Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus With Red Quinoa, Chicken and Cucumber Salad — A Copycat Recipe

Do you have a favorite dish at a restaurant that you eat so much, you wish you knew how to make it yourself?

Since I enjoy cooking, this dream became a reality for me today!

Mediterranean food is a favorite of mine, and anything involving hummus is almost sure to win me over. When I visit friends in Scottsdale, Arizona, there is a restaurant I like to frequent called Pita Jungle. They have a variety of delicious, fresh dishes and a few unique hummus recipes. My favorite is a cilantro jalapeno hummus they make with red quinoa. I make it a complete meal for myself by adding chicken. Of course, YOU don’t have to add chicken, I just prefer it that way.

I decided that I was going to copycat this recipe to the best of my ability, and it turned out amazing. It is even slightly less heavy than the version at the restaurant, because when I cook, I go lighter on the oils than restaurants tend to do.

First, we cook some quinoa. This recipe calls for red quinoa. It really doesn’t matter what color you use, its a good for you grain, gluten free and high in fiber.

We saute some onions in ghee butter for the salad mix.

 

Then, I made chicken. It is up to you if you want chicken in your dish. I bought chicken thighs at Trader Joe’s and seasoned them with onion salt. Pretty simple. The chicken breasts have less fat, but honestly, the thighs taste better!

While the chicken and quinoa cook, we make the hummus. It starts with some chopped garlic.

Gotta have the jalapeno, that is a big part of the hummus recipe. Plus cilantro!!

Here is the cilantro jalapeno hummus all blended up! Yum!!

In another bowl we have leafy greens, the cooked hummus, sauteed onions, cucumbers and the cooked chicken. Feel free to add a little olive oil, salt and pepper here if you like. I honestly just add the hummus as a dressing after I finish taking pretty pictures!

And there you have it! This can definitely be for more than one person and it can also be delicious scooped up with your favorite crackers or some warm toasted pita!

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus With Red Quinoa, Chicken and Cucumber Salad

• 3-4 chicken thighs
• 1 cup cooked red quinoa
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1-2 Persian cucumbers, mini, sliced
• 2 cups leafy greens
• Onion salt

For the hummus:

• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas
• 2 heaping tbsp. tahini
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno, de-stemmed and de-seeded
• juice of one lime
• juice of one lemon
• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic

Directions:

• Cook chicken with seasoning on it in the oven on BROIL for 12-15 minutes
• Cook 1 cup of quinoa as directed, most packages will tell you how to do this.
• Saute half a yellow onion (cut into pieces) in a skillet with 1 tsp. ghee butter
• Put leafy greens in a bowl, add cucumbers
• When the chicken and quinoa are done, let them cool a bit and then add them to the bowl
• Feel free to add seasonings of choice
• Blend hummus ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor
• Pour hummus onto a plate (however much you desire to use, the rest you can save for another time!)
• Add the salad on top
• ENJOY!