Runner's World Chicken

There is an article in this month's Runner's World about cinnamon chicken. My wife made the chicken tonight and to accompany it I made up some quinoa, as suggested in the article. Quinoa is some crazy gluten free grain eaten en masse by the Incas. It was such an important grain as to become a part of religious ceremonies. It cooks up a lot like couscous. I did a little research and came up with the following recipe.

Quinoa ala Kokito

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup red onion, diced and sauteed
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 T capers
1 T chopped parsley
a little olive oil
1 clove garlic

Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan. Dump in the quinoa and cook it for a minute or so, shaking it so that the grains get exposed to heat. It will bring out a nutty flavor in the grains. Add in the chicken broth and the garlic clove. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until the grains fluff up and become nice and soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Recover the pot and let it sit off the heat for a few minutes before serving.

Koto Kapama (Cinnamon Chicken)

1 chicken (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

5 peeled garlic cloves

1 ½ T (or more) extra virgin olive oil

2 peeled, coarsely chopped onions

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup water

1 cup chicken stock or canned broth

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 T fresh oregano, chopped

Boil water with some sea salt and set aside. Rub chicken with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mince 3 of the garlic cloves. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown chicken. Remove chicken and set aside. Sauté onions and minced garlic until golden brown and softened. Add wine. When the wine is evaporated add the water, broth, tomato paste, remaining 2 garlic cloves and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. The sauce should cover about ½ of the chicken. Simmer covered for about an hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over a bed of quinoa or your favorite whole grain or rice.