Chicken and Mushroom Breakfast Quiche with a Wholegrain Oat Crust
If you have ever wanted a quiche that actually fuels your morning rather than weighing you down, this chicken and mushroom breakfast quiche recipe is going to become your new favourite weekend ritual. Traditional quiche is delicious, no question, but it tends to pack in a lot of saturated fat from buttery shortcrust pastry and heavy cream. This version takes everything you love about classic quiche, the golden crust, the silky savoury filling, the satisfying warmth, and rebuilds it from the ground up with your health in mind. The result is a high-protein, lower-calorie breakfast that genuinely tastes like a treat.
The crust is where this recipe really breaks away from tradition. Instead of refined shortcrust pastry loaded with butter, we use a pressed oat and egg white base that bakes up beautifully firm and slightly crisp. Rolled oats bring soluble fibre and slow-release carbohydrates, which means your energy stays steady for hours rather than spiking and crashing before 10am. A little olive oil and a pinch of garlic powder give the crust a subtle depth that complements the filling perfectly. You simply mix, press into the tin, and blind-bake for a few minutes while you prepare the rest. No rolling, no resting, no pastry stress.
The filling is where the real nutrition magic happens. Lean shredded chicken breast provides a serious protein hit, helping you feel full and supporting muscle maintenance throughout the day. A generous amount of cremini mushrooms brings earthy flavour along with B vitamins, potassium, and natural umami that makes every bite feel more complex and satisfying. Fresh baby spinach wilts down into the mixture adding iron, folate, and a lovely colour. The custard base swaps heavy cream for a combination of whisked eggs, low-fat milk, and a small amount of reduced-fat ricotta, which keeps things creamy without the excess saturated fat. A sprinkle of reduced-fat feta on top adds a salty, tangy finish without overdoing the calories. Every ingredient is doing real nutritional work here, not just sitting in the pan looking pretty.
This recipe is genuinely practical for busy mornings. You can bake it on a Sunday, slice it into portions, and refrigerate or freeze individual slices to reheat through the week. Each slice delivers around 28 grams of protein, which puts it firmly in the high-protein breakfast category alongside popular options like Greek yoghurt bowls and egg white omelettes. It is naturally lower in sugar than most breakfast foods and higher in fibre than any traditional quiche you will find. Serve it warm straight from the oven with a simple side salad of rocket and cherry tomatoes, or enjoy it cold if you are grabbing a slice on the go. Either way, breakfast is sorted, properly sorted.
Ingredients
- 180 g rolled oats (old-fashioned, not instant)
- 2 large egg whites (for the crust binder)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder (for the crust)
- 0.3 tsp fine sea salt (for the crust)
- 300 g cooked chicken breast (shredded, rotisserie or poached works great)
- 250 g cremini mushrooms (sliced about 5mm thick)
- 80 g baby spinach (fresh, roughly chopped)
- 1 medium brown onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp olive oil (for sauteing the filling)
- 4 large whole eggs (free-range preferred)
- 2 large egg whites (extra, for higher protein custard)
- 120 ml low-fat milk (2% or reduced fat)
- 100 g reduced-fat ricotta (smooth, not whipped)
- 60 g reduced-fat feta cheese (crumbled, for topping)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 0.5 tsp dried thyme)
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika (adds warmth and colour)
- 0.3 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 0.3 tsp fine sea salt (for the filling, adjust to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius, or 170 degrees fan-forced. Lightly grease a 23cm loose-based fluted tart tin with a small amount of olive oil spray or a paper towel dipped in olive oil.
A loose-based tin makes it so much easier to remove the quiche cleanly without cracking the oat crust.
- 2
Make the oat crust by combining the rolled oats, egg whites, olive oil, garlic powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl. Stir well until all the oats are coated and the mixture clumps slightly when pressed between your fingers.
If the mixture feels too dry, add one extra teaspoon of water at a time until it just holds together when pressed.
- 3
Tip the oat mixture into the prepared tin. Using clean fingers or the back of a spoon, press it firmly and evenly across the base and up the sides to a thickness of about 5mm. Make sure there are no thin spots at the edges.
- 4
Blind-bake the oat crust for 12 minutes until it feels firm and just starts to turn golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees Celsius, or 160 degrees fan-forced.
There is no need for baking weights with an oat crust as it does not puff up like pastry.
- 5
Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly so it does not burn.
- 6
Add the sliced cremini mushrooms to the pan and increase the heat slightly to medium-high. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely browned and any liquid they release has evaporated. This browning step is important for deep, rich flavour.
Do not stir the mushrooms too frequently. Letting them sit undisturbed for a minute or two helps them caramelise properly.
- 7
Add the baby spinach to the pan and stir through until it wilts, which takes about one minute. Remove from heat, then stir in the shredded chicken, fresh thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture cool for five minutes.
- 8
In a large bowl, whisk together the four whole eggs, two extra egg whites, low-fat milk, and reduced-fat ricotta until smooth and well combined. Season lightly with a small pinch of salt and pepper.
Blending the ricotta into the custard with a whisk gives a silky texture without any lumps.
- 9
Spoon the chicken and mushroom filling evenly into the pre-baked oat crust, spreading it out in an even layer. Slowly pour the egg and ricotta custard over the filling, allowing it to settle between the pieces of chicken and mushroom.
Pour slowly from one side to avoid displacing the filling.
- 10
Scatter the crumbled reduced-fat feta evenly over the top of the quiche. Transfer to the oven and bake for 28 to 33 minutes, until the centre is just set with a very slight wobble and the top is lightly golden.
Start checking at 28 minutes. An overcooked quiche becomes rubbery, so it is better to pull it out when it still has a tiny jiggle in the very centre.
- 11
Remove the quiche from the oven and allow it to stand in the tin for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This resting time allows the custard to fully set and makes clean slicing much easier.
Nutrition per serving
285kcal
Calories
28g
Protein
18g
Carbs
10g
Fat
3g
Fibre
3g
Sugar
390mg
Sodium
Pro Tips
- ✓
Use leftover rotisserie chicken or batch-poached chicken breast to save time on busy mornings.
- ✓
Make sure your mushrooms are thoroughly browned before adding to the filling. Undercooked watery mushrooms will make the custard too wet and prevent it from setting properly.
- ✓
Let the filling cool for a few minutes before adding the custard to avoid scrambling the eggs when you pour it in.
- ✓
For cleaner slices, refrigerate the quiche for an hour after baking and reheat individual portions in the oven or air fryer.
- ✓
Fresh thyme can be swapped for dried herbs de Provence or fresh rosemary if that is what you have on hand.
- ✓
This quiche tastes excellent both warm and at room temperature, so it is a great option for packed lunches too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
- •
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Twist
Add 40g of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a small handful of fresh basil leaves to the filling along with the chicken and mushrooms. The tomatoes add a lovely concentrated sweetness that pairs beautifully with the earthy mushrooms.
- •
Spicy Harissa Chicken Quiche
Toss the shredded chicken in one tablespoon of harissa paste before adding to the filling. This gives the quiche a North African-inspired warmth and a gentle heat that makes it feel totally different from the base recipe.
- •
Dairy-Free Version
Replace the ricotta with 100g of silken tofu blended smooth, swap the low-fat milk for unsweetened oat milk or almond milk, and omit the feta topping. You can finish with a scatter of nutritional yeast for a savoury cheesy note without any dairy.
- •
Extra Greens Boost
Double the baby spinach to 160g and add a large handful of roughly chopped kale at the same time. This significantly increases the iron, folate, and vitamin K content and gives the filling a beautifully vibrant green colour.
Substitutions
- •Cremini mushrooms → Button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms (Button mushrooms work as a milder swap. Portobello mushrooms give a meatier, richer flavour and are worth trying if you enjoy a more intense mushroom taste.)
- •Cooked chicken breast → Cooked turkey breast (Turkey breast has a very similar protein content and neutral flavour. Use the same quantity, 300g shredded.)
- •Reduced-fat ricotta → Low-fat cottage cheese, blended smooth (Blend cottage cheese in a small food processor or with a stick blender until completely smooth before whisking into the custard. It gives a very similar creamy texture and keeps the protein content high.)
- •Low-fat milk → Unsweetened oat milk or almond milk (Both work well for a dairy-free version. The custard sets at exactly the same rate and the flavour difference is minimal.)
- •Rolled oats → Certified gluten-free rolled oats (Use the exact same quantity. The crust behaves identically. This is the only change needed to make the recipe strictly gluten-free.)
- •Fresh thyme → Dried thyme or dried mixed herbs (Use half the quantity if substituting dried for fresh. Dried herbs are more concentrated so 0.5 tsp dried is equivalent to 1 tsp fresh.)
🧊 Storage
Store cooled quiche covered tightly with cling film or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap individual slices and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat refrigerated slices in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or in an air fryer at 160 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes until heated through.
📅 Make Ahead
The oat crust can be pressed into the tin, covered with cling film, and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance. The chicken and mushroom filling can also be cooked, cooled, and refrigerated overnight in a separate container. On baking day, simply blind-bake the crust, add the filling, pour over freshly whisked custard, and bake as directed. This reduces active morning prep to under 15 minutes.
