Quinoa salad with chicken

The Kiwi diet has changed a lot in the past few years. Sushi has replaced the sandwich for many workers, and our pasta repertoire has travelled way beyond the macaroni cheese and tinned spaghetti of our youth.
Now, even supermarkets stock grains once considered the exclusive domain of the barefoot and dreadlocks set.
Take quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). This South American treat is widely available in package form, ready to add its nutty, savoury delights to our table.
The chicken in this recipe is cooked according to a method used for the Chinese classic, Hainanese chicken rice. It produces moist, delicious meat that provides a nice foil for the crisp capsicum and faintly crunchy quinoa.
4 chicken thighs
1 lemon
half  tsp dried oregano
2 thin slices ginger, 1 left whole, 1 finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup chicken stock mixed with 1 cup water
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 red and 1 yellow capsicum, de-seeded and finely diced
3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 tbs chopped flat-leafed parsley
Place chicken, half the lemon, oregano and the whole ginger slice in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, drain, clean pot and cover with a second lot of cold water. Bring to the boil once more, simmer for two minutes then remove from  heat. Put aside, covered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked (test by slicing into the flesh near the bone).
Meanwhile, place the quinoa in a pot with the stock and water mix, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all  liquid  is absorbed. Put aside to reach room temperature. Heat vegetable oil in frying pan and cook the chopped ginger, shallot and capsicum until soft but not brown.
To assemble dish, squeeze the second lemon half into  bowl and stir in  olive oil. Add the quinoa and vegetables. Shred  chicken from the bone, discarding the skin, and cut into finger-sized strips. Add to the bowl along with the parsley and stir to mix well. Season to taste and serve.
Serves 4
Wine match
This dish's ingredients give us three alternatives for accompanying wine. The capsicum sits nicely alongside sauvignon blanc, the smooth-textured chicken and nutty quinoa suggest oak-matured chardonnay, while the ginger component makes spicy gewürztraminer a possibility.
Newly released Babich Family Estates Headwaters Organic Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 has a touch of typical "sweat" behind grilled capsicum aromas leading to a clean, crisp, faintly savoury flavour profile.
Thornbury Gisborne Chardonnay 2009 is savoury on the nose and suitably creamy on the palate, while Spy Valley Marlborough Gewürztraminer 2009 has a spicy, ginger-spiked bouquet, an oily texture and rich flavours.
All three sell in the low-$20s.