Crockpot Quinoa Chicken

Name: Crockpot Quinoa Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 490 min
Ingredients: 3- 4 chicken breasts (✅); 12 ounces quinoa; 28 ounce can diced tomatoes; 10 ounce can enchilada sauce (✅); 10 ounces water; 1 can black beans (✅); 1 can corn kernels, drained (✅); 4 ounce can diced green chilies (✅); 1 onion, diced; 1 tablespoon chili powder (✅); 1 tablespoon cumin (✅); 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (✅)

By: Jodi / Published on September 18, 2018 Updated on August 4, 2022 / 60 Comments

Crockpot Quinoa Chicken is packed with chicken, quinoa, vegetables, and packed with flavor. A great way to introduce quinoa to kids, it's a one-pot meal your whole family will enjoy.

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

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Crockpot Quinoa Chicken recipe is a healthy slow cooker recipe your family is sure to love. Bright Mexican flavors blend perfectly forming a delicious family-friendly healthy crockpot meal. Gluten-Free.

Healthy crockpot meals

Slow cooker recipes make getting a healthy dinner on the table super simple. This delicious chicken recipe needs to be printed and saved for a day when you have 5 minutes to make dinner before heading out the door to work.

This healthy crockpot recipe can be made in a flash – it utilizes canned foods and only requires you to shred the chicken before serving this quinoa recipe with chicken.

a close up of chicken, quinoa, black beans and corn in a casserole served in a bowl.

If you’re searching for a healthy slow cooker meal that the entire family will love, this is the one for you. Plus, the ingredients of this recipe make for great healthy crockpot meals on a budget as well!

Keep reading for step by step instructions or check out the video here:

Tips for using a slow cooker

Resist the urge to peek—keep the lid on. In meat, keeping the temperature anywhere from 160° to 205° F helps the collagen begin to gelatinize and results in a tender end product. Because the slow cooking process utilizes a little heat and a lot of time, it causes the collagen in the toughest cuts of meat to eventually break down, leaving you with shreds of tender, juicy meat.

Make sure leaner cuts of meat stay submerged in the cooking liquid (eg, broth, water, wine). This will ensure they don’t dry out and stay juicy and tender. Cook lean cuts of meat on high so they don’t dry out as quickly; fattier cuts will do better on low.

No need to presoak most dry beans and lentils. Slow cooking is one of the best ways to cook pulses perfectly every time. This inexpensive protein source is a great option for the slow and steady heat of the slow cooker. Note: Kidney beans contain a toxin that can cause gastrointestinal distress. You must bring them to a full boil on the stovetop for 10 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.

Layer veggies appropriately to preserve their texture. Place hearty veggies like potatoes, squash, and sweet potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker (dry pulses go here as well). Veggies that hold up well in the middle portion of the slow cooker include carrots, onions, and peppers. Delicate vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and fresh herbs do best when added in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Don’t throw out the excess liquid. Simply mix it with a bit of flour, cornstarch, or a cooked roux. The result? Instant gravy.

How To Make

Add all of the ingredients, except the cheese and chicken, into a 4-quart crockpot, stir.
Add chicken breasts
Cook on high for 4- 6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours
Stir in cheese before serving

frozen corn, chicken breast, garlic, enchilada sauce, and green chilis along with quinoa sitting on a counter next to a crockpot.

The great part about this crockpot meal is that it requires very minimal meal prep to prepare.

Pro Tip: You do not need to precook the quinoa, it cooks in the crockpot.

Add all ingredients besides chicken and cheese into your slow cooker. People often tend to want to add more black beans to the recipe, and if you want more protein, do so.

All you need to do with this simple crockpot recipe is open the cans and add them to the slow cooker. Dice an onion, add your spices, pour in the quinoa, and give it a good stir.

Stir and add chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Once you have the ingredients blended, nestle the chicken breasts in the liquid and put the cover on to cook. Don’t want to use chicken breasts? You could use boneless chicken thighs, boneless pork chops, or even a beef roast to make a completely different experience.

You could cook this recipe without the chicken and add leftover shredded or rotisserie chicken at the end as well.

quinoa casserole in a bowl with green onions.

More quinoa crockpot recipes

More Healthy Crockpot Meals:

CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.

The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.

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