Kidney-Friendly Recipe: Italian Herb Grilled Chicken with Grilled Veggies and Quinoa September 1, 2021 by Kylie Karley As kids head back to school and the long summer nights slowly slip away, celebrate the end of the season with a delicious meal on the grill—perfect for Labor Day Weekend! This recipe comes from NephCure’s Chef Sachet, a patient parent whose 12-year-old son Aiden was diagnosed with FSGS in January 2017. Aiden’s kidney disease rapidly progressed—just five months after diagnosis, he ended up on dialysis and eventually went on to receive a kidney transplant. As a kidney disease caregiver, Chef Sachet says ‘it’s important to me to keep kidney-friendly recipes in mind!’ Yield: 4 people Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 25 minutes Sodium: 139mg per serving Ingredients: 4 6-oz chicken breasts (with tenders attached) IMPORTANT NOTE: Check the sodium content on the chicken breasts to make sure they are no higher than 75 mg of sodium per 4 ounce serving or no higher than 113 mg per 6 ounce package. 2 cups of quinoa (any kind works) 1 large zucchini or squash 1 lime 1 lemon ½ handful of fresh parsley, minced 2 sprigs of fresh oregano, minced 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, minced 2 heads of fresh garlic, minced ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) Pepper (to taste) 4 cups of no-salt veggie stock 2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter Instructions: First, set your chicken breasts aside in a large bowl. Mince all herbs and toss in chicken with garlic, pepper, lemon juice, and a drizzle of EVOO. Coat chicken well and marinate for 15 minutes. Heat the vegetable stock in large pot on medium-high heat until simmering. Add quinoa. Lower heat, add 2 Tbsp. of butter and a sprig of thyme. Let cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. Once most liquid is gone, turn off the heat, and cover the quinoa until serving time. Once the quinoa is cooking, cut vegetables into thick slices. Add pepper, EVOO, and a squeeze of lime, and then place them on the grill. Remove chicken from the fridge and start to grill it: 7-10 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Chef’s Tips: Do not flip your chicken constantly when grilling. It will take a long time to cook and will dry out. Plus, you won’t get those awesome grill marks! Raw veggies can take a while on the grill. Season and lubricate them with oil ahead of time, but don’t add too much oil. It will just burn off and char the veggies. When using store-bought stock, always use low-sodium or no-salt varieties.