by the center almost seeming translucent (usually when it still has that dot of white in the middle it is still pretty wet and can just sit steaming with the lid on and finish completely cooking through).
Thanks again and looking forward to seeing other great recipes!
Hi Laura!
Oh you are very welcome, and I’m glad you two could meet in the middle. That’s a really good way to do it! – I’m going to try fresh jalapeno in ours next time too.
As for the quinoa, it could be the brand, but I’m thinking it has more to do with the cooker – me, lol! The first time I made it, I followed directions like you said, but it was almost like I over cooked it. The little white seed in the middle was gone, the curly q’s we’re all completely broken from the seed, and the quinoa was quite swollen and very soft – almost too soft. Did I over cook it? Maybe it was right the first time? The package directions recommend quinoa to be done when the curly q’s just begin to break away from the seed. So the next time I made it I, I stopped cooking right as this happened, but there was still a little white in the middle of seeds. What do you think?
And I did not know about the different colors! Randy is just telling me he knew there was green but not black and white. I’m curious if they taste somewhat different and if they are more expensive… I’m always squeeeeeezing as much as I can from a dollar.
Thanks so much for your kind words and sharing this information,
Amy