Description
Zesty lemon chicken quinoa salad with Mediterranean inspired veggies. It’s an easy make ahead salad that also doubles up as a healthy meal prep idea.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. bone-in chicken breast with skin-on
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped (2 cups)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for roasting
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 – 1 1/2 lemons)
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- Fresh mint, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously rub the chicken breast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on each side. Bake on a parchment-lined pan for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin, pull the meat off the bones and shred it using your hands or two forks.
- Prepare the quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large salad bowl. Cool for 10-15 minutes before adding in the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the salad: To the quinoa, add shredded chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, green onions, olives, feta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and pour over the salad. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chicken: When roasting chicken, keep the skin on. It will keep the meat moist. You can also save on prep time and use rotisserie chicken.
- Quinoa: Do not toss the hot quinoa with the vinaigrette as it will immediately soak up all of the liquid and your salad will be dry. Make sure to let the quinoa cool for 10-15 minutes after it’s been cooked.
- Leftovers: Quinoa salad can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. If you find the salad getting a little dry, add a drizzle of olive oil and little lemon juice to freshen it up.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 2.3 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 19.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.4 g
- Protein: 27.3 g
- Cholesterol: 77.5 mg
