Quinoa chicken salad is made with cooked chicken, green pepper, red pepper, onion, tomato, and a delicious olive oil dressing. It is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.ย
To be honest I had never heard of quinoa before my blogging days. After seeing recipes for it on blogs my curiosity got the best of me. After the first time of making it I have been a fan.
This recipe is one of my favorite recipes to use quinoa in. It makes a hearty delicious lunch and it is easy to pack up to take to work.
The olive oil and red wine vinegar along with the garlic give the perfect zesty flavor. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this recipe.
Helpful Tips:
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. Simply put it into a strainer and run cool water over it until it is well rinsed. The reason behind the rinsing is because there is a bitter coating that needs to rinsed away.
- Cool the quinoa before adding the rest of the ingredients. Place it in a bowl and fluff it about every 10 minutes this will help to cool it faster.
- I like cooked chicken, but for more flavor try grilling your chicken before cutting into pieces.
- Cut the vegetables and make the dressing while preparing the quinoa. This way once the quinoa is cooled down you are ready to toss everything in and it will make everything come together quicker.
- The salad can stay in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
- Serve this salad with some fresh fruit for a well-balanced lunch or light dinner.
Steps for making Quinoa Chicken Salad
Step one
Cook the quinoa using the directions on the package.
Step two
Once the quinoa is cooked add it to a large bowl and allow it to cool. Fluff it about every 10 minutes while it is cooling.
Step three
Prepare the vegetables while preparing the quinoa. Cut the vegetables into fine pieces. Also the chicken can be cut up at this time too.
Step four
The dressing can also be made during this time. In a jar add all of the ingredients and shake well.
Step five
Once the quinoa is cooled toss in the vegetables. Give the dressing a few more shakes and pour over the salad and mix well.
Step six
Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
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Quinoa Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut into small pieces
- 1/2 large green pepper finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 large red pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato finely chopped
- Dressing-
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa using the directions on the package. Once done set aside to cool. As the quinoa is cooling cut up the rest of the ingredients for the salad. Add to the cooled quinoa and mix well.
- As the quinoa is being prepared cut up the chicken and the vegetables.
- After preparing the vegetables make the dressing. In a jar add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake until well combined.
- Once the quinoa is cooled toss in the chicken and vegetables.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- After the chicken and vegetables are mixed in give the dressing a couple of more shakes and pour over the salad. Mix until combined.
Notes
- Make sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking it.
- Once the quinoa is cooked transfer to a large bowl. Fluff every 10 minutes. This will help it to cool faster.
- Add the vegetables and the dressing to the quinoa once it is cooled.
- Store the salad in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.ย
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on July 27, 2015. It has been updated with new content and pictures on August 10, 2020.
Look soo good Dawn!
Quinoa is such a feel-good food! Looks like you put it to good use in this salad!
Quinoa is one of my favorite things to cook with! This salad looks so good!
Lots of healthy protein here and not to mention it’s DELICIOUS!
I like quinoa, but it needs other ingredients to pep it up. This looks perfect — loads of flavor, and so healthy. Thanks!
My pantry is full of quinoa but I hardly ever cook it! This is inspiring me! It looks delicious Dawn and I love the red wine dressing! Lucky you to have this for lunches.
I’ve been meaning to use up some of the quinoa in my pantry and your recipe looks terrific!! Bill steers clear of it, but I’d happily make this for a week of delicious lunches!
This post reminds me how much I enjoy quinoa! We rarely make it here, but I don’t know why not. Tossing the whole thing in a tasty vinaigrette is a great idea, too!